PopIndustry

#PopIndustry is a music themed competition, hosted on Discord and formerly associated with FOTP Forums, in which you portray a real-life recording artist in a quest for music stardom. These artists are then treated as new artists into the industry, whose real life music careers do not exist. These artists then release music on a weekly basis in a bid for chart domination.

There have been 11 seasons of #PopIndustry to date, some spanning into multiple part-seasons. The first season took place in 2013, with different hosts and a slightly different format. The most recent season is Season 11a; hosted by current judges RTT, itsryannxox, hyunty and Feoba.

## Format

The first season of #PopIndustry was hosted by Lookin4TheLight, HAMLET and Ara in 2013. This debut season introduced the weekly challenges mechanic, where players would be required to submit entries in written form around a specified topic, to be scored by the judges. The player with lowest score weekly would be eliminated, leaving the best ranking player as the winner at the end of the season. The first three record labels were created during this season; Atlantic Records, Interscope Records and Mercury Records. This season also introduced the Billboard Charts - albeit a more randomized and less official version than what is known today.

The second season was hosted by entirely new judges; RTT, itsryannxox (then CHANEL #1), Kaleidoscope (then Habits) and Lachlan. Hosted in early 2014, this season expanded on the Billboard Charts, making them into a more official resource calculated by an actual formula, with the minor Digital Songs Chart, Radio Songs Chart and Streaming Songs Chart for singles. This season also introduced the newest record label, Capitol Records, and the famed Billboard Music Awards. During this season, entries would be scored weekly out of 50 by each judge based on multiple criteria. Season 2's format would become known as the benchmark moving forward. Season 3 was also hosted in 2014, as Fat Madge (then sexotheque). replaced Lachlan in the judging role. The first ever spin-off season, Season 3x, would happen later that year as a holiday-inspired mini season, with only three judges; RTT, itsryannxox and Kaleidoscope.

The fourth season (2015) introduced new mechanics into the event. Firstly, this season is credited with the official introduction of remixes and album reissues; allowing songs and albums to chart for longer. Secondly, this season was the first season to use actual real-life Twitter accounts for the artists; a feature which would continue until 2019. Finally, this season shifted to a weekly score out of 100 points per judge. Season 4p, a prologue mini-season spanning three weeks, was hosted at the end of 2015 focusing purely on entries without any charts or Twitter accounts. Season five launched in 2016, as the first three part season. Season 5a and Season 5b would be hosted by returning judges RTT, itsryannxox and Kaleidoscope, while Season 5c would be hosted by the latter two judges and new representatives Robert. and hyunty. Season five contained an overhaul of the Billboard Charts, moving them onto an entirely new formula; the standard for moving forward.

RTT returned to host Season six (2017) alongside judges itsryannxox and Kaleidoscope. Season six was split into two part mini-seasons and introduced a myriad of new format changes. The weekly scoring was replaced by a cumulative scoring, still based on 100 points per judge weekly, with a new addition of bonus points. Due to this new scoring, eliminations for non-submissions or low-scoring entries were also removed. Rolling charts were also introduced as a feature of the Billboard Charts, allowing releases to continue charting for the normal amount of time on the next season if the current season ended. Season six also introduced the You Can Sit With Us Legacy Award at the Billboard Music Awards; honoring several artists officially as Legacy Artists. In Season 6b, Republic Records would become open to the public for the first time, permanently replacing Mercury Records.

The seventh season (2018) changed up the formula yet again. The Billboard Top Albums Chart would now be based on the creation of two minor charts; the Digital Albums Chart and the Streaming Albums Chart. RCA Records would also take over publicly from Capitol Records for this one season. This season would also introduce the Billboard Box Office and Metacritic features. Season seven would once again follow the two part mini-season format. Season eight (2019) would take place with the same seasonal format. hyunty would officially re-join the judges roster for this season. Capitol Records and Atlantic Records would re-open, alongside the three labels from season seven, and new label Universal Music Group. This season would also become the first time players could use multiple artists within a season. During this season, the Twitter accounts for players were shut down, and #PopIndustry would move to its new social media home Mastodon.

2020 would be a quiet year as #PopIndustry went on a one-year hiatus. Season nine would then begin in 2021, slated as a three-part season. The ninth season introduced the most changes to the event so far and would become the standard for the new era of the game. Mandatory challenges were no longer a part of the event, instead replaced by optional trending challenges that count towards your chart position. To facilitate this, two new minor charts were added; the Trending Songs Chart and Trending Albums Chart. The aim of the game became more chart-focused than ever before, as the winner would now be decided based on the best chart performance of the season. Additional new mechanics, such as promotional releases, were also introduced. During Season 9c, Kaleidoscope announced their retirement effective at the end of the season - being replaced by Feoba as of Season 10.

Season ten would launch in March 2022, slated as a two-part season. Hosted by RTT, itsryannxox, hyunty and Feoba, the tenth season was propelled by a move to the messaging platform Discord. While the overall ethos of the game remained from season nine, some minor changed were implemented. The Billboard Box Office was permanently closed to focus on more important aspects of the event. The Hot Singles chart formula was slightly adjusted to weigh Digital Songs and Radio Songs equally, while the later received a complete overhaul in its methodology. Capitol Records, Universal Music Group and Republic Records would all close their doors, making way for the launch of the newest label Roc Nation.

Season eleven was announced as a two-part season in February 2023. The first part of the season would launch in March, while the later half was listed as a fall season. The trending challenges mechanic was changed to be more open and diverse in both presentation and accepted content; now reflecting a player's entire roster rather than one artist. In addition some methodology changes were put into place for both the streaming and trending minor charts. The ratios for both the Hot Singles chart and Top Albums chart were also adjusted. New categories for the Billboard Music Awards were also announced as part of the season. A paid Supporter Pass also launched on Ko-fi, allowing players extra cosmetic benefits in exchange for a small donation twice a year.

## Seasons

* Season 1 (2013)
* Season 2 (2014)
* Season 3 (2014)
	+ Season 3x (2014)
* Season 4 (2015)
	+ Season 4p (2015)
* Season 5
	+ Season 5a (2016)
	+ Season 5b (2016)
	+ Season 5b (2016)
* Season 6
	+ Season 6a (2017)
	+ Season 6b (2017)
* Season 7
	+ Season 7a (2018)
	+ Season 7b (2018)
* Season 8
	+ Season 8a (2019)
	+ Season 8b (2019)
* Season 9
	+ Season 9a (2021)
	+ Season 9b (2021)
	+ Season 9c (2021)
* Season 10
	+ Season 10a (2022)
	+ Season 10b (2022)
* Season 11
	+ Season 11a (2023)
	+ Season 11b (2023)

## Winners

Each season of #PopIndustry also crowned a winner. From Seasons 1 through 8, these wins were given to the artist with the highest challenge scores of the season. From season 9 onwards, the winner is determined by the number of Chart Points (CP) accumulated throughout the season. Judges are not eligible to win the event. In addition, the CP of each artist is tracked throughout every season, leaving behind an artist with the most chart points from each season. Both players and judges are able to receive this honor. The artist with the highest Chart Points of all time is Rihanna.

## Legacy Artists

Since 2017, the 'You Can Sit With Us' Legacy Award is presented yearly at the Billboard Music Awards to artists who have achieved a certain legacy status. An artist is eligible for legacy status when they have been portrayed by the same player five or more times, having released three or more official releases during their active seasons.