The Phish Studies Association has officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit academic organization and is currently accepting memberships. PSA previously hosted The Phish Studies Conferences in 2019 and 2024 and established a new area at the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association conference in 2025.

 “This organization is the result of years of work and we are so excited that it has come to fruition. This formal incorporation allows us to expand our mission,” PSA President Christina Allaback said in a statement. “We are excited to continue creating a space for academics and fans to explore these ideas.”

According to a release, the association’s mission is “to increase the intellectual rigor, breadth, and engagement of Phish-related scholarship, generating professional satisfaction and joy through a mix of academically focused activities and outreach to music fans. Membership will fund most of the organization’s outreach and will include benefits such as newsletters, access to scholarships and entry into two scheduled Phish Studies 101 webinars every year.”

Regular annual membership is $40 at phishstudies.org, and there are also opportunities to become what is described as “a charter or lifetime member.”

Executive Director Paul Jakus added in the release that “PSA hopes to preserve the unique history of Phish music, document the ad hoc communities and subcultures that surround Phish and illustrate why they are important to the human experience. Our ultimate goal is to make Phish research and creative endeavors accessible to a wider, non-academic audience.”

The association’s ongoing webinar series, Phish Studies 101, will continue Wednesday, March 25 at 8pm EST via Zoom. The webinar’s featured presenter will be Joel Gershon, an award-winning documentarian and media educator, who will present his research on accessibility at Phish shows. His presentation, “Inside Inside This Silent Scene” draws on experiences and interviews with Deaf concertgoers and explores the experiences of deaf and hard of hearing fans navigating live music spaces. The entire session will have live captions enabled.

Gershon’s presentation will be drawn from a chapter in the book, Concepts We’ll Ponder: Identity, Improvisation, and Community in the Phish Experience, which was released last month from Bloomsbury press. The webinar will also feature a guided listening session led by music scholars, who will walk participants through an in-depth analysis of a Phish jam. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with all the scholars involved through a Q & A session.

All PS101 sessions are hosted online and recorded for later access for registered participants, with one taking place every year in the spring and another in the fall. PSA members automatically get admission to both Phish Studies 101 webinars each year, in addition to other member benefits, for $10 total off the individual price of two yearly PS101 sessions. Tickets are available at $25 for a single session here.