The foundation of the research centre "C:POP. Transdisciplinary Research Center for Popular Music Cultures and Creative Economies" was celebrated together with the 20th anniversary of the degree programmes and the teaching and research area "Popular Music and Media" on 30.06.2023. The celebrations not only served to mark these two occasions in a fitting manner, but also to further strengthen sustainable anchoring and create a platform for future projects and collaborations. In addition, this event aimed to strengthen the network in the long term and attract more students. Both the research and teaching areas "Popular Music and Media" and in particular the newly founded research centre "C:POP" are unique, outstanding profiles for research, teaching and transfer of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Paderborn University in the German-speaking and international area. The anniversary with alumni event and the founding of "C:POP" are to a certain extent both a result of the 20 years of development and establishment work and a central element for the further consolidation, establishment and also international contouring of these profile-forming institutions.