Letter from the Editor: 2023 Annual Report

Welcome to the season of the list

Ben Kaye

December 4, 2023 | 9:00am ET

best of 2023 pop culture music film movies tv annual report co letter from the editor — Consequence’s 2023 Annual Report

If it’s been said once, it’s been said every December over the last half-decade-plus: “That was a weird year, wasn’t it?” We’ve all accepted that the new normal is just things not being normal at all, and wouldn’t ya know it, 2023 was no different.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that three years after the global shutdowns, we’d have figured things out to some extent. The dominos are still falling, however. The music industry returned with force in 2022, which left 2023 with a relative lack of “big name” releases. Just as film and TV content appeared to be roaring again, Hollywood talent took studios to task for their inequitable business practices. Even concert crowds seemed to forget how to exist in public.

Still, if we’ve learned how to do anything over the past few years, it’s to persevere — and pop culture has proven resilient. Tours from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé quite literally saved the economy, and then revitalized cinemas with movie releases. Foo Fighters emerged from a dark ’22 to give us one of their best years on record. Barbenheimer delivered not just a counter-programming phenomenon, but two instantly classic, record-breaking films — and a surprise Hot 100 smash. Right alongside some of the greatest final seasons television has ever offered, new series arose to capture the cultural conscious.

We here at Consequence are proud of our own work, too (if you’ll forgive us our modesty). We celebrated everything from the 50th anniversary of hip-hop to Disney Renaissance to industrial music to sex in cinema. CoSigns like Wednesday, Water from Your Eyes, Genesis Owusu, and Poison Ruïn went on to become vital parts of the year-end discussion. Icons Metallica, Blur, Jason Isbell, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Corey Taylor, and Dolly Parton (interviewed by Hayley Williams, no less!) graced our covers. Our inaugural Hometowns of Consequence fan-voted campaign to find the best local music venues in the country was an inspiring success (shout out to winners Troubadour, First Avenue & 7th St Entry, Cain’s Ballroom, George’s Majestic Lounge, and Rockwood Music Hall!).

All this proves that no matter how abnormal it gets, there’s comfort to be found in the creative arts. So long as there are people out there making music, putting on shows, and telling stories, this strange shared experience of life can’t be all that bad.

Which is really why we gather once again over spreadsheets and Zoom calls to celebrate the best pop culture of the year. Consequence’s 2023 Annual Report launches today with our list of the Best Albums of the Year. Over the next three (yes, that’s three!) weeks, we’ll be releasing more best-of lists, exclusive interviews with the year’s biggest stars, and our annual accolades. You can stay updated on all the content by keeping this page bookmarked, as we’ll compile all the lists and articles as they’re released below.

Thank you, Consequence readers, for staying with us for another odd, wonderful, exciting turn around the sun. Here’s to doing it all again next year!

— Ben Kaye
Editorial Director