About Last Week…
Last week. That was the week that was, wasn’t it? Though it’s been not weeks, not months but years leading up to the ruling in Dobbs. Really…years. Whatever you think about those last words striking down Roe V. Wade from Alito is beside the point of what I am writing here. So while my intention has its beginnings in the political decisions of the conservative-bent of the court — just so you know my bias and own bent to the left right at the start—and my unrest that goes back to events surrounding the last Election, THIS IS NOT POLITICAL.
Years, decades, scores of decades, of voters not voting, not getting their voice heard where it counts—at the ballot box, scanned, punched, chads un-hung, bleeped, however added into the final count. “Vote them out” only works when, doh, you vote. Whichever side you are on, yelling, rioting, bricks, and bats may help stamp out the anger and you may feel better for a bit. Assuage your well-being. Party on! LOL!
Does rioting change politicians’ hearts and minds, political affiliations, and voting strategies? Did rioting at any world Summit shift the views of those in power? Yelling at Davos curdle any CEO’s latté? If we can boot them out of office, we can moot the opinion of politicians and remove their supposed strength and power. And, out on the street, one could hope to lessen the effect of CEOs and lobbyists on those same “self-made” politicians.
We need to do the right thing, not the riot thing.
This weekend my social media feeds were boiling over with rage.
On Twitter, Lizzo, Halsey, Lily Allen, and Olivia Rodrigo made posts expressing their anger and discontent, some at concerts, some sending gobs of money to Planned Parenthood, like Lizzo and her pledge of $500K which was matched by Live Nation.
Neko Case called for a nationwide strike. Michael League of Snarky Puppy and GroundUP Music wrote a thoughtful essay under an American Flag image, laying out that the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization “…is the exact opposite of progress and in direct opposition to the well-being of our society and nation.” Yes! That’s how you get your non-voting fans to get over whatever justifies their non-voting. Be it Apathy? Ignorance? Depression? Voter suppression? Those emails?
Dropping the mic in front of hundreds, thousands, millions; using the bully pulpit is how you can help, preaching to the converted. Back in 2020, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry & others used the power of their celebrity to get out the vote.
BUT THEY, EXCEPT NEKO, NEED TO DO MORE. Sorry for yelling, but I didn’t want you to skim over the blather.
According to the Pew Research Center, 20% of eligible voters are not even registered! That was the way the researchers tallied up the numbers back in 2017. I sincerely doubt the percentage has shrunk in the past five years.
Also, Pew noted that the younger demographic of the un-registered would vote if registered. See Figure 10 in this PDF.
While I applaud Lizzo for the money, and to have Live Nation kick in another 500K, publicly? Wow. One million! And Halsey and the others to speak out to their audiences. And the duet by Olivia and Lily raising the level of anger with their fans!
Musicians have this incredibly unique and personal platform: concerts in front of their fans, by the thousands, hundreds, even dozens, or a handful face-to-face in a living room. At those concerts, like Neko Case and others, they should try to get those unregistered audience members to:
1. Become registered voters.
2. Make them vote.
Whatever the politics.
While I wear my politics on my sleeve, as my folks did as Democrats in the Republican stronghold of New Canaan starting way back in the 1950s, this is not about politics. What I am arguing for is having more Americans take part in our democracy at all levels. This democracy is what my father fought for, and many others died for in World War 2. (No arguing about the legitimacy of any war vs. diplomacy, or which war was the more just war, or even how one achieves democracy. Go on my social media feed for that.)
Democracy depends on a large, well-represented electorate: no causation without representation! Or rephrasing the tag used by the League of Women Voters: When You Empower Voters You Defend Democracy.
In addition to lashing out, artists touring the United States should and could do more to build up the voting base. The inspiration I wrangled from my sleep late on Saturday night stems from being in the touring business for decades and mothered by a very strong yenta.
Register more voters! By the handful and then by the bucketful and then voila, nation of newbie voters.
They can also do it worldwide, but some countries may have different rules, and I don’t know what those are, and they are probably too complicated, so let’s start here.) During the Broadway run of American Utopia, David Byrne promoted voter registration through the Headcount organization. MTV partnered with Rock The Vote in the 1990s, and Chuck D. is still a vocal supporter.
Imagine all the voters.
But that’s only the start. After I sent out a spate of emails to artists, managers, and presenters, Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live, let me know a thing or two from his side of the business:
“Of course, this is a critically important and massive issue. The only way to make this happen is if the presenters either have to have a plan in place to take care of this at the concerts or the artists have to coordinate with an organization and get them access to the venues. Having a clause in the rider is not relevant. It just has to be done publicly with people who care enough to take action.”
I think having ONLY a clause in the rider is relevant, but as Danny says, it is not ENOUGH. It should be in the contract as a start. It causes the buyers to pick up the phone and start a discussion with the artist’s representative on how to proceed to make this happen. Of course, if the artists can already have the connection to Headcount, Rock The Vote, League of Women Voters, or others, in place, understanding all the parts needed to make it happen, that’s all for the better.
I don’t have access to Lizzo; even though I tagged her in a tweet, my @tapedave will not move her one iota to notice, I tell you what. Nor Halsey, Olivia, or Lily. My social media following is minuscule, sub-atomic, next to those celebs. But, as a life-long noodge, I have been sending this idea out as a personal email to my music industry connections and publishing it here in CelebrityAccess.
In addition to using the stage to vent your anger and sway the fans to do something, Musicians, consider adding a clause about voter registration into your contract riders. Promoters and venues, maybe you can put those tables up yourselves in the halls, arenas, on the grounds of your festival? Shill for voters in addition to beers and tee-shirts and branded gee-gaws.
Or maybe you know Lizzo?
If you do, tell her @tapedave says “hi.” She already knows it’s About Damn Time.
HeadCount media kit | HeadCount 2022 Info Sheet
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David Greenberg has been in the music industry since he started directing music videos in the early days when MTV consistently played music videos 24/7. His script was the basis for 90% of the Certified Platinum Kiss eXposed home video, though Gene disputed this in many an interview. During the great recession of the late 1980s, Greenberg moved from the film industry, a postage-stamp apartment in N.Y.C. to the Rykodisc label, and a house with a backyard and trees (!) on the North Shore of Massachusetts. By the way, at Rykodisc he did work with Yoko. Greenberg is presently the Director of Marketing and Development at the Music Works International booking agency based in the United States just north of Boston, MA.
