Music has always carried messages about freedom, justice and the future. Today it does something even more practical: it helps people register to vote.
HeadCount: democracy at the merch table
Since 2004, the non-partisan non-profit HeadCount has used the power of music and popular culture to register voters. Co-founded by Marc Brownstein, bass player in The Disco Biscuits, the organisation has signed up more than 1.7 million voters through drives at over 1,000 live events a year.
The idea is simple: meet young people where they already are. HeadCount volunteers set up tables at concerts and festivals – from Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza – where fans can register, check their registration status or sign up for election reminders. Artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé and Dead & Company have worked with the organisation.
Even in 2025, a year without major national elections, HeadCount had its biggest “off year” ever, registering around 39,600 voters and running more than 1,000 field events.
A whole industry joining in
HeadCount is not alone. A coalition called Music Votes brings together organisations such as HeadCount, Rock the Vote, VoteRiders and #iVoted Concerts – the latter producing concerts that fans can enter by showing a selfie from outside their polling place.
Music and democracy in Europe too
The same spirit lives in Europe. In Denmark, Future Kulture – the youth association that publishes 360 Democracy Now – has used music festivals, recording workshops and European youth exchanges since the 1990s to give young people a voice and a sense of belonging in their communities.
Next time you go to a concert, look for the voter table. Registering takes a few minutes. Your voice lasts much longer.
