EDM Gets Political For 2012 Presidential Race
EDM really is the new rock – even Rock the Vote has adopted a doppleganger program called Spin the Vote. 2008’s Barack the Vote has given way to DJs for Obama. Yes, we realize this sounds like something you might see on Break.com, but it’s legit- trust us. Because popular DJs and MCs are tremendous influencer’s in the demographics they reach. Fans travel to Vegas to see them play club gigs and festivals like Ultra Music Festival and Electric Dance Carnival draw tens-of-thousands of young attendees – a demographic every campaign wants their message to resonate with.
Rock the Vote: a non-partisan program dedicated to registering and informing young voters has created a sister program: Spin the Vote.
“Rock the Vote is dedicated to building the political power of young people by engaging them in the electoral process, urging politicians to pay attention to issues that matter to young voters, and protecting their fundamental right to vote. Our goal is to reinvigorate our country’s democracy and redefine citizenship for a generation in 2012 and beyond.”
Spin the Vote has had and will have a presence at all music festivals presented by Insomniac across the nation this summer and fall leading up to the election.
EDM icon Paul van Dyk has been a very vocal supporter of both Rock the Vote and Spin the vote. Growing up in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Van Dyk has a unique perspective on freedoms in a democratic society. The first concert he went to typifies his experiences as a youth in a restrictive society: It was an illegal show put on by an East German church. He told Spin the Vote in a report “I think it’s important to be part of a democratic society. You have the right to vote. It’s a possibility. It’s an honor. There are many countries in the world where people don’t have that right. So if you have the chance, go and do it.”
register to vote here: register.rockthevote.com
Aside from getting members of the EDM community registered to vote, many DJs are standing behind one candidate and publicly offering their support. It should be no surprise that the candidate of choice is incumbent Barack Obama, who had a strong connection with youth culture in his 2008 campaign. Obama was the first candidate to truly utilize social networking sites in a campaign, and did so with tremendous success. A large group of influential figures in the EDM scene are on board with DJs for Obama, notably: DJ Cassidy, D-Nice, DJ RASHIDA, Steve Aoki, DJ IRIE and DJ Adam 12.
Cassidy Podell (aka DJ Cassidy), who performed at Obama’s 2009 inauguration, is the spokesperson for the group in their most visible form of outreach: this PSA style video. “DJ’s are about motivation, inspiration, celebration — that’s why I think it makes perfect sense not only to celebrate this man, but to motivate to reelect him,” he said. Podell goes on to encourage viewers to use their skills to participate in any way they can from creating campaign posters to t-shirts.
Artists may seem to only be vocally supporting Obama or non-partisan efforts to register and inform young voters but the LA Times reports Republican candidates are benefiting from the EDM boom as well. Las Vegas is a major hub for the EDM business, and resort/club owner Steve Wynn has used earnings from his enterprises to donate heavily to a Republican super PAC.
We’ll have to wait until November to assess the true impact of the Spin the Vote movement, but it looks like the EDM community is poised to make a splash in this years presidential race.
