Mission Statement
HeadCount is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to voter registration and inspiring participation in democracy through the power of music.
Vision
The core belief behind HeadCount is that the live music community is a large, vibrant audience that has the potential to be politically influential if properly represented at the polls. HeadCount uses the assets of the music industry and the incredible influence artists have over their fans to mobilize this audience into action.
Stretching beyond just registering voters, HeadCount also aims to become "the community organizing arm of the live music scene," giving every socially conscious music fan an avenue toward activism.
History
Since its inception in 2004, HeadCount has registered over 50,000 voters, more than any all-volunteer group in the U.S.
The organization was formed in early 2004 by a small group of musicians, band managers, concert promoters and fans, and quickly blossomed into a nationwide network. By April of that year the organization was registering voters at more than 20 concerts per week, and went on to send teams on the road with Dave Matthews Band, The Dead and Phish, on the way to registering 48, 500 voters. HeadCount also produced its own public service announcements starring those artists, which aired on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" and TNT and TBS. This was all accomplished without the aid of a paid staff or central office
In 2006, HeadCount staged "The Midterms Matter Tour," bringing a voter registration theme to 35 major concert events. It also generated over one million e-mails directly from artists to their fans, reminding people to register and to vote.
2007-08 Objectives
The upcoming election cycle will see HeadCount register 100,000 to 200,000 voters, targeting young concert goers at America's largest live music events. The activity will include fielding 50 or more regional voter registration teams while also sending street teams on the road with up to a dozen major acts. This will be supported by an aggressive multi-media strategy and artist-based communications that will profoundly touch millions of young people with the "vote" message. Meanwhile, thousands of young people will gain first-hand community organizing experience as volunteers, fulfilling another of HeadCount's core objectives - "training the activists of tomorrow."
