Connecting music and community activism, HeadCount partnered with The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY to run regular charity auctions that support local initiatives and artist-chosen causes. The Presidential Box (overlooking the stage) is auctioned for most shows at the theatre. Proceeds have been directed to Sandy Hook Promise and are also used to send area teachers to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Summer Teacher Institute. By embedding philanthropy right into the venue’s business model, we make it easy for fans and musicians to get behind things they believe in.

HeadCount was a driving force behind the largest one-day voter registration campaign ever.  Over 200 artists, comedians, and celebrities (including Dave Matthews, Linkin Park, 50 Cent, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart) were photographed with our “Register To Vote Here” clipboards, and then posted their photos via social media  with a link to an online voter registration form.  This helped us register 40,000 people in a single day!

Our network TV public service announcements starring Jay-Z, Dave Matthews, and members of Phish and the Grateful Dead appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, TNT, TBS, BET, Fuse and MSNBC.

We’ve created original Webcasts and concerts such as “The Bridge Session,” which combined political discussion with a live musical performance by The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and members of The National.  Clips of The Bridge Session have been viewed over 2 million times on Yahoo!

The “Music for Action” climate change campaign generated 100,000 emails to Congress by giving away a free  “Best of Bonnaroo” compilation album with exclusive tracks from Pearl Jam, Wilco, Dave Matthews Band, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket and a dozen others.

Another version of “Music for Action,” created on behalf of the bands Dispatch and State Radio, won a Davey Award for Web-based activism.

We installed solar panels at a public elementary school via “The Bisco Power Mission,” a unique partnership with the band The Disco Biscuits.

Our “Signs of the Times” photo contest involved thousands of fans and dozens of musicians taking to Facebook to speak their minds.

We’ve forged marketing partnerships with the eco-conscious apparel brand Patagonia to promote their Patagonia Music Collective and Vote the Environment campaigns.

We have a long-standing partnership with Magic Hat Brewing Co., highlighted by an election-themed retail promotion and pre-election concert featuring Phil Lesh, Questlove, Bela Fleck, Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph, The Disco Biscuits, Joss Stone, Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, Eric Krasno, and many more.

HeadCount brought a music and politics “game show” to festivals nationwide, letting fans face off against each other in a giant elimination tournament that tested their knowledge of history, current events and pop culture. Also sponsored by Magic Hat, Reality Check engaged over 5,000 fans over two summers.

Before anyone asks for your vote, they should ask what you think. So in 2011 HeadCount staged a large-scale polling project targeted at music fans. We asked about their views on social issues, politics, and also polled them on their musical tastes and listening habits. The result was a series of infographics that broke down the Fan DNA.