HOW AND WHY SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS MUSIC ARTISTS AND SUPERFANS MIGHT HAVE VANQUISHED TRUMP
It’s Artists and Fans, Not the Music Industry, Who Will Lead
Post was originally “How and Why Socially Conscious Music Artists and Superfans Will Vanquish Trump”
The following is the ultimate use case illustration of the business model and forward-thinking strategy of the consultancy, Socially Driven Music, and its role as a facilitator, conduit, and rainmaker catalyst. It is designed to generate reciprocal benefits for music artists, fans, brands and positive social impact causes derived from an interactive, sustained relationship between them. It’s applied here to the 2024 American election to demonstrate the magnitude of the blueprint’s efficacy in mutually rewarding each sector. Its relevance for future elections is also clear. This illuminates how fans become superfans and how superfans and artists can rally around social good, benefit each other, and effectively influence the cultural, business brand and political landscape (recognizing that the latter invariably impacts the success probabilities of virtually all social advancement program aspirations).
Collaboration
The longstanding blending of diverse cultures in music epitomizes the understanding that collaboration across differences can lead to extraordinary results. When artists from varied backgrounds unite, they don’t just merge styles — they create something entirely new and impactful, resonating with wider audiences. This creative process reflects the potential for collaboration between musicians, social causes, brands and politicians. Just as music thrives by embracing diversity, these partnerships can break new ground, amplify their messages, and drive meaningful change. The success of cross-cultural music is a clear example of how bringing together different perspectives leads to powerful outcomes, making it a strong model for social and political collaboration.
We’ve written extensively about the potential of music to effect positive cultural change when it connects with fans so viscerally as to create an interactive relationship in support of a mutual passion. This is the basis of superfandom that the corporate music industry is desperate to create but struggles to grasp. It is the secret sauce to a robust livelihood for artists and songwriters in a new era of music consumption, and an interactive relationship model with fans that music creators cannot depend upon the industry to implement for them. Superfans, aggregated in fan clubs, can materialize and become an organic powerhouse only in support of a shared purpose with artists. There is no shortage of causes to advocate or organizations to promote, including Women’s Reproductive Rights, Reasonable Gun Control, Mental Health, Medical and Illness, LGBTQ+, Climate, Immigration Reform, Veterans, fighting Anti-semitism, ending Animal Abuse, and the multitude of music royalty issues in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Artists’ fan clubs will grow from connections to these communities, and vice versa.
How could this affect the 2024 national election and beyond? Let’s begin with a clear statement to stipulate two obvious facts. Traditional Republicans have been known to have ideas worth considering, some of which Democrats can and should debate and negotiate. And we all must appreciate and work to mitigate the reasons causing the disaffected to feel so hopeless as to ignore Trump’s abundant inadequacies and flaws.
Purpose is the secret sauce to a robust livelihood for artists and songwriters in a new era of music consumption
We are undoubtedly at a societal inflection point. The role of contemporary music in political movements is well-documented, including the civil rights anthems of the 1960s and the protest songs of the anti-war movements into the ’70’s. Rock, Country, Punk, Grunge, Hip Hop and Rap and a multitude of sub-genres added exclamation points on diverse social issues through the years, but throughout the 2000’s thus far, it has generally been below the radar and not affecting the zeitgeist as it did decades earlier.
Our fraught current times are more conducive to metaphorical hit songs about any of a vast array of societal quandaries and conflicts than ever, and yet it is incomprehensible that the corporate music industry hasn’t recognized the opportunity nor encouraged the consequential messages in songs that will doubtless resonate across demographics. Ironically, their latent epiphany, when it arrives, also provides plausible insight to solutions to some of the most daunting monetization dilemmas facing the industry, such as the glut of unprofessional “music” added daily to DSP’s and social media outlets, whether to move from a streaming royalty pro rata basis to user-centric, threshold, duration, or consumption model. And how to protect and best monetize copyrights in the age of generative artificial intelligence and the creator economy, and the advent of the bifurcation theory. We expect that the individual artists and songwriters and independent record labels will fill the void and disrupt the current mainstream music malaise with innovation, as they historically have. They are the visionary entrepreneurs. We would anticipate that, with one or two viral megahits, others will inevitably follow (as is the industry pattern) and Rock ’N’ Roll will have a resurgence in this context and be the genre to lead music’s transitional socially poignant renaissance, as it did previously.
Some Examples of Many Positive Social Causes for Collaborative Lobbying
Gun control is one of the most urgent issues in the United States today, given the alarming frequency of mass shootings, especially in schools, places of worship, and public spaces. The repeated targeting of students and children has created a national crisis, demanding immediate attention from both voters and lawmakers. Artists must mobilize their fanbases to demand gun reform and elect politicians who will enact common-sense measures like universal background checks and bans on assault weapons. It is nonsensical for Pro-Choice advocates to be against reasonable gun control. The contradiction about the sanctity of life would seem the definition of an oxymoron. Ongoing engagement is critical to prevent political complacency on this issue.
Music artists and their fans can collaborate with gun reform organizations like March For Our Lives, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Moms Demand Action, lending their voices and time to mobilize support for these causes. By integrating calls for gun reform into their concerts, social media posts, and interviews, artists can turn their music into a rallying cry for stronger laws that protect vulnerable communities from senseless violence.
- Climate Change: As climate policy evolves post-election, artists can sustain momentum by endorsing green energy initiatives, supporting environmental groups, and keeping climate action in the public discourse through music, social media, and partnerships with environmentally conscious brands.
- Racial Justice: The fight for racial justice will continue long after the election. Music artists must stay engaged by collaborating with grassroots organizations that fight systemic racism, criminal justice reform, and economic inequality in communities of color.
- Reproductive Rights and LGBTQ+ Rights: These are long-term battles that will require continued vigilance. Artists and their fans can ensure that elected officials uphold the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people through sustained advocacy and activism.
Alchemy
Music artists and superfans demonstrate their purpose when they come together with other artists and respective fan clubs in conjunction with organizations dedicated to a shared cause. This collective energetically powers their choice of myriad social impact causes (including equitable music royalties), and then parlays that mission by aligning with and motivating voting for candidates who share their commitment.
When purpose is a social cause that this community loudly embraces and animates, apathetic politicians take notice and are compelled to join in taking early lead roles in manifesting call-to-action objectives for their constituents. The aggregation of passionate artists and superfans provide licensed lobbyists with the influence that complements their persuasion.
Looking through the lens of the election, some question whether celebrity endorsements matter. Unequivocally, endorsements will always have effect if based upon an educated presentation of facts that answers why one arrived at the conclusion. For example, when music artists speak with credibility about a topic that will benefit from a particular candidate’s election, the endorsement is perceived as validated by the studied consideration it’s been given and the thorough vetting of the candidate’s commitment to it. It is not about asking fans to follow willy-nilly (true purpose is something already known by superfans who have been engaged in an interactive relationship with their chosen artist for their mutual causes).
Another Fact: Americans are Not Stupid or Gullible and Don’t Suffer Fools
We stipulated, above, the fact that the traditional GOP is to be respected, even as we disagree. Another fact is that Trump does a disservice to the good people of the GOP. He apparently subscribes to the age-old adage (often attributed to the barbaric Joseph Goebbels) that “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. ” Trump lies as easily as he breathes and his statements have no veracity whatsoever. Nothing he says can be accepted as truth without an exhaustive, objective fact check. An American president cannot be someone who deliberately and consistently prevaricates, and Trump’s incessant mendacity to his MAGA echo chamber has succeeded in eroding trust in our vaunted institutions and anything that challenges his quest for supremacy. This alone should disquality Trump from the presidency, never mind his two impeachments, the New York State 34-count tax fraud felonies, Manhattan Defamation and Sexual Assault and rape convictions, Manhattan Hush Money conviction on which Trump faces sentencing in late November, the Department of Justice Mar-a-Lago Documents case (being appealed by the Special Counsel), the Fulton County Geogia Election Subversion Racketerring case, the Department of Justice Election Subversion case, among others. Trump’s legal battles are not just an indictment of his character but a direct threat to the integrity of American democracy. His obsession with autocracy, fueled by lies and corruption, underscores the anomaly that was his term in office, and the urgent need to defeat him and his political allies in 2024.
At this point, there is also overwhelming empirical evidence and firsthand testimony from Trump’s former inner circle staff and appointees (including Military Generals and members of his Cabinet) about how incompetent and dangerous Trump and his MAGA sycophants in congress are to democracy.
With the full engagement of music artists, there is no doubt that the electorate majority will rally to the exhortation of “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” as Pete Townsend and The Who cynically sang — but this time will elect a new boss that is not the same as the old (figuratively and literally) one, abiding by the song message.
Why are we so adamant that Trump and MAGA should have been trounced? Because Trump has so repeatedly presented himself as a demented embarrassment to the world with his incoherent ramblings, offensive and dangerous rhetoric, that the majority of Americans will reject his pathological lying, sociopathy and personal insecurity disguised as narcissism (e.g., crowd sizes; insistence that he’s “not weird”). It is abundantly evident that his weaknesses make him vulnerable to flattering and favor at the expense of national security. Unlike so many of his party’s cowering politicians who he has demeaned and excoriated with his petulant rants, but who apparently have no self-respect and accept the insults, voters will break from tribal political affiliation in favor of patriotism and a mandate about a return to aspirations of civility and ethics and integrity. A substantial number of us are no longer partisans simply following in the footsteps of our ancestors. We vote for those who best represent our values and dreams. This election will be an overwhelming referendum to politicians that they are not elected to entertain us with a competition of divisive fabrications and idiotic provocateur antics. We see through the craven MAGA charade and the pretense of Trump’s ersatz presidential run, and will categorically dismiss it as nothing more than his desperate attempt to stay out of prison and then excuse the inexcusable actions of his acolytes.
And just imagine the fiasco that would be J.D. Vance as president when Trump’s (who would be the oldest American president in history) already evident dementia or ill-health inevitably incapacitate him. Vance is a puppet manufactured by bizarro ultra-conservative tech investor Peter Thiel and anarchist blogger Chris Yarvin, and essentially has no governing experience or moral fortitude. He is a freshman senator, has no qualms about blatantly lying, and is so unabashedly obsequious as to strive to outperform brownnoses like Vivek Ramashwami and Tim Scott in subjugating themselves for Trump’s approval.
Disqualifying Stupid and Dangerous Sh*t that Trump Has Said and Done
Donald Trump’s political career has been built on divisive tactics and a penchant for spreading fear, misinformation, and conspiracy theories, including QAnon lunacy, and threats to revoke CBS and ABC’s broadcast licenses for perceived but untrue bias. His ability to inflame the darkest impulses of American politics, using xenophobia, jingoism, misogyny, race-baiting, and authoritarian posturing, makes him a clear and present danger to democracy and the values that underpin American society. It will take time to rebuild trust once Trump, Fox, Newsmax and the other servile disinformation outlets are diminished by a preference for true journalism. (We are encouraged by the Murdoch family infighting that could result in Fox transitioning away from its contrarian, provocative, destructively performative programming). Re-electing Trump would not only erode democratic norms but would also set a dangerous precedent, legitimizing lies and extremism, such as implementing draconian censorship on literature, as a form of governance.
Below is a reminder of just a few of the most glaring examples of Trump’s idiotic, harmful rhetoric, disinformation, and policy failures that underscore the urgent need for collective action to defeat him and MAGA.
The Big Lie: No, Donald, the 2020 election was not stolen and your subversion tactics and attack on the Capitol are disgraceful on a whole new, historic level.
The Other Big Lie: Despite his trying to use the economy and immigration as cornerstones of his campaign, they were not decidely better under Trump than Biden. Experts have compared and debated the nuances of these complex matters, and it is common to have aspects conflated to rationalize either interpretation.
Further playing to Putin’s manipulation of him, Trump has unwittingly said that he’d “Let Putin do whatever the hell he wants,” while separately signaling that he’d withdraw from NATO. Ukraine would be sacrificed in some fashion. The NATO threat is more hyperbolic than reality, but his advisors’ ideas would weaken the alliance and seriously threaten U.S. security and that of the other member countries.
Trump and his inner circle are rallying around Project 2025, a scheme for an authoritarian takeover of American institutions. This project is aimed at dismantling the administrative state and replacing career government officials with loyalists who will enact far-right policies without question. Mark Robinson, a notorious conspiracy theorist, has been compared to MLK on steroids in Trump’s outlandish statements — an insult to King’s legacy of nonviolent activism for civil rights. Project 2025’s dangerous ignorance prioritizes consolidating Trump’s power over any meaningful governance, revealing his desire to turn America into an autocracy.
Scare Tactics and Replacement Theory
Trump and his misfits (Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, et al) have stoked fears about immigration, often spreading the baseless and dangerous replacement theory, which falsely claims that immigrants are being brought into the U.S. to “replace” white voters. This racist rhetoric has emboldened white supremacist groups and created a toxic environment of division and fear. His fear mongering about immigrants — characterizing them as criminals, rapists, or invaders “poisoning the blood of America” — dehumanizes vulnerable but traditionally valuable populations and sabotage healthy public discourse, worsening social divisions.
Trump’s Authoritarian Tendencies: Dictatorship on Day One
Trump has openly stated that he wants to be a “dictator on day one” if he is reelected. This statement reveals his blatant disregard for democratic principles. He has said that certain events “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
His authoritarian impulses manifest in:
- Weakening checks and balances: Trump aims to diminish the power of Congress, the judiciary, and independent agencies in favor of executive power.
- Surrounding himself with “yes men,” Trump plans to purge competent officials and replace them with loyalists and conspiracy theorists like Laura Loomer and disgraced General Michael Flynn, ensuring that his decisions go unchallenged. This is a recipe for a government driven by delusion rather than facts.
Pathological Lies and Misinformation
COVID-19 Misinformation: Perhaps one of the most dangerous examples of his lies was his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. By downplaying the virus and spreading falsehoods about treatments, Trump is directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. His promotion of unproven treatments, such as hydroxychloroquine and his asinine directive to health officials to investigate injecting bleach, undermined public health efforts and turned a crisis into an even more deadly disaster.
Trump’s Record of Stupidity and Incompetence
Trump’s presidency was marked by a staggering level of incompetence and ignorance. Some of his most notorious statements reveal his sheer lack of understanding of basic facts:
-Sharpie Gate: That time when Trump drew on a map to wrongfully insist that Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama. The National Weather Service had advised otherwise.
- “California has a giant faucet it uses to dump clean water into the ocean.”Trump made this statement to criticize California’s water management, betraying his ignorance about one of the most critical environmental issues facing the state.
- ”Windmills cause cancer.” This absurd claim, made to undermine renewable energy, illustrates how out of touch Trump is with science and the urgent need for climate action.
- “Haitians all have AIDS and Nigerians won’t ever go back to their huts. These blatantly racist and xenophobic comments further reveal Trump’s ignorance and bigotry, with abhorrent falsehoods about Haitians eating pets in Ohio being a contender for the most egregious examples of his idiocy, bigotry and flagrant disregard for reality.
-Trump’s wanton lies are increasingly manic, moronic and desperate. Referring to transgender surgeries, he said: “The transgender thing is incredible… your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation. The school decides what’s going to happen with your child.”
Former Staff Warnings: Trump Will Surround Himself with Conspiracy Theorists and Yes-Men
Many of Trump’s former staff members, who have seen firsthand his recklessness, incompetence and sheer madness, are now warning the public about the dangers of a second Trump term. Niece Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, has a number of candid and revealing books about her uncle, their family and his lack of emotional development. These insiders and respected authors know that a second Trump administration will be even more destructive, removing any remaining checks on his authoritarian impulses (such as his tirades about using the military to quell the “enemies from within”).
The Trump Grift: A Culture of Corruption
Trump’s history of using his political influence for personal gain is well-documented, and it has only expanded since leaving office. His ability to manipulate his supporters and installing his daughter-in-law at the Republican National Committee (RNC) to allow financing his personal legal battles and business ventures speaks to his skill at monetizing the political system for personal profit.
- Misuse of Campaign Donations
— Trump has been funneling campaign donations into his own legal defense fund, using his political war chest to avoid personal financial liabilities. This grift extends beyond legal expenses, with Trump and his allies creating fake political action committees (PACs) that divert funds to personal endeavors rather than political causes.
2. NFT and Crypto Scams
— In a bid to capitalize on his celebrity status, Trump has also engaged in cryptocurrency and NFT sales, selling virtual trading cards featuring his likeness, shoes, pieces of his suit, and even a “God Bless the USA” bible (made in China). These ventures are not about advancing any legitimate political or economic agenda but simply enriching himself at the expense of his base.
3. Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG)
— Trump’s social media venture is run by former Congressman Devin Nunes, who couldn’t successfully run a lemonade stand, and exemplifies his grift. The company, which owns Truth Social, has struggled with financial mismanagement and failure to meet its objectives. Despite this, Trump continues to use the platform as a vehicle for spreading disinformation and promoting his personal brand.
We must vote to expunge the Senate and House of Representatives of the MAGA cancer that is antithetical to the values that the “Greatest Generation” and others before and after have fought to uphold. At the very least, we owe this to all our military veterans and current Armed Forces.
Key Swing States and Competitive Races
To make a significant impact in the 2024 election, we obviously must focus on key swing states like Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Michigan. These states have historically decided elections and will be critical in determining control of both the White House and Congress. Additionally, the initiative targets other competitive races involving some of the high-profile, low-intellect MAGA candidates such as:
— Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14)
— Matt Gaetz (FL-01)
— Jim Jordan (OH-04)
— Lauren Boebert (CO-03)
— Elise Stefanik (NY-21)
— Mike Johnson
— Steve Scalise
— Nancy Mace
Each of these candidates represents the extreme fringe of Trumpism, pushing forward divisive and dangerous policies that erode democratic norms. By mobilizing voters in these districts with the combined energy of music and activism, we can succeed in drawing stark comparisons and elect Democratic alternatives who uphold democratic (small d) values and principles.
See Vote Maximizer, below, for data on the impact of your individual vote in each area.
Here is a list of many of the MAGA-aligned candidates running in the 2024 U.S. Senate and House of Representatives races, organized by state:
Music artists from various states have publicly supported Kamala Harris and expressed opposition to Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. These artists use their platforms to raise awareness, donate resources, and support organizations that align with the causes important to them. Their activism spans a broad spectrum of social, environmental, and economic justice issues. The list, below, includes announced artists for Kamala Harris-Tim Walz from key swing states (Ohio, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina) and other artists from states nationwide.
The following list also includes Artists by States who may want to help organize to vote out MAGA politicians from those States.
Special shout-out to Barbra Streisand, Carole King and James Tayor for their unending support of Democratic values.
Fusion Activism and Post-Election Responsibility
Other election contests will follow and we must continue to push for progress in creating a society better for our children than the one we inherited.
The big takeaway is the reminder or, for some, recognition that music artists and songwriters can create songs that simultaneously entertain and elucidate inspired thinking. When fans are then captivated by ideas about a passionately shared cause, and are invited to work with the artist to propel the message, fans become enraptured superfans. Socially Driven Music, the catalytic consultancy, facilitates a coalition of these synergistic artists and fans, along with supportive brands, leveraging their activism to command attention from politicians who will help advance their ambitions. This is the music industry’s reciprocally beneficial action plan into the future.
#Music4APurpose
#Music, #MusicBusiness, #SocialImpact, #Politics, #Election2024, #Activism, #Advocacy
