HeadCount

HeadCount is a national, nonpartisan, non-profit, organization that works with musicians to promote participation in democracy in the United States. It is best known for registering voters at concerts – having signed up 470,000 voters since its launch in 2004.

The organization was co-founded in 2004 by Marc Brownstein, bass player for the popular electronic rock band The Disco Biscuits, and his friend Andy Bernstein, author of The Pharmer's Almanac, a series of books about Phish. Bernstein now serves as executive director and together with Brownstein co-chairs the board of directors.

Some of HeadCount's higher profile activity includes the release of public service announcements, a compilation album featuring Pearl Jam, Wilco and Phish, and various activities involving board member Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.

HeadCount also staged the largest social media-based voter registration campaign ever as part of National Voter Registration Day, an event the organization helped create. The HeadCount campaign featured hundreds of musicians and entertainers posting "Register to Vote" photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with a link to an online voter registration form. Participants included Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Fergie (singer), Russell Simmons and The Black Keys.

Beyond concerts, HeadCount has a large presence on the Internet. It’s blog features updates on “music, politics and everything in between,” and it launched a platform called #SoundOff (www.SoundOffatCongress.org) for Tweeting directly at members of Congress.