Is the traditionally cool music industry out of touch with American consumers? It’s a hard question to ask, and it’s a hard question to ask now. But if you compare the results of the presidential election to artists and high-level politics, it’s hard not to.
The dominant emotion among people I know is shock Donald Trumpvictory — a race that most expected to be so close that vote counting would continue all week — and an unsettling sense that the United States is not the country we thought it was. What happened and why would be discussed for years. And a more direct question: Why don’t more people see this?
Partly because this still looks like so strange — I’m old enough to remember that talking about a professional golfer’s private parts would be politically disqualifying, let alone a Republican. But part of the reason is that many in the media industry are unintentionally living in a bit of a bubble right now. I’m one of them: I live in Berlin and spend most of my time in or near New York, USA, where I read The New York Times and The New Yorker. Speaking of music, none of my favorite artists support Trump, and one of them, Bruce Springsteen, actively opposes him. Some of the world’s greatest musicians also support Kamala Harris — Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter — and so do most music executives. Many of them must be as surprised as I am.
Are they – we – too out of touch with the mainstream?
A significant number of Trump supporters are right-wing racists — and that’s certainly cause for concern. But if Trump supporters account for more than half of the vote, it will be difficult to prove that they are extremists. By definition, they are mainstream. Worryingly, Democrats don’t seem to know how to talk to them to address their concerns. Calling them deplorables doesn’t work, and saying Trump will be a disaster for democracy doesn’t work either. (Democracy means people vote for their leaders, but it doesn’t mean they vote for the leaders you want.) Democrats are more focused on what people can do for their country, while voters seem to be more interested in what their country can do What is more interesting to them. Ideas matter, but many people seem to be more concerned about groceries affordability.
Whatever the reason, it’s now clear that there are more Trump voters than many people, including musicians and music executives, thought. They are also younger and more diverse than people think. Many of them have to listen to pop music. But is the music industry listening to them? The idea that simply supporting Trump without echoing any of his ugly statements will be controversial means turning your back on more than half of the American electorate. That’s not how mass marketing works.
Of course, Trump’s challenge to American democracy is far more important than selling music. I suspect I’ll get a few emails telling me how crazy I am to market music to people who think immigrants eat cats. But it’s the music industry’s responsibility to reach different types of people with different types of art.
This is what politics should do. Both the music industry and politics need to better reach large, diverse audiences. This often means connecting with existing fans, but it also means reaching new ones. Often, people simply don’t buy what they’re selling, whether it’s a new album or a new candidate. But it’s important to have these conversations — both for those of us who want to help elect a new president in four years, and for those of us who want to make the case that this president will do a great job.
Politics seems increasingly stuck in a cycle in which ideas are promoted and cheered by those who have already made up their minds. In the music world, this is called the superfan strategy, and it’s incredibly important. But building one first requires attracting new people to become fans or supporters.
