Figures In Music: Emily White on Increasing Voter Turnout with #iVoted Concerts

As a current partner of Collective Entertainment and founder of #iVoted Concerts, Emily White has reimagined election night concerts, blending music with a powerful mission to engage audiences in democratic participation. She is also the author of the Amazon #1 best-selling How to Build a Sustainable Music Career and Collect All Revenue Streams and hosts the book’s accompanying podcast of the same name - which is the #1 Music Business podcast globally.

#iVoted is producing 18 shows this election season to reach new audiences and boost voter turnout across the country. In this conversation, Emily shares the evolution of #iVoted Concerts, the role of data in curating impactful lineups, and how her organization is reshaping civic engagement – one concert at a time.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity: 

Can you tell us a little bit about the mission of #iVoted Concerts and how they work?

#iVoted is a non-partisan 501(c)3 non-profit that produces data-driven concerts primarily on election night, as well as during early voting periods, with the goal of statistically increasing voter turnout. The public can RSVP and attend for free by submitting a selfie from their polling place or at home with an unmarked ballot. Future voters can join by sharing which election they'll be eligible to vote in, while those ineligible to vote participate by explaining why they’re excited to attend.

In 2018 #iVoted activated over 150 venues in 37 states to let fans into venues on November 6th, 2018 (the United States' national election night), who showed a selfie from outside of their polling place. During the 2020 election, #iVoted pivoted due to the pandemic and launched the largest digital concert in history, which took place on November 3rd. 450+ artists participated at the inaugural #iVoted Festival, all curated per the top trending artists in and from key states.

As far as results, MIT analyzed our efforts, showing a 7% increase in voter turnout compared to traditional methods that yield only a 0.5% to 1% increase. So, how do we achieve this? While I’m an experienced music industry executive with an incredible, diverse team and a board filled with American concert industry leaders, we don’t simply pick artists randomly. Instead, our approach is strategic and data-driven to engage and motivate voters.

How do you go about incorporating the data from a booking perspective?

We’ve always booked based on data because music preferences vary widely by location. For instance, I’m from Milwaukee, and what people listen to there is very different from nearby Madison, Wisconsin, or Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2020, we began using Chartmetric’s data to guide our bookings. This allows us to identify not just top-trending artists in a region, but also locally popular ones, giving us a granular view of local music tastes.

It’s fascinating, because I know Milwaukee's scene well, but the artists I see featured in local media, like Radio Milwaukee or as 'artists to watch' at festivals, often don’t have real fan bases. They may be great networkers with industry connections or a publicist, but our data reveals that fans in Milwaukee are actually listening to acts like the Latin hip-hop group Kinto Sol. It’s a reminder that local press darlings aren’t always representative of what people are really into.

This approach helps us cut through industry biases and ensures our selections reflect actual listener preferences. By focusing on data-driven insights, we avoid being swayed by who's getting coverage or industry hype, giving us a more accurate picture of real fans' preferences and minimizing biases like sexism and racism in our booking process.

Much of #iVoted’s data and research is also partnered with Johns Hopkins University. Could you tell us more about how you two came to work together?

As a visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins University's SNF Agora Institute, I focus on projects that strengthen global democracy. I collaborated with Professor Eliza O'Reilly and a team of applied math undergraduates to analyze Chartmetric data on top-trending artists. They compared each artist's fan demographics with local voter files to identify which artists could most effectively boost civic engagement in specific locations across the U.S.

For example, while Taylor Swift has a strong listener base in Atlanta, data showed that artists like Drake, 21 Savage, and The Weeknd could potentially turn out more new voters because Swift's fans are already more likely to vote. We built an interactive tool with Johns Hopkins that allows us to select a city and see which artists could drive the highest voter turnout based on their unique fan demographics. We can also reverse-engineer this data for artists, showing them where they might maximize civic impact with voter registration campaigns or appearances.

And this science can extend beyond elections, right?

Definitely. We recently produced two concerts where attendees received free tickets by opting into clean energy education. For one event in Detroit, we booked Lil Tecca, who has significant youth engagement in the area, based on our data. The show attracted an 80% Gen Z audience, the exact demographic we aimed to reach.

In New Orleans, we supported the country’s largest gathering of tradeswomen by booking Big Freedia, Ani DiFranco, and Leyla McCalla—three top artists for local femme listeners. The event also succeeded in drawing the intended audience demographic.

In collaboration with the Drive Agency, we booked a series of concerts from October 23 to November 4 across seven cities—Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Detroit, Phoenix, Charlotte, and Pittsburgh. We booked artists like Skilla Baby, Tee Grizzley, and Kash Doll, specifically selected with Chartmetric and Johns Hopkins University SNF Agora Institute’s data for their civic impact in each city.

Any standouts in terms of artists you’ve booked?

Every year we identify an artist who really stands out based on data, and this year, that’s Tee Grizzley. He's participating in several of our #iVoted concerts, underscoring the event’s reach. We've partnered with Drive Agency, HeadCount, NextGen America’s C3 arm (nonpartisan), and other local promoters to drive maximum impact. We’re also super excited about working with Skilla Baby on various shows and Yung Gravy in Philadelphia. This is in addition as GloRilla and Moneybagg Yo at Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA as well as A Boogie Wit da Hoodie and Westside Boogie at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix.

Additionally, we’ve incorporated local talent for select events, with concerts like Town Mountain in Durham, NC (benefiting World Central Kitchen’s hurricane relief efforts), Bob Schneider and Me Nd Adam in Austin on Election Night, and Grammy winner Grace Weber in Milwaukee with Wave Chappelle. Other highlights include An Evening with Cake at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas and Chromeo at both Brooklyn Bowl Philly and Brooklyn Bowl Vegas.

A huge thank you to Peter Shapiro, the Brooklyn Bowl owner, who has been a continuous supporter of this work. This strategy allows us to amplify both artist visibility and civic impact by making data-driven booking decisions that directly connect with communities.

Any tips for folks looking to poke around data for booking purposes?  

I always share this to motivate others, because data can feel overwhelming, but it really just boils down to applying it to straightforward music industry concepts, like understanding what people are actually listening to and where. Instead of relying on big social media numbers alone—which nonprofits often do when selecting an artist—our approach allows us to reverse-engineer the data. This way, we can inform artists where they’ll have the most impact. 

For instance, sometimes I’ll see artists recommended with impressive social media metrics, but if there’s no Pollstar history indicating strong headlining ticket sales, that’s a red flag. Big social media numbers don’t always translate to people showing up at their concerts, and that’s why we check Chartmetric and Pollstar to ensure the artists we book have both reach and actual traction. 

We balance data with judgment and industry insight. For example, if an unexpected trend like “Baby Shark” appeared in our data, we’d consider if it actually makes sense for the audience we want to reach. Data has occasional quirks, like a Thai artist incorrectly marked as Milwaukee-based, which is why having that context matters.

Ultimately, it’s like in sports—you rely on metrics, but also on expertise, instinct, and a bit of intuition. 

Where do you recommend artists start if they’re looking to civically engage their audience? 

We’re currently working on a three-step solution to increase voting access. If you visit music-votes.org, you can opt into actions like sharing voter registration links from Headcount. We know artists and industry pros are busy, so we make it easy to join these nonpartisan efforts.

Another major focus this year is voter ID laws, which disenfranchise nearly half of Americans, especially young people and the trans community. To address this, we partnered with VoteRiders, so anyone can verify their ID requirements and be prepared to vote. Additionally, we offer data analysis through I Voted, using Chartmetric and Johns Hopkins data, to help artists see where they’ll have the biggest impact. This data-driven approach also supports targeted ads and appearances.

We’re also partnering with DJ at the Polls, where artists can get paid to DJ at voting locations. After the election, we’ll broaden our focus to other issues—climate, reproductive justice, racial justice, gender equality, disability rights, and more. Our plan includes a calendar of monthly themes to help artists and managers take organized, impactful action year-round.