Politics As Usual Or Has Ikonic Music Changed Everything?

With the height of the election behind us, it's evident that it was by far the most popular, and heavy publicized election of our lifetime. Many credit this to the historic value of Hillary Clinton as the first woman to be an actual for-runner in the presidency, others to Barack Obama becoming the first African American President. But how much has music played a role in the popularity of this election? Anti-War songs combined with pro-candidate tunes, music videos, and concert rally’s would have most agree that the high turn out of the youth vote could be connected.

Music has a history of being involved in politics but was never really considered a serious influence. Big name recording artist are asked to sing the national anthem at political conventions, but were also asked to do the same at sporting events. So the influence that music plays on an individuals vote was never given much attention as it concerns political power.

On January 28, 2008 at the wake of the primaries, then presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama gave his famous “Yes, We Can” speech in Nashua, New Hampshire. The speech became widely recognized thanks to the help of international pop star and Iconic music recorder Will.I.Am a member of the Black Eyed Peas. Will.I.Am transformed the speech into an inspirational song whose video features clips of the actual speech. The video also included cameos from John Legend, Common, Mr. Bentley, Marcus Huston, Nicole formally of the Pussy Cats Dolls and slew of other A-List recording artist and actors. The tune caught fire and “Yes, We Can” soon became the phrase heard around the world.

The success of the Billboard chart topper Will.I.Am song inspired others to become involved in the election. Pop songstress Pink openly sang songs opposing the war. Jay-Z threw a concert in support of Barack Obama. Record executive P. Diddy made special edition election “No Bitch-Ass-Ness” t-shirts. Bob Dillon even preformed live at a rally for President Obama. Even John McCain had the backing of recording artist John Rich who performed is song “Raisin” at the 2008 Republican National Convention.

A week before election night, both candidates where very tight lipped and hidden from the public eye. Neither Sen. McCain or Obama were granting many interviews to the press. Until Barack Obama broke his silence and agreed to be interviewed by Sway from MTV. Major news stations like FOX, MSMBC, CNN, and a list of high profile news stations all question why would any presidential candidate grant an interview with a music network just days before the election. Risky move? Or did President Obama know something that no other candidate realized before him? Could this mean that music will be more than just a means of entertainment and become a major influence in upcoming elections, or is this just a phase that will soon pass?

I want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on how much or how little music played in the election? Did it influence your vote, or not at all? Will music play a more important role in upcoming elections?

How music changed Washington or has it remained politics as usual?

In the 20th century, websites and blogging has become a way for millions of people around the world to share and receive information. Being that companies dedicated entirely to just song writing is not as popular as its record label counterparts tracking traffic on there websites becomes difficult. Non-the less know whats happening in the world of music is a must. Finding information about the world of music has an easy accessibility. Three of the major music websites are Music.com , the international AllMusic.com , and the powerhouse known as www.Billbaord.com .

The traffic for Music.com has been good. It peaked the highest in January 2010. The site experienced its lowest percent of traffic in May 2010. Throughout the six months it seemed to have a normal flow of low and high traffic. Within the last month, its traffic has risen by 2% and within the last 7 days it has risen by 20%. Music.com's target audience consists of primarily women from the ages of 18-24 who are college educated.

AllMusic.com has an audience made up of males between the ages of 18-24. These males are noted to be college educated without children. Out of all three of the websites, AllMusic.com has the most consistent flow of traffic. It experienced its highest peak in May 2010, but seemed to have a high traffic value throughout the last six months.

Billboard.com also has a steady flow of traffic; however, at the end of May 2010 its traffic drastically peaked. This is due to various albums being released for the summer. The summer months has proven to be the music industries most popular time of year. BillBoard.com has an equal audience of males and females between the ages of 18-24 who are college educated and often browse the website (Billboard.com) while at school. The site is ranked #1,129 in the United States.

Based on the date above, the music industries target audience would best be described as split between men and women who plan to attend or are attending college, or have graduated at the college level. This would place them between the ages of 18-24. The search terms used are mostly music, billboard charts, and music site.