UTSA researcher: U.S. Presidents more likely to use music while campaigning than their opponents
(November 3, 2016) -- Candidates who win the United States Presidency use a larger selection of songs during their campaigns than their opponents, according to music researcher Stan Renard at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).
Renard and his co-author, Courtney Blankenship from Western Illinois University, set out to determine how music was used in presidential campaigns from 2004 to present-day. The researchers looked at several variables and demographics such as age and ethnicity.
Their study, “Pop Songs on political platforms” uncovered that winning candidates use a wider variety of music while campaigning for the Oval Office.
Prior to the March 2016 presidential primary, Renard says Donald Trump used eight songs while Clinton used two dozen from a variety of genres while campaigning. He added that Clinton used recent hits while Trump used older country and rock songs.
“The implications from this study underscore the importance of popular music within political platforms and how songs can impact key music strategy decisions in presidential campaigns,” said Renard.
Renard says over the years, candidates have been trying to connect to millennials through their music selection.
For example, Hillary Clinton used Katy Perry’s song “Roar” at the beginning of her campaign to attract young voters.
Renard said Democratic candidates try to reach minority voters by using soul, R&B and Latin hits. Meanwhile, Republicans aim to connect to Christian, white, upper-class voters with their music choices. Renard noted candidates from both political parties use country and rock music in their campaigns.
The UTSA researcher made it clear that he’s not trying to predict the outcome of the election but says the data suggests candidates who use more songs in their campaigns go on to win the election.
“Music plays an increasing role in political campaigns because people are posting about politics on social media and discussing the candidates online more than ever. When musicians either ask politicians not to use their music or endorse a candidate, singers also take the social media route,” said Renard.
This article is currently under review by the Journal of Popular Music Studies.
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