Millions of millennials use Spotify to stream music online every day. As the 2016 presidential election draws closer, the company is using its influence to encourage young people to vote with a new weekly video series called Clarify.
The series will explore “the intersection of music and key issues important to young people,” featuring some of today’s popular artists discussing political issues that are important to the younger generation.
“With millions of young people listening to Spotify, we wanted to use the power of our platform to inspire civic engagement,” said Kerry Steib, Spotify’s Director of Social Impact. “Through Clarify, we hope to create a meaningful and entertaining way for music fans to explore the issues and provide information that inspires them to turn out for the polls in November.”
The first episode of Clarify was released on Tuesday and was called “Even Diplo has student loans — You’re not the only one in debt.”
The host, former Daily Show producer Baratunde Thurston, asked the DJ about his experience with student loan debt.
Diplo said he had to work three jobs to pay rent while he was earning his degree, and considers himself lucky that his successful music career allowed him to pay off his debt.
“Everybody I know has debt,” the DJ said. “I’m like a very small percentage, lucky story where I just happened to strike gold.”
Clarify is a partnership between Spotify, the online publication Mic, and the get-out-the-vote organization HeadCount.org.
Topics for the episodes were selected by surveying Spotify users on the issues that were most important to them.
New episodes will premiere every Tuesday until Election Day, and the next few episodes will focus on the economy, civil rights, and guns.
