Peter Shapiro, founder of Dayglo Ventures, which operates music venues Brooklyn Bowl and the Capitol Theatre as well as the Lockn’ Music Festival, Relix Magazine, The Rock & Roll Playhouse and Garcia’s, has been named Chair of the Board of Directors of HeadCount, a non-profit which facilitates voter registration at thousands of live music events each year.
Shapiro has been a member of HeadCount’s board of directors since the organization was formed in 2004. He begins a four-year term as board chair just the 2020 Presidential election campaign kicks off.
Since its launch, HeadCount has registered nearly 600,000 voters at concerts and via its website, HeadCount.org, and has amassed more than 30,000 volunteers nationwide. Currently, HeadCount has a presence at tours by Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Death Cab for Cutie and Dave Matthews Band. Last month, HeadCount set a record in registering early 1,400 voters in just one weekend at the Bonnaroo festival.
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“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help recruit the next generation of voters and political leader,” said Shapiro, whose credits include organizing 2015’s Fare Thee Well concerts, celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead. “HeadCount is one of the leading youth-oriented political engagement organizations in America, so becoming Chair of the Board is a great honor and responsibility. I look forward to helping push things to the next level.”
“When it’s done right, the combination of live music and activism, of something that has an element of really meaning something too, that’s powerful,” Shapiro told Rolling Stone. “That’s what we try to do, and now’s the time when it’s even more important than ever.”
Marc Brownstein, bassist of the band The Disco Biscuits, and former journalist Andy Bernstein, previously shared the chair title. Brownstein remains a member of the HeadCount Board of Directors, now as Founder and Chairman Emeritus.
Others on the HeadCount board include Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead, John McCrea of CAKE, Kam Franklin of the Suffers, TicketFly Founder Andrew Dreskin, AEG Live promoter Don Strasburg, and former White House official Alyssa Mastromonaco.