With the US presidential election just 43 days away, online video platforms are looking to mobilize American voters however they can. For Vevo, best known as a distributor of music videos, political action has taken the shape of Why I Vote, a new original series in which popular artists discuss the issues most important to them.
Why I Vote is a collaboration between Vevo, Rock the Vote, and DoSomething.org. As the influence of those organizations suggest, the new web series is highly charged and slanted toward progressive issues — or at least that’s the vibe the first episode gives off. In the premiere, rapper Vic Mensa talks about his upbringing on the South Side of Chicago, his experience with racial profiling, and his response to the police shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald.
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While Why I Vote is primarily meant as a timely series that inspires young people to vote and capitalizes on the current political climate, it is also a look into the sort of original programming Vevo could distribute in the coming months. The music video service is planning to launch a subscription video service in the near future, and its original content library will likely a big part of its appeal to consumers. Why I Vote’s focus on celebrity testimonials is a potential draw, as its its tone. Mensa’s sermon on police violence is filled with strong language and is therefore too edgy for most TV networks.
According to Variety, future episodes of Why I Vote will feature musicians like Kesha and T.I., who will talk about LGBT rights and mass incarceration, respectively.
