Sheryl Crow is giving away free music — a tactic she calls the “Tupperware” party approach to inspiring young people to vote.
The Grammy Award-winning singer announced a plan Wednesday to give a digital copy of her album “Detours” to the first 50,000 people who register three friends to vote.
“I hope people wake up and emotionally engage in issues,” Crow told The Associated Press in a telephone interview during a visit to Los Angeles.
Crow’s giveaway is a kickoff to Rock the Vote’s voter registration drive. She is also offering a free download of her politically charged song “Gasoline” to anyone who logs onto the Rock the Vote Web site or anyone on the group’s mailing list, said the organization’s executive director Heather Smith.
Crow, 46, was one of the founding artists of Rock the Vote 18 years ago. She said the “Detours” album fits perfectly into the group’s cause since the lyrics touch on topics such as adoption, breast cancer, the war in Iraq, the environment and Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s about the issues that everyone’s talking about, but there’s a lot of hope,” Crow said. “At this moment in my life, writing about anything else would be uninteresting and impossible because I feel such urgency.”
