InstagramSome of the biggest artists in the music industry have thrown their support behind their presidential candidates of choice for 2016—and while they're not all singing the same tune, they've become increasingly vocal.
From Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton, who has Katy Perry roaring her praises, to GOP White House hopeful Ben Carson, who counts Kid Rock among his outspoken fans, politicians are enjoying a chorus of cheers from the music biz.
Clinton leads the pack when it comes to being championed by current hit-makers: In addition to Perry, who performed at a rally for Clinton last month in Iowa and even took over the candidate's Instagram account, the former secretary of state's high-profile fan base includes Christina Aguilera, Ellie Goulding, Ja Rule, Snoop Dogg and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carole King.
Despite a friendship with Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, famous New Jerseyan Jon Bon Jovi has also said he's on Team Clinton. The ex-first lady's campaign even featured the Bon Jovi tune "Beautiful Day" on her official Spotify list.
But Clinton's not the only candidate proving popular with the rock-and-roll crowd. Fellow Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders also has racked up a list of supporters that wouldn't be out of place on anyone's all-star playlist.
Neil Young famously objected to GOP candidate Donald Trump using his song "Rockin' in the Free World" during the real estate mogul's presidential campaign kickoff. "Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for president of the United States of America," the legendary singer-songwriter's management team said in a statement shortly after Trump's June announcement.
Sanders' campaign site boasts a long list of musical artists supporting the Vermont senator, including David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Belinda Carlisle, Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters and System of a Down's Serj Tankian, among others.
Eric Kasper, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, says the strong showing of musical backers for Democrats comes as no surprise.
"It's not that all are liberal and none of them are conservative, but there are definitely more liberals than conservatives amongst entertainers," he said. "So it's just a natural thing that they're going to be throwing their support behind Democrats as opposed to Republicans, or at least more of them are."
Some Republicans, however, are indeed feeling the love from the music world.
Crooner Wayne Newton and outspoken rocker Ted Nugent have both voiced their support for Trump, while Kid Rock—who endorsed Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 — said in an interview earlier this year that he's "very interested in the things that Ben Carson has to say." Meanwhile, "Knock Three Times" singer Tony Orlando was on hand for the launch of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's White House bid.
"Not 100 percent across the board, but a lot of what we tend to see is more country artists, whose fans tend to be a little more conservative politically, endorsing Republican candidates," explains Kasper, who's also a co-author of Don't Stop Thinking About the Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns. "More pop and rock and rap artists, if they get into this, they tend to be supporting Democrats, and their fan bases tend to be more in that direction as well."
But is there an actual payoff for politicians who snag an endorsement from a musical artist?
Kasper says there's not much evidence showing that support from entertainers moves the needle on Election Day. Bruce Springsteen and Michael Stipe memorably performed at rallies for John Kerry in 2004, an example of starry endorsements not translating into success at the polls. But the benefit can come in other forms, such as a bigger turnout at campaign rallies.
A celebrity face on the campaign trail can entice other others to sign up to volunteer for that candidate "and knock on doors and that sort of thing," says Kasper. "So it can help with those get-out-the-vote efforts in that way."
But once again, only time will tell which candidate is singing a victory song at the end of the day.