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The 'resistance' economy comes into its own opposing Trump's presidency

MARKETWATCH 10:55 AM ET 1/18/2017

Why A-list and C-list celebrities are backing out of Trump's inauguration

The presidential inauguration of Donald Trump is becoming notable for who won't be performing and, in many cases, it's the ticket- and album-buying public that appear to be calling the shots.

Aside from The Rockettes (http://fox40.com/2017/01/15/who-is-performing-at-donald-trumps-inauguration-and-who-isnt/), there are few acts that are household names and even fewer that are A-listers. The Bruce Springsteen tribute band, B Street Band, backed out of performing at the festivities, telling the Associated Press that "this whole thing just got blown out of proportion (http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/01/16/bruce-springsteen-cover-band-faces-heat-for- performing-at-inaugural-event.html)." (Springsteen himself is not a Trump supporter and made it clear that he did not approve of the cover band's decision to appear: "We owe everything to him and our gratitude and respect to the band is imperative above all else," Will Forte, keyboardist and vocalist with the B Street Band said (http:// www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-cover-band-drops-out-of-donald-trump-party-w461203).

And after backstage reports of unhappiness about the inauguration performance, the Madison Square Garden Company told the dancers they could opt out (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/arts/rockettes-wont-be-forced-to-play-trump- inauguration-company-says.html?_r=0). Last week, singer-songwriter Paul Anka also pulled out of performing the first dance for Trump and his wife Melania, citing scheduling conflicts (http://www.tmz.com/2017/01/13/donald-trump- inauguration-paul-anka-my-way/), but said his views were not aligned with Donald Trump.

"We just celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Montgomery bus boycott is one of the reasons King rose to prominence," says Aram Sinnreich, professor of communications at the American University in Washington, D.C. The boycott of public buses by African-Americans in Montgomery, Ala. in 1955 began on the day Rosa Parks first appeared in court for sitting at the front of the bus. "In a capitalist democracy where consuming is seen as an exercise of citizen power, the ability to withhold that spending is seen as political action, especially when it's coordinated."

Jennifer Holliday, who recently appeared in "The Color Purple" on Broadway and was in the original Broadway cast of " Dreamgirls," also backed out of performing at Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. She said she was under pressure, particularly from her gay fans. In an open letter to The Wrap (http://www.thewrap.com/jennifer-holliday-trump- inauguration-lgbt/) last Saturday, she apologized for being "uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans." (Members of the LGBT community cited Trump's vice presidential pick Mike Pence's opposition to marriage equality (http://time.com/4406337/mike-pence-gay- rights-lgbt-religious-freedom/), among other issues.)

Marie Osmond, who has played at several inaugurations, including Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration with her brother Donny, told Yahoo Finance earlier this month: "I think we should all support our president whether we're happy or sad. This is America." After a backlash to these comments on Twitter, Osmond clarified her remarks and said they were taken out of context. "Many of you have seen various stories saying that I volunteered or that I am performing at the inauguration," she tweeted (

OFFICIAL STATEMENT pic.twitter.com/kWseoR4T9G

— Marie Osmond (@marieosmond) January 12, 2017

). "So let me be clear: I have no intention of performing at this inauguration, no matter who won!"

(

Hopefully, all supporters, and those who want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will go to D.C. on January 20th. It will be a GREAT SHOW!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017

)

Trump's inauguration has become a flashpoint for this growing resistance economy, which has empowered consumers and bedeviled celebrities (and even some companies, including L.L. Bean (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/should-consumers- boycott-ll-bean-over-a-political-donation-2017-01-13)) on social media, experts say. "It is due to the proliferation, speed, and reach of social media that we perceive the resistance economy as a growing phenomenon in 2017," Ryann Reynolds-McIlnay, assistant professor of merchandising management at Oregon State University College of Business in Corvallis.

The hashtag #grabyourwallet was used as a way to leverage support. This resistance to performing at the inauguration whether due to deeply held political beliefs or the deep pockets was satirized by Andy Borrowitz, a columnist for The New Yorker, in an article headlined: "Karaoke Machine Backs Out Of Performing At Inauguration (http://www.newyorker.com/ humor/borowitz-report/karaoke-machine-backs-out-of-performing-at-inauguration)."

These cases don't include the many country music legends, internationally famous opera singers (http://pagesix.com/ 2016/12/19/backlash-keeps-andrea-bocelli-from-performing-at-inauguration/), pop stars who have fans from both ends of the political spectrum who have decided not to perform at the inauguration due to a backlash (real or imagined) from fans on social media, and the very real risk that at least half those fans could keep a tight hold on their purse strings when they release their next album or hold their next concert.

Trump, meanwhile, has said the inauguration will be a "great show" and said, "I want the people" rather than "so- called A-list celebrities." The Rockettes and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, although not all their members are required to attend (and there have been some abstentions), as will country music star Toby Keith, Jackie Evancho from the reality TV show "America's Got Talent" and rock band 3 Doors Down. (The Trump campaign did not respond to request for comment.)

Social media gives everyday consumers great power but, unlike the Montgomery bus boycotts, it doesn't always last. " It's a game of cat and mouse," Sinnreich says. The Montgomery bus boycott lasted for 381 days (http://www.history.com/ topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott) and historians have given it credit as a significant milestone in ending segregation in the South. But in 2017 consumers have a short attention span. "It's easy to make a mistake to boycott the wrong company for the wrong reasons, and it's difficult to sustain because a new meme will arrive and they have already moved onto the next action."

(https://twitter.com/JimCaruso1/status/821165431524311040)

Indeed, the resistance economy has had mixed success in the past, Reynolds-McIlnay says. "It may be easier to sway celebrities than companies," she says. Conversely, it may also be more difficult for consumers to resist products from brands if they're on discount and, as far as politics are concerned, "you are what you wear" doesn't always ring true.

Some 83% of millennial women are still positively disposed to Ivanka Trump, a percentage that likely cuts across party lines, and 51% were still likely to keep her products on their shopping lists, according to a recent survey from customer loyalty research consultancy Brand Keys. "I don't focus much on the politics of my corporations, but I do try my best to make ethical purchases in the few ways I can," MarketWatch reporter Kari Paul recently wrote (http:// www.marketwatch.com/story/how-i-felt-about-buying-ivanka-trump-shoes-2016-10-31).

Case in point: In 2012, fast-food chain Chick-fil-A's president and Chief Operating Officer, Dan Cathy, made several public comments about his opposition to same-sex marriage--those who support it, he said in one interview, were " inviting God's judgment (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-support-gay-rights-but-i-really-want-to-eat-at-chick-fil-a- 2015-10-16)." There was an uproar on social media, and the Jim Henson Co. ended a licensing agreement for a children's Chick-fil-A "puppet meal."

But two years later, Cathy said it was probably a mistake to come out so publicly against marriage equality. "And you learn from those mistakes (http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/03/18/Chick-fil-A-CEO-admits-it-was-a-mistake-to-oppose- same-sex-marriage/6421395174118/)," he said. "If not, you're just a fool. I'm thankful that I lived through it and I learned a lot from it."

In the meantime, Americans who oppose or support Trump might be better targeting their ire at lawmakers rather than companies. "Boycotts reinforce the power of the marketplace by making companies and celebrities the focus of political action rather than the legislator," Sinnreich says. And the lack of star power at the inauguration has allowed Trump to re-brand the festivities for the working man. "It reinforces the anti-establishment message of the Trump campaign, which is absolutely brilliant and is going to play really well to his base."

-Quentin Fottrell; 415-439-6400; [e-mail]


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