Starset is a band hailing from Columbus, OH. Dustin Bates formed the band in 2013. Bates has a master’s in electrical engineering, has done research for the US Air Force, and taught at the International Space University. Starset was formed as part of a public outreach initiative by The Starset Society. The Society's aims were to alert the public about the contents of "the Message" the society obtained from a mysterious signal from space.