Artists step up for Haiti
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)Jan 21, 2010 04:04 PM
Within days of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, entertainers began showing their support for the victims with a variety of charitable efforts including concerts, telethons, recordings, merchandise sales, personal financial donations and more.
One of the more high-profile relief efforts is MTV’s Jan. 22 “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.” The telethon will feature more than 100 entertainers including Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Justin Timberlake, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Sting, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, John Legend and Jay-Z.
George Clooney, who pitched the idea for a global telethon to MTV, will host the event from Los Angeles. Wyclef Jean will serve as host in New York and CNN’s Anderson Cooper will commentate from Haiti.
MTV claims “Hope for Haiti Now” will be the most widely distributed telethon in history, airing domestically and internationally across several media platforms. The special will air simultaneously in the U.S. on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT. In Canada, “Hope for Haiti” will air on CTV, CBC Television, Global Television and MuchMusic. The special also will run on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic and MTV Networks International. “Hope for Haiti Now” also will be the first U.S.-based telethon to air on MTV in China.
The event will be streamed globally on YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, MTV.com and Rhapsody. It also will be available on mobile devises via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and FloTV.
Music from the concert will be available the following day via Apple’s iTunes store, with proceeds going to earmarked charities including Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, United Nations World Food Programme and Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti foundation.
Merchandise, Music and More
Blink-182 has taken a different approach to support Haitian rescue efforts with the release of a limited edition T-shirt that features the band’s trademark Blink bunny carrying a Haitian flag. The band is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the shirts—available through Blink’s official online store—to the Red Cross.
Lady Gaga also is selling a Haiti relief T-shirt at her online store.
On the recording front, Linkin Park’s charitable organization, Music for Relief, has released a benefit digital album that features previously unreleased music by Alanis Morissette, The All-American Rejects, Dave Matthews Band, Enrique Iglesias, Hoobastank, Kenna, Lupe Fiasco, Peter Gabriel and Slash. All of the proceeds from the album, which can be purchased at the Music For Relief website, will be divided equally among the rapid response efforts of the United Nations Foundation, the long-term sustainable rebuilding of homes with Habitat for Humanity, and Dave Matthews Band’s BAMA Works Haitian relief efforts.
Rihanna, who performed Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” on Oprah Winfrey’s show this week, has released the recording as an iTunes single, with proceeds being donated to Haitian relief efforts.
Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are planning to re-record “We Are The World” to aid the Haitian earthquake victims, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Usher, Natalie Cole and John Legend reportedly are among the artists planning to participate on the new recording.
Paste magazine also is contributing to Haitian relief efforts with its “Songs for Haiti” website, which features a collection of MP3s by hundreds of artists including Ludacris, Andrew Bird, Bruce Cockburn, Switchfoot, Umphrey’s McGee and Of Montreal. All donations through Paste will unlock a Download Vault that features 250 songs (and counting), according to the magazine. Paste has added an interesting “honor system” twist to its charitable effort, allowing access to the Download Vault to those who have already donated to a Haitian relief cause.
Rick Ross lent a hand to help aid Haiti’s injured with a charity blood drive in Pembroke Pines, FL, according to peacefmonline.com. The rapper reportedly hit the streets Monday (1/18) to urge the neighborhood residents to donate blood at The Community Blood Centers and 24 Hour Fitness.
Several artists have utilized their Twitter accounts to spread the word about one of the simplest ways to donate to Haitian relief efforts: texting. One of the more common Tweets encourages those interested in helping to text “Yele” to 501501 from your cell phone, which will automatically donate $5 to Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.
Several other musicians are supporting the cause by directing fans to legitimate fundraising and aid organizations. Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke both issued statements urging fans to support Oxfam’s efforts.
Willie Nelson is encouraging his fans via his website to attend the Jan. 24 “Help Austin Help Haiti” concert that will benefit the Clinton Bush Fund and Oxfam. The show will feature Asleep at the Wheel, Charlie Sexton, Jack Ingram, Joe Ely Band, Kelly Willis, Robert Earl Keen, Shawn Colvin and more.
Maxwell—whose mother grew up in Haiti—also has participated in bringing awareness and aid to the Haitian people. After attending an emergency meeting organized by President Bill Clinton on Thursday (1/14), the performer issued a statement saying the most important thing he learned was that sending cash is the best way to help. “The easiest way to do it is through text messaging, but other ways to help include donating to organizations such as the Clinton foundation, Unicef, Red Cross and Wyclef’s charity Yele Haiti,” Maxwell said. He also has posted links to those charities at his website
Madonna reportedly has donated $250,000 to Partners In Health, a longtime health care provider in Haiti. In a statement, she urged her friends and fans to collectively match her contribution or give in any way possible. “We must act now,” the pop queen said.
Several other events are in the works including a benefit concert organized by George Lopez. The concert, scheduled to take place at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles in February, will feature Slash, with more artists expected to be announced in the next few days.