As news trickles in daily about the devastating destruction in Haiti, musicians around the world are uniting to participate in fundraisers and charity events. Come Friday, Hope for Haiti will feature some of the biggest names in music....
Posting details about this concert (organized in part by George Clooney who announced it at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, and MTV, the event on their site,) rock-pop band U2 shares, "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief' this Friday will feature performances by Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in London." For a complete listing of featured artists, check out the MTV site.
The article goes on to say that music from this concert will be available on iTunes and all proceeds will go to charities that are part of the Hope for Haiti effort. In another amazing gesture on the part of the some of the biggest brands in the world, the event will be streamed online across many major sites, such as "YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com, MTV.com,VH1.com, and Rhapsody and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and FloTV. Facebook and Twitter have also signed on as official social media partners to help drive donations and tune-in to the telethon." The show will also be available to watch on TV on most major stations, so check your local listings for more details.
Apart from this list of headliners, there are many other efforts directed towards helping people who are struggling to survive in Haiti. The legendary James Taylor is also playing at a concert in the U.S. where he and his wife have matched ticket sales to raise $300,000 to support charity work in Haiti.
Earlier in the week, Lady Gaga announced on the Oprah Winfrey show that she is going to do her part in helping victims of this tragic event. She was quoted as saying, "Haiti's still suffering. And I was thinking earlier, because I was in New York during 9/11 and I always felt, the level of disaster isn't in the neighborhood of what is happening in Haiti, but I just remember feeling nobody really understood. And I worry that young people don't know enough about what's going on there. And I will say today that on the 24th, the Monster Ball [show] in New York City, all of the money that I make in ticket sales and merchandise will go to Haiti. And on the 24th you can also go onto LadyGaga.com and any merchandise that you buy, the money will go to Haiti."
Closer to home, I'm sure there are many who are trying to set up something to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. I know of one such effort in Toronto... On Saturday, January 30 at the Tota Lounge (592 Queen Street West), you can listen to some good music and have the proceeds go towards a great cause. The organizers share that "all money collected at the door and partial bar sales will go to a non-profit organization supporting Haiti earthquake relief." Check out the event page on Facebook for more details.
If you know of any other efforts being taken to raise funds for much-needed aid in Haiti, drop me a line at savia@mybindi.com and share the news. Every little bit counts...
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