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Star-Packed Event Boosts World AIDS Day
LONDON (Billboard) - Organizers of the Nelson Mandela-inspired "46664" AIDS-awareness and fundraising campaign are claiming the biggest TV and radio audience for any single music event.
Former EMI Records U.K. president/CEO Jean-Francois Cecillon executive-produced the event, along with Queen manager Jim Beach. The star-packed concert took place Nov. 29.
Cecillon is now chairman of U.K. marketing firm the Music Matrix. He estimates that the show would have reached 2 billion viewers and listeners when an edited version was broadcast Dec. 1 (World AIDS Day) by MTV, the BBC World Service and others across 166 territories.
The show was also Webcast live on the 46664.com site by Italian Internet communications company Tiscali and through a string of online partners across the world.
"The concert is just the start," Cecillon says. "In February, we'll release a double live CD and a DVD of the event in Cape Town. Then in June, we'll follow it with an album of new tracks specifically recorded for the 46664 campaign."
Cecillon says a label deal for the releases will be announced shortly.
Among the 42 performers who waived their fees to appear in Cape Town were Beyonce, Bono, Bob Geldof, Eurythmics, Anastacia, Peter Gabriel, Ms. Dynamite, the Corrs and members of Queen.
Their contributions will appear on the live CD and DVD, along with Mandela's speech to the 40,000 concert attendees. The show took place at Greenpoint stadium, in sight of Robben Island, where Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years under South Africa's former apartheid regime.
The 46664 campaign takes its name from Mandela's prison number. The day before the concert, he accompanied the stars of the show to the island and showed them his old cell.
"Musicians played an important part in the campaign to liberate our country," Mandela said at Greenpoint. "This time, I am asking them to join forces to free our world from HIV/AIDS and bring hope for the new century."
The veteran politician added that AIDS was no longer just a disease. Like apartheid itself, it had become a human-rights issue.
According to Cecillon, 14 tracks have already been recorded for the second "46664" album. It may grow to a double CD, he adds.
The album has been overseen by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. Among those who have written and recorded new tracks are Bono, Sting, Queen, the Neptunes, Ms. Dynamite, Anastacia, Paul McCartney, Timbaland and South African star Johnny Clegg.
Among the tracks on the album will be the campaign's theme song, "46664 (Long Walk to Freedom)." Co-written by the late Joe Strummer, Stewart and Bono, the track is available for download at 46664.com and by calling various premium phone numbers in more than 50 territories around the world.
Stewart says, "The concert is important, but it's only a start. For me, what matters most is the way Nelson Mandela gave us his prison number and invited us to turn such a negative image into something positive and how we take that forward."
African artists on the bill included Baaba Maal, Youssou N'Dour, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Angelique Kidjo and local South Africa stars Clegg, Bongo Maffin and Yvonne Chaka Chaka.
"Africa's image in the rest of the world is one of war, poverty and disease," N'Dour says. "It was important for us to hold the concert in Africa, show the world we are fighting to do something positive about it--and invite them to join us."
Queen guitarist Brian May paid tribute to his late colleague, Freddie Mercury. "We lost Freddie to AIDS, and that fired our desire to help," he said at a media briefing.
On World AIDS Day, all of Queen's studio and live albums were made available for digital download for the first time. The 18 albums (as single tracks or full albums) can be found at online retailers in the U.K. and Europe.
All record royalties for the first week of sales are being donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the charity that raises awareness and money for AIDS relief in Mercury's memory. EMI says it will match that donation.
--Reuters/Billboard
Thanks Allegra!
LONDON (Billboard) - Organizers of the Nelson Mandela-inspired "46664" AIDS-awareness and fundraising campaign are claiming the biggest TV and radio audience for any single music event.
Former EMI Records U.K. president/CEO Jean-Francois Cecillon executive-produced the event, along with Queen manager Jim Beach. The star-packed concert took place Nov. 29.
Cecillon is now chairman of U.K. marketing firm the Music Matrix. He estimates that the show would have reached 2 billion viewers and listeners when an edited version was broadcast Dec. 1 (World AIDS Day) by MTV, the BBC World Service and others across 166 territories.
The show was also Webcast live on the 46664.com site by Italian Internet communications company Tiscali and through a string of online partners across the world.
"The concert is just the start," Cecillon says. "In February, we'll release a double live CD and a DVD of the event in Cape Town. Then in June, we'll follow it with an album of new tracks specifically recorded for the 46664 campaign."
Cecillon says a label deal for the releases will be announced shortly.
Among the 42 performers who waived their fees to appear in Cape Town were Beyonce, Bono, Bob Geldof, Eurythmics, Anastacia, Peter Gabriel, Ms. Dynamite, the Corrs and members of Queen.
Their contributions will appear on the live CD and DVD, along with Mandela's speech to the 40,000 concert attendees. The show took place at Greenpoint stadium, in sight of Robben Island, where Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years under South Africa's former apartheid regime.
The 46664 campaign takes its name from Mandela's prison number. The day before the concert, he accompanied the stars of the show to the island and showed them his old cell.
"Musicians played an important part in the campaign to liberate our country," Mandela said at Greenpoint. "This time, I am asking them to join forces to free our world from HIV/AIDS and bring hope for the new century."
The veteran politician added that AIDS was no longer just a disease. Like apartheid itself, it had become a human-rights issue.
According to Cecillon, 14 tracks have already been recorded for the second "46664" album. It may grow to a double CD, he adds.
The album has been overseen by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. Among those who have written and recorded new tracks are Bono, Sting, Queen, the Neptunes, Ms. Dynamite, Anastacia, Paul McCartney, Timbaland and South African star Johnny Clegg.
Among the tracks on the album will be the campaign's theme song, "46664 (Long Walk to Freedom)." Co-written by the late Joe Strummer, Stewart and Bono, the track is available for download at 46664.com and by calling various premium phone numbers in more than 50 territories around the world.
Stewart says, "The concert is important, but it's only a start. For me, what matters most is the way Nelson Mandela gave us his prison number and invited us to turn such a negative image into something positive and how we take that forward."
African artists on the bill included Baaba Maal, Youssou N'Dour, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Angelique Kidjo and local South Africa stars Clegg, Bongo Maffin and Yvonne Chaka Chaka.
"Africa's image in the rest of the world is one of war, poverty and disease," N'Dour says. "It was important for us to hold the concert in Africa, show the world we are fighting to do something positive about it--and invite them to join us."
Queen guitarist Brian May paid tribute to his late colleague, Freddie Mercury. "We lost Freddie to AIDS, and that fired our desire to help," he said at a media briefing.
On World AIDS Day, all of Queen's studio and live albums were made available for digital download for the first time. The 18 albums (as single tracks or full albums) can be found at online retailers in the U.K. and Europe.
All record royalties for the first week of sales are being donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the charity that raises awareness and money for AIDS relief in Mercury's memory. EMI says it will match that donation.
--Reuters/Billboard
Thanks Allegra!
