Sweet Relief Musicians Fund Launches Wireless Fundraising Campaig; Pearl Jam, Tegan & Sara, OK Go, Jars of Clay and Glen Phillips Lend Exclusive Realtones to Promotion
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has teamed up with Music for Charity Productions and Mobile Accord to bring wireless fundraising to life; Cell phone users will be able to donate to Sweet Relief and in return recieve exclusive realtones from artists like Pearl Jam, Tegan and Sara, Jars of Clay, OK Go, and Glen Phillips.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 4, 2006
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund (www. sweetrelief. org) is launching a ground-breaking campaign that will allow cell phone users a new means to support the organization: Text Messaging. Working together with Mobile Accord and Music for Charity Productions, Sweet Relief will use Mobile Accord’s mGive platform to enable a direct wireless based giving solution. From April 28 - July 28, 2006 cell phone users can simply text the keyword HEAL to short code 50555 (individual song-codes below) to pledge $4.99 to the organization; Each pledge allows the donor to download limited edition Real tones (actual recordings of the songs) directly to their cell-phones. Initial participants include Pearl Jam, Tegan & Sara, Jars of Clay, OK Go and Glen Phillips.
Song short codes:
Tegan and Sara, Love Type Thing: "HEAL 1000" to 50555
Jars of Clay, Drive: "HEAL 1001" to 50555
Pearl Jam, Crazy Mary: "HEAL 1002" to 50555
OK Go, Lately Its So Quiet: "HEAL 1003" to 50555
Glen Phillips, Everything But You: "HEAL 1004" to 50555
The donation, which appears on the user’s monthly cell phone bill, creates an effortless means to support musicians and transforms cell phones into true instruments of healing. Sweet Relief’s “Messaging for Music" campaign will be cross-carrier enabled, allowing users on most carrier networks to participate in the campaign. Sweet Relief is also allowing donors to purchase these limited edition real tones through a unique web-to-mobile application at www. sweetrelief. org.
The songs available for download are: Pearl Jam's classic cover of Victoria Williams’ Crazy Mary (originally recorded for the 1993 Sweet Relief compilation), a hard to obtain b-side from Tegan & Sara entitled Love Type Thing, and a version of The Cars’ Drive recently recorded by 2005 Grammy nominees Jars of Clay. Additionally, through this fundraiser, OK Go and Glen Phillips (formerly front-man for Toad the Wet Sprocket) will earn the distinction of becoming the first artists to release their new singles -- Oh Lately Its So Quiet and Everything But You, respectively -- as charity real tones. All these tracks can be streamed exclusively through Sweet Relief Musicians Fund's My Space profile: www. myspace. com/sweetreliefmusiciansfund (http://www. myspace. com/sweetreliefmusiciansfund).
According to Damian Kulash, OK Go's front-man and one of music's leading social activists, "This promotion is the perfect example of how the music industry, mobile and non-profit worlds should intersect in the digital age. The faster and more hi-tech our world becomes, the easier it is for us to block out everyone else and retreat into our own personal universes. But, technology can also be used to connect us with the world around us, and we must try to make sure that our high-speed universe is still a compassionate one. We need to remember to keep our community as a whole and healthy one, not just ourselves."
Glen Phillips, a longtime Sweet Relief supporter whose new record Mr. Lemons, is being released May 2nd on Umami/bigHelium Records (via HighWire/Fontana), agrees with Kulash, "Sweet Relief is allowing people to support music in a greater and more modest way than buying records or concert tickets; I love that you can download a ringtone and do good at the same time."
ABOUT SWEET RELIEF:
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund (www. sweetrelief. org) is a 501(c)3 public charity that provides financial assistance to musicians who have medical or age-related problems. Founded by singer/songwriter Victoria Williams in 1994, we are favored by many of music’s most recognizable stars and prominent industry members, from Bob Dylan to Linkin Park to Keith Urban and Coldplay. Sweet Relief's efforts are guided by simple acts of compassion and true charity, and the organization goes about effecting change within the music community both quietly and efficaciously. For over 10 years Sweet Relief has been considered a leader in the non-profit world.
For more information: www. sweetrelief. org
Www. myspace. com/sweetreliefmusiciansfund (http://www. myspace. com/sweetreliefmusiciansfund )
Or contact:
Scott Dudelson
Music for Charity Productions
818-384-4727
Www. musicforcharityproductions. org
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