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ASCAP Action
| Some ASCAP members who have performed in hurricane relief benefit concerts: |
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| Wynton Marsalis |
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| Alan Jackson |
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| Alicia Keys |
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| Paul McCartney |
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| U2 |
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| Randy Newman |
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| Elvis Costello |
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, songwriters, composers, musicians and performers stepped in to help raise money for relief. In a few high-profile benefit concerts, many top artists joined together, much like they did after 9/11, in performing their music to generate funds to assist in the massive rescue and recovery effort.
One of the biggest events, "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy," featured two New York City concerts, each more than five hours long, at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall. The concerts raised approximately $9 million dollars for longterm hurricane relief efforts through ticket sales, sponsorship dollars, food and merchandise sales and a pay-per-view telecast that was one of the highest rated concert events in history. ASCAP members who performed included Elvis Costello (PRS), Dave Matthews, Diana Krall (SOCAN), John Mayer, Tom Waits, Ray LaMontagne, Lenny Kravitz along with numerous New Orleans musicians. The proceeds were directed towards the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund, Habitat for Humanity, MusiCares and the Children's Health fund.
Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast was broadcast on over 20 different US TV channels, including NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS, PAX, USA, Cinemax, TBS, Lifetime TV and others and featured such ASCAP members as Mary J. Blige, U2 (PRS), Neil Young, Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Alicia Keys, Randy Newman, the Foo Fighters and Diddy. Viewers from over 100 countries were able to tune in.
MTV Networks also presented its own multi-artist, multi-genre, multi-platform threehour concert for Hurricane Relief that was broadcast across all of MTV Networks, including MTV2, VH1, CMT, mtvU and other channels. The show raised funds for the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, America's Second Harvest and similar organizations. ASCAP members who performed included Alan Jackson, Neil Young, Paul McCartney (PRS), Kelly Clarkson, Green Day, Alicia Keys, Rob Thomas, John Mellencamp and many others.
New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis organized "Higher Ground," a benefit concert that featured a bevy of ASCAP performers who performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Among those who participated were James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Marcus Roberts, Diane Reeves, Jon Hendricks. Marsalis, who performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, also remained on stage for much of the five hour concert.
ASCAP EMPLOYEES RAISE MONEY FOR RELIEF
On September 21, ASCAP Employees in New York City presented a talent show that helped to raise money for hurricane relief. The funds generated from the show combined with donations that employees made to The ASCAP Employees for Relief Fund amounted to more than $40,000. Proceeds will be directed towards the New Orleans Musician's Hurricane Relief Fund, which was established longtime ASCAP customer Preservation Hall; the Jazz Foundation of America; the New Orleans Musician's Clinic Emergency Fund and Tipitina's Foundation, another foundation started by an ASCAP customer, Tipitina's. ASCAP's Relief Fund is also working to identify other music-related causes in Gulf Coast areas other than New Orleans that have been affected.
ASCAP WAIVES LICENSE FEES FOR GULF COAST CUSTOMERS
In a move to aid local customers affected by Hurricane Katrina, ASCAP waived the licensing fees owed by customers located in the affected Gulf Coast area. Restaurants, bars, retail outlets and educational institutions were notified that they do not have to pay from September through December 2005, and local radio and television customers will be credited for the months of September and October 2005. "Many of ASCAP's licensing customers, the users of our members' music, were devastated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina," said ASCAP Senior Vice President of Licensing Vincent Candilora. "We want to do what we can to help get them on the road to recovery as soon as possible."
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