Media Top Stories

Bieber, Swift, Iglesias and Flo among the artists supporting all-star auction

By | Published on Monday 27 June 2011

Play For Life

Forty artists, producers and directors are supporting an online auction in aid of LA-based cancer research organisation City Of Hope, which reaches its climax on eBay this Thursday. From Justin Bieber to Linkin Park, Florence Welch to Oliver Stone, Taylor Swift to Yoko Ono, all genres are covered in this all-star auction, which is being run by a new American music website set up to champion and support not-for-profits, PlayForLife.fm. The auction, which offers numerous opportunities to meet participating artists, plus signed guitars and behind-the-scenes experiences, has been backed by an on-air and online advertising campaign across all of Clear Channel Radio’s stations around the US for the last three months.

Participating artists include: 3 Doors Down, Barry Manilow, Brad Paisley, Bret Michaels, Buckcherry, Carrie Underwood, Clem Burke, Colbie Caillat, Enrique Iglesias, Florence & The Machine, Gary Allan, Guster, Jaron Lowenstein, Jason Castro, Jay Sean, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Linkin Park, Matthew Morrison, Nikki Sixx, New Kids On The Block, Papa Roach, Raphael Saadiq, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Rihanna, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Train, Vince Gill and Yoko Ono, as well as organisations like Cirque du Soleil, Reel FX and 54 Sound Studios, and veteran movie maker Oliver Stone.

Confirming his support for the programme, the mentioned-somewhere-in-that-long-list ‘Glee’ star Matthew Morrison told reporters: “The power that music holds to impact people emotionally, spiritually and physically never ceases to amaze me. That’s why I’m so thrilled to partner with Clear Channel and City Of Hope on Play For Life to support music therapy for cancer patients and their families”.

Although an American venture, PlayForLife.fm is actually operated by London-based Bigtime Arts & Media, working in partnership with CMU’s sister company UnLimited Creative. UnLimited has worked with Bigtime on numerous music-based promotions over the years, many supporting new talent and good causes, though this is the biggest yet. The auction in aid of City Of Hope is the first in a series of fund and awareness raising initiatives that will be staged on the PlayForLife.fm platform, which also provides a free music recommendation service and, moving forward, will encourage and equip young readers to achieve their own musical ambitions.

Bigtime CEO Ian Spero told CMU: “Play For Life continues a theme that has run through a number of our projects from the last decade, constructing mutually beneficial partnerships between traditional media, artists and music companies, brands and good causes, to encourage creative innovation, and to support health and educational organisations. This will be the first of many such initiatives under the Play For Life banner, in both the US and beyond”.

Given the tie up we’re slightly biased, of course, but we think it’s all brilliant. US-based readers can check out and bid in the current auction at PlayForLife.fm/auctions.



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