Downloads For Dollars
by DJ Come of Age
The advent of digital downloading has created a vast medium for musicians to sell their music to the world. Modern technology has made it possible for independent artists to promote cds to fans all over the globe. Community websites such as Myspace, Hi5,etc., couple with internet radio and popular podcasts to bring beautiful music to the masses.
In the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, many musicians donated proceeds from album sales to victims of this catastrophe. The healing power of music came to the forefront to help those in need. The sincerity of collective artistic efforts was duly noted. What effect would music have on society if it were continually used to garner attention for the less fortunate? In a digital society, shouldn’t digital sales play a major role in fundraising?
LifeNets.net, an internet based human rights lobby, has teamed up with independent musician and entrepreneur DJ Come of Age to raise money to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The conflict in Darfur has killed as many as 400,000 civilians since 2003.
DJ Come of Age has pledged to donate 50% of the proceeds from his album Hidden Souls II to LifeNets.net advocacy efforts as part of his “Download for Dollars” program – which seeks to promote independent musicians while helping non-profit organizations.
LifeNets.net began when CEO and founder John De Mott started an online petition on Myspace.com to incite political action on the genocide in Darfur. The petition spread exponentially via word of mouth, reaching over half a million people and collecting over 75,000 signatures from young adults around the world. With hundreds of new supporters each day, LifeNets.net has been looking at novel ways of raising funds for future advocacy efforts.
“Most of our supporters are in high school or college.” says De Mott, “They don’t always have a lot of money to donate, but buying music online is part of their lifestyle.”
“Downloads for Dollars” was started by DJ Come of Age and Markus Elkholm of Slomo. Together, the two have won international recognition with their pod cast “Soul Music of the World.”
