We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the R.E.M. covers compilation, that we released at the end of August has made £5000 via sales on Bandcamp for Help Musicians, it’s an incredible amount for an organisation that has been supporting and funding artists at a time when they couldn’t tour over the last eighteen months. When we had the idea for the compilation earlier this year, I couldn’t have dreamed that it would sell so well and make so much.
We would like to thank everyone who has bought or supported the release, and each and every act who specially recorded a version of a R.E.M. track for our compilation album and the producers who lent their time to mix them. Plus the labels such as Libertino, Reckless Yes, Fierce Panda, Bubble Wrap recordings, and Mike Turner at Happy Birthday To Me Records plus Samantha Chamberlaine and Chris from the Waiting Room podcast, who have helped and worked with us and allowed their artists to appear on the release! Also to artist Kevin Alvir who is a big R.E.M. fan and worked with us to create this beautiful artwork for the release.
Thank you to Adam Walton, Dandelion Radio, Josh Gaffin (WTSQ) and John Kennedy for giving the artists on the compilation airplay and everyone who reviewed the album or any of the tracks. Finally, we would like to thank R.E.M. and their social media team who supported our week of coverage on the band themselves who endorsed the compilation. As a lifelong R.E.M. fan I was thrilled with their support without which undoubtedly the compilation wouldn’t have made as much! Finally here is a quote from Ian Livett, Head of Fundraising at Help Musicians:
“We’d like to say a huge thank you and congratulations to God Is In The TV, everyone who bought the album, and the many, many talented musicians whose creative work contributes to A Carnival of Sorts. It will be of no surprise to GIITTV readers that the past 18-months have been catastrophic for musicians and to date, the charity has spent £18m to help over 19,000 of them survive. As we transition out of the pandemic, we are committed to helping musicians return to work, ensuring they can rebuild their careers and navigate the challenges with meaningful help.
Fundraisers like this are not only vital to supporting musicians across the breadth of their needs, but they also highlight exactly why Help Musicians has existed for 100 years; music is a wonderful gift, it brings people together and will always be of huge importance to us all. Thank you to everyone involved for such a joyous fundraiser!”
We are starting the process of transferring the funds to Help Musicians over the next few weeks. The album is still available here:
