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Net Aid London, U.S. Lineups Nearly Final
Veteran concert organizers formerly involved with global awareness efforts including Live Aid, We Are the World, and Hands Across America are in the final stages of preparation for a new event promoting worldwide poverty awareness. In a production strategy similar to that of this year's Tibetan Freedom Concert, Net Aid will mount all-star concert events on three continents on the same day.
The three overlapping shows that will take place on Oct. 9, with public concerts in London, England and East Rutherford, New Jersey and an invitation-only concert at The Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tickets for the British production of the event are now on sale. Tickets for the New Jersey Giants Stadium concert will hit the market on Sept. 8.
Scheduled to play at London's Wembley Stadium are George Michael, Robbie Williams, David Bowie, Bush, The Corrs, Eurythmics , and Stereophonics. Among those confirmed to play at unspecified sites are Counting Crows, Jewel , Wyclef Jean with Bono , Michael Kamen and Orchestra, Jimmy Page, and Pete Townshend .
Rumors regarding other potential Net Aid acts continue to swirl. Among those mentioned as probable for a Net Aid bill are Sheryl Crow, KORN, and Quincy Jones. The final details are scheduled to be announced along with the launch of the NetAid web site (www.netaid.com) on Sept. 8, according to an event publicist.
Organizers describe NetAid as an attempt to inspire action by bringing together for the first time the power of the Internet, television, radio, and world-renowned artists and producers. Among the producers responsible for the event are David Goldberg, Harvey Goldsmith, Ken Kragen, Don Mischer and Jeff Pollack.
VH1 and MTV will broadcast the concerts in the US, and BBC television and radio will carry them in the Great Britain. Radio Express will distribute a radio feed of the concerts worldwide, and negotiations are in progress for additional television rights around the world. The entire event will be webcast live on two channels -- one carrying the concert, the second showing backstage scenes.
Technology giant Cisco Systems is underwriting the cost of NetAid, is managing the overall program along with the United Nations Development Programme, and is leading the development and coordination of the event's technology and marketing.
Cisco says NetAid web site, which will continue indefinitely after the concerts, will have the capacity to handle 125,000 live streams -- about 10 times the scale of any other streaming site -- and 60 million hits per hour. Management of the site will be turned over the UNDP following the concert.
Proceeds from the Oct. 9 concerts will be disbursed to help the refugees of Kosovo and African countries. In all, 110,000 tickets will be available for the shows at Wembley and Giants stadiums. Organizers so far haven't publicly predicted how much money the shows will raise for charity.
