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NetAid Netted Only $1 Million In Ticket Sales And Online Donations
Though last month's star-studded NetAid benefit concerts drew an audience of 1 billion people via radio and television, the benefit concerts netted only $1 million from its three concerts and from online donations, according to a Washington Post report.
This sum pales in comparison with other high profile charity events like the 1985 ''We Are The World'' campaign, which raised approximately $64 million for hunger relief charities, and the Live Aid concert of the same year, which raised an estimated $120 million.
NetAid co-organizer Ken Kragen, who also worked on both 1985 campaigns, told the Post that he considered NetAid's numbers positive, since it was conceived as a long-term, ongoing project. But he did acknowledge that, in retrospect, he could have taken a more active role in the promotion of the NetAid show in East Rutherford, N.J., which only managed to fill Giants Stadium to half of its capacity.
According to the Post report, only the NetAid concert at London's Wembley Stadium managed to turn a profit. The third show in Geneva was a private event, and free tickets were distributed to U.N. workers and guests of Cisco Systems who were attending a conference there.
Before the concert, NetAid lined up a $10 million pledge from event sponsor Cisco and another $1 million from KPMG. Proceeds from the concerts were earmarked for anti-poverty campaigns for African countries and refugees of Kosovo. The board that will allocate the funds has yet to be seated.
NetAid, which aimed to raise money and awareness for anti-poverty campaigns worldwide, featured overlapping Oct. 9 concerts in London, Geneva, and in the New York area. Among the performers who appeared on the stages were Wyclef Jean , Bono , Sting , Pete Townshend , Puff Daddy, David Bowie , George Michael and Bryan Ferry.
