Joe GallopSeven not-for-profit music organisations including the Music Venue Trust (MVT) are collaborating for a festive prize draw of seven copies of the limited-edition vinyl acetate of John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s Happy Xmas (War is Over) single.
Along with the MVT, Help Musicians, Karousel Music, Collage Arts, Attitude is Everything, Movimientos and Youth Music were each gifted a copy and will be making them available via a Crowdfunder campaign.
Only 50 of the editions have been produced to celebrate the track’s 50th anniversary; each hand cut by mastering engineer Alex Wharton of Abbey Road Studios. 25 of the records have been gifted by Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon to select music charities, non-profits and grassroots organisations in the UK, each receiving a single copy to fundraise for their individual causes.
Each edition is stickered and numbered out of 50 and includes a machine-printed signature from Ono.
The winners will be announced on 24 December via a Facebook livestream by Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd (pictured right) and Help Musicians CEO James Ainscough.
Davyd said, “This was such an incredible gesture by Sean and Yoko that we were immediately inspired to think how we could use this fantastic gift to do the most good supporting great causes. We are delighted to be working with such a great range of colleagues representing organisations that really demonstrate the enduring power of music as a force for positive change.”
Ainscough said, “We are extremely grateful to Yoko and Sean for these rare and wonderful records in the lead up to Christmas. By collaborating with other valued causes, we can all really make a difference to those who dedicate their time, energy and lives to giving us the gift of music; something we all value that little bit more over the festive period. It’s no secret how challenging the Covid crisis has been for those who work in music but the path back to career recovery is still rocky, so every entry into the prize draw really does make all the difference.”
Entrants must head to the Crowdfunding page and make a minimum donation of £5, with each £5 increment giving the buyer an extra entry into the prize draw (up to a maximum of £50 / 10 entries).