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Story: Jack Foley
MARKING the first, and fastest, rush-release of the digital download
era, Band Aid 20’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?
was recorded on Sunday, November 14, the label copy and artwork
finalised on Monday, and the track digitally delivered to retail
on Tuesday.
The result will be available for music fans to buy as a download
from Thursday, November 18 - just a little under four days later.
This record-breaking turnaround by Universal Music’s Mercury
Records has only been made possible by the co-operation of artists
and retailers, just as it was 20 years ago with the original Band
Aid release.
The Band Aid 20 track can be downloaded for £1.49, and
the B-side – the 1984 recording – can be downloaded
for 99p. A special bundle of the two tracks can be bought online
for £1.99.
The video can be downloaded as well - it costs £1 pre stream
and £2.50 for a permanent download.
Download
the video here
As with the physical CD release of Do They Know It’s
Christmas? the proceeds from all sales will go to the Band
Aid Trust to help famine relief in Africa. Arrangements for the
international release of the recording are still being finalised.
The official download will be available from numerous download
sites in the UK, including: My Coke Music, Tiscali, NTL, Wannadoo,
Virgin Megastore, MSN, Virgin.net, MTV, HMV, and Napster, as well
as from www.buybandaid20.com
which will also offer a link to pre-order the CD and the opportunity
to make a financial donation to the trust.
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The original Band Aid version of
Do They Know It’s Christmas? was recorded in London
on November 25, 1984, and rush-released as a seven-inch vinyl
single on December 7.
It entered the UK chart at No. 1 on December 15, and stayed
there for five weeks, selling more than three million copies.
The final line-up of artists on Band Aid 20 reads like a who’s
who of contemporary British Rock, Pop, R&B and Urban Music.
The artists are: Keane, Paul McCartney, The Sugababes, Skye (Morcheeba),
Robbie Williams, Dido, Bono, Jamelia, Justin Hawkins (Darkness),
Chris Martin (Coldplay), Fran Healy (Travis), Beverley Knight,
Busted, Ms Dynamite, Danny Goffey (Supergrass), Katie Melua, Will
Young, Natasha Bedingfield, Snow Patrol, Shaznay Lewis, Joss Stone,
Daniel Bedingfield Rachel Stevens, The Thrills, Roisin Murphy
(Moloko), Lemar, Estelle, Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy), Feeder
and Dizzee Rascal.
Midge Ure is the executive producer.
Robbie Williams contributed his part from a Los Angeles recording
studio.
Dido was in another part of the world on Sunday and put her vocal
part down from Australia.
The new recording of Do They Know It’s Christmas?
on Mercury Records, written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, will
be available on CD single from Monday, November 29.
The track was recorded at Air Studios in London on Sunday, November
14, and was produced by Nigel Godrich, best known for his work
with Radiohead.
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