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Face The Music; Follow the money from the 9/11 tribute discs submitted by: Lisa D. source: Entertainment Weekly Date: March 29, 2002 By Gillian Flynn and Josh Young, Edited by Thom Geier Six months have passed since Bruce Springsteen, U2, Dave Matthews, the Dixie Chicks, et al. performed amid hundreds of candles in a telethon for the families of Sept. 11 victims. But how much has United Way's September 11th Fund received from sales of the tie-in CD, America: A Tribute to Heroes? At press time, not a cent. While no one faults the musicians' intentions, there's clearly a mixed record when it comes to donations from 9/11 charity albums. It's not that the cash hasn't been pouring in. Since its December release, Tribute has grossed between $7.5 million and $10 million domestically (plus $1.1 million overseas). But like many of the benefit discs, Tribute is donating net proceeds--money left over after manufacturing, marketing, and distribution costs (in this case, marketing alone ran about $1 million). Producer Jimmy Iovine, chair of Interscope Geffen A&M, promises the eventual bequest will be substantial, but won't speculate on how much United Way will receive--or when. "My wife said, 'Remember one thing, it's a lot easier to raise money than it is to give it out,'" says Iovine. "They'll get the money quickly. We don't make a penny." Similarly, the single "We Are Family" has sold 14,900 copies, but a rep for Tommy Boy says the American Red Cross won't see green until the label recoups expenses, probably later this year. Even then, donations will be difficult to confirm because the disc--like several others--has no formal relationship with its named charity. "We were deluged with album partnership requests," says the Red Cross' Abbie Gibbs. "We are very protective of our name and logo--but we don't turn down money." And what about Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"--which was never sold as a benefit effort? According to the singer's camp, Jackson's album has no official ties to any nonprofit group and he prefers to make his donations privately. Sometimes it's the charity that slows down the process. The Twin Towers Fund, set up by former NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani, has $ 8.5 million coming from the net proceeds of Sony's God Bless America compilation. But so far a check hasn't been sent because of red tape involved in shifting the fund's operations from city administration to the private sector. Fortunately, several tributes have provided instant gratification. Whitney Houston's chart-topping rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" produced two fat $ 500,000 checks to its two designated charities. And Sony's Concert for New York City live album from an Oct. 20 benefit has contributed $4.5 million so far to the Robin Hood Relief Fund. "It was a very generous deal paying us about $ 8 per album," says a Robin Hood rep. "They have done right by us big time." According to Daniel Borochoff of the American Institute of Philanthropy, that kind of per-album agreement is preferable to ones that don't commit a specific amount of money up front. "There's a real risk that there's nothing going to charity," he says. "You can say they get a percentage of the profits, but then there are no profits and the groups don't benefit." Of course, some informal deals work just fine: After creating a CD of patriotic music, Montreal's St. Clair Entertainment sent the estimated proceeds to the nearest Red Cross office, across the border in Plattsburgh, N.Y., Chapter director Jeanie Roberts says she was shocked to receive $ 45,214: "That was more money than we have collected in some calendar years." It's the no-fuss, no-muss approach: St. Clair donated money before reconciling its bottom line. "We'll probably end up losing money," admits label VP Morey Richman. And consider the students at El Dorado Elementary School in Lancaster, Calif., who raised $ 2,500 from a CD of American songs to fund an upcoming day of arts performances at NYC's Roberto Clemente Elementary School, located near ground zero. "I asked the principal what would help," explains El Dorado principal Melinda Keenan. "She said they might enjoy some entertainment to put a smile on their faces." BOX STORY: TITLE "The Star-Spangled Banner" & "America the Beautiful" (Arista) ARTIST(S) Whitney Houston SOLD 1.1 million[#] BENEFACTOR(S) NY State Fraternal Order of Police, NY Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund DONATED $1 million ($500,000 each) TITLE The Concert for New York City (Sony) [ARTIST(S)] Billy Joel, David Bowie, Jon Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, etc. [SOLD] 455,000[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] Robin Hood Relief Fund [DONATED] $ 4.5 million [TITLE] America: A Tribute to Heroes (Interscope and Sony) [ARTIST(S)] Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, U2, etc. [SOLD] 643,000[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] United Way September 11th Fund [DONATED] None (net proceeds TBD) [TITLE] God Bless America (Sony) [ARTIST(S)] Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, etc. [SOLD] 1 million[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] Twin Towers Fund [DONATED] $ 8.5 million due (when fund moves) [TITLE] The Day America Cried: Songs of Hope for a Unified Nation (TMG) [ARTIST(S)] Johnny VanZant, Jim Peterik, Don Barnes, etc. [SOLD] 10,000[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] 9/11 Relief Project (run by TMG Music) [DONATED] $30,000 [TITLE] The Spirit of America (EMI) [ARTIST(S)] The NYPD's Daniel Rodriguez [SOLD] 35,000[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] Twin Towers Fund [DONATED] None (net proceeds TBD) [TITLE] "What's Going On" (Sony) [ARTIST(S)] Bono, Destiny's Child, Backstreet Boys, etc. [SOLD] 237,000[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] September 11th Fund, Global AIDS Alliance, two African youth charities [DONATED] $280,000 due, to be split [TITLE] "America the Beautiful" (RCA) [ARTIST(S)] Elvis Presley [SOLD] 86,000[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] American Red Cross Liberty Fund [DONATED] $200,000 [TITLE] United We Stand (Capitol) [ARTIST(S)] John Lennon, Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, etc. [SOLD] 50,000[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] American Red Cross Liberty Fund [DONATED] None (net proceeds TBD) [TITLE] We Are Family (Tommy Boy) [ARTIST(S)] Patti LaBelle, Queen Latifah, etc. [SOLD] 14,900[#] [BENEFACTOR(S)] American Red Cross, outreach programs promoting tolerance [DONATED] None (net proceeds TBD) [TITLE] God Bless America: United We Stand (St. Clair Entertainment) [ARTIST(S)] Instrumental [SOLD] 45,000 plus (estimate) [BENEFACTOR(S)] American Red Cross' Plattsburgh, N.Y., chapter [DONATED] $45,214 [TITLE] El Ultimo Adios: The Last Goodbye (Sony Discos) [ARTIST(S)] Jon Secada, Arturo Sandoval, Gloria Estefan, etc. [SOLD] 73,610 (shipped) [BENEFACTOR(S)] American Red Cross, September 11th Fund [DONATED] $250,000 due, to be split [TITLE] Patriot Songs (El Dorado Elementary School) [ARTIST(S)] El Dorado Elementary School [SOLD] 250 [BENEFACTOR(S)] Roberto Clemente Elementary School (P.S. 15) in Manhattan [DONATED] $2,500 due [#]SALES REPORTED TO SOUNDSCAN; ACCORDING TO LABEL; CHARITY CANNOT CONFIRM Site design by: Dolphin Webpage Designs © 1996-2002