ARCTIC MONKEYS RELEASE NEW SINGLE THROUGH OXFAM SHOPS
Monday 17th August 2009
Arctic Monkeys are set to record another music industry first when they release their new single, ‘Crying Lightning’, through Oxfam’s network of 700 charity shops, with proceeds going to help the charity’s lifesaving work around the world.
The limited-edition 7”, which is the first single from new album Humbug, features a cover of the Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ classic ‘Red Right Hand’ as a B-side, and goes on sale in every one of Oxfam’s 700 high street shops on Monday 17 August.
The release marks the first time Oxfam shops have sold a new release single for 25 years.
The ‘Crying Lightning’ 7” will cost £2.99, and each single will come with a download code allowing fans to get an MP3 version of the songs for free.
More than 600 Oxfam shops across the country sell second-hand music – double the total number of independent record shops in the UK*. The charity sells around £6 million of music every year, enough to fund its entire programme in Indonesia for a year, buy 187,000 emergency shelters, or provide safe water for 8 million people.
Domino and Arctic Monkeys are also calling on music fans to bring in any unwanted albums or singles to their local Oxfam shop when they pick up their copy of the single, to help Oxfam keep turning yesterday’s hits into vital funds for years to come.
Laurence Bell, founder of Domino, said:
"Oxfam is a Great British institution and it's a delight to be working together on this project. There are about seven hundred Oxfam shops in the UK, many of them in high streets that once housed a record shop, so as well as raising some money for a great cause we are able to get vinyl back onto more of the nation's high streets, which feels good.
“We encourage all customers to bring something of value to donate to the store when they come down to buy the new Arctic Monkeys single."
David McCullough, Oxfam’s director of trading, said:
“We were thrilled when we heard about the idea for the new Arctic Monkeys single and are delighted to be partnering with Domino on something that will be great for music fans, and help us raise money to fight poverty at the same time.
“Oxfam shops have always been one of the best places on the high street to pick up a musical bargain or find a rare treasure, and this is a fantastic reason to pay your local shop a visit. ”
Domino, Oxfam and Arctic Monkeys will each have a dedicated microsite to allow fans to find their local shop stocking the single. These can be found at:
www.oxfam.org.uk/arcticmonkeys
www.dominorecordco.com
www.arcticmonkeys.com
Oxfam has an illustrious musical history spanning decades:
• Oxfam sells around 1.8 million CDs and records every year, all donated by the British public. The largest single donation was of 6,000 vinyl albums to an Oxfam shop in Devon in 2008.
• The charity’s Oxjam festival has raised more than £1 million through 3,000 events featuring more than 36,000 musicians, including Jarvis Cocker, Fatboy Slim, and Hot Chip.
• Oxfam has been one of the lead charities at Glastonbury since 1993, raising £2.7 million through stewarding the festival and signing up more than 400,000 people in support of its campaigns at the festival.
• The charity has been involved with everything from Live8 to its own Make Trade Fair concerts, and has worked with everyone from Chris Martin and Michael Stipe to Noel Gallagher and Klaxons.
Arctic Monkeys are Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O Malley. The band have released two UK number 1 albums, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare. Their forthcoming album Humbug goes on sale nationwide on 24 August, and the band headline the Reading and Leeds festivals on 28 and 29 August.
There will also be a 10” release featuring B-sides ‘Red Right Hand’ and a new original song ‘I Haven’t Got My Strange’. A limited number of independent record shops will also stock the 7”.