Band Aid 20 song breaks record for most digital music downloads
Howard Lake | 30 November 2004 | News
‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’, the new version of the Band Aid song, has become the highest grossing digital music download ever.
Sales of the song on 7 Digital Media’s Web site (www.buybandaid.com) alone have raised more than £15,000 for the Band Aid Trust, and this is only one of the Web sites selling Band Aid downloads.
The original Band Aid version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ was recorded in London on 25 November 1984, and released as a seven-inch vinyl single on 7 December. It entered the UK chart at No. 1 on December 15, and stayed there for five weeks, selling more than three million copies.
Advertisement
Twenty years on, the new recording of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ on Mercury Records, written again by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, went on sale in shops yesterday. All proceeds from the single going to The Band Aid Trust.
However, it was made available last week for online download and purchase, and proved very popular, despite Apple’s iTunes service choosing not to sell it.
“With the track being available for download we’re able to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the children of Africa even before a single CD is sold”, said Ben Drury, Managing Director of 7 Digital Media, the company behind the official download version of Do They Know It’s Christmas.
The launch of Band Aid 20 was handled by Rainier PR, which donated its services at no charge.
The Band Aid 20 track can be downloaded for £1.49 with a special bundle including the original for £1.99. The video is also available for download at £2.50. Ringtone and images for mobile phones are also available for purchase, as is a video version for mobile phones.
Sadly it seems that the track download only works if you are using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer v5.01 (or higher) browser, so we couldn’t buy it online.
At the site you can also order the CD or make a donation to the Band Aid Trust.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.