“Every CompassionArt songwriter has nominated a charitable project that will share in half the proceeds that these songs raise,” continues Smith. “The projects supported include those that offer people primary healthcare, clean water, education and more. But we also wanted to do something together; we wanted to invest the other half of the proceeds in projects that would join the dots between art and compassion.”
Four collective projects were chosen to receive 50 per cent of the proceeds from these songs: Hand of Hope, offering relief and restoration for families caught up in Mumbai’s sex trade and food and education for children scraping for survival on a rubbish dump in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Stop The Traffik, a global movement against the trafficking of people that has more than 1,000 member organisations in 50 countries and a grassroots following of ordinary activists around the world; Ray of Hope, a team of people in remote parts of Brazil that meets the needs of children - food, education, support, advice, clothing and medical aid; and Watoto, a charity helping orphaned children to abused mothers, and helping to restore hope to people whose lives have been devastated by suffering, providing creative life centers, encouraging artistic education and plans for a better future for all.
The Littlehampton-based CompassionArt held a songwriters’ retreat in January. The 12 songwriters worked together toward a common goal to write 10-12 songs for charity, but by the end of the retreat, had completed 22 new songs. The CompassionArt songwriters began recording the songs for the CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty album in February at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, with later recording sessions in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles. Joining the songwriters and guest vocalists to work on the album were such acclaimed musicians, producers and engineers as Josiah Bell, Matt Bronleewe, Danny Duncan, Sam Gibson, Andy Hunt, Ted Jensen, Lakewood Choir, Dan Needham, Paul Moak, Jack Joseph Puig, The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Tommy Sims, Akil Thompson and the Watoto African Children’s Choir.
Catching the vision of CompassionArt early, several music festivals this past summer, including a couple of the largest festivals, Creation and Cornerstone, ran a three-minute CompassionArt promotional video on their JumboTrons in support of this movement.
Notably, WH Smith, has chosen CompassionArt to be a featured Christmas release to promote in its 486 stores.
Recognised already for its charity work, CompassionArt became the recipient of the inaugural “Gospel Angel Award” presented by the Gospel Music Channel during the network's telecast of this year’s Dove Awards.
On the web: CompassionArt.tv
