NASHVILLE |DATE: September 22, 2005
FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/KRISTINE ASHTON-MAGNUSON/
MITCH SCHNEIDER
RESTORE.REBUILD. REBIRTH.
VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE
MOVES TO MEMPHIS
HALLOWEEN WEEKEND
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT
THE NEW ORLEANS RESTORATION FUND (NORF),
A DONOR-ADVISED FUND OF
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION (EIF)
VH1 JOINS AS PRINCIPAL MEDIA PARTNER
The VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE will bring its quintessential New Orleans spirit to Memphis, the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and roll. Memphis' Tom Lee Park will serve as this year's site for the two-day event, set to take place Halloween Weekend. This year's VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE will benefit the New Orleans Restoration Fund (NORF), a donor-advised fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF).
"Since our home-base is New Orleans, it's been an especially difficult time for us, with staff losing homes and offices, and some of them losing everything," says Stephen Rehage, founder and independent producer of the annual VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE, now in its seventh year. "Moving a festival of this magnitude has been no easy task and we are grateful to the City of Memphis for extending their hospitality, to Trent Reznor for voicing his advocacy of NORF and Voodoo, to all the artists dedicating their time and energy to support the cause and to our incredible group of people working on this project for their dedication and support over these last few weeks."
Originally set to take place in its home of New Orleans' City Park, the VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE is known for its eclectic and intriguing mix of top-tier artists, iconic musicians, indie performers and local New Orleans favorites. As previously announced, NIN are confirmed to perform and the artist line-up will be updated in the weeks leading up to the event.
VH1, as the principal media partner, will support the VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE through a multi-hour primetime showcase of performances, scheduled to air Saturday, November 5. Exclusive music performances from the festival will also be available on VH1's broadband entertainment network Vspot. Performances, artist interviews and festival highlights will be featured on the VH1 Radio Network and covered by the VH1 News division. VH1 and VH1.com will also help promote NORF as well as a fly-away sweepstakes for a winner and guest to attend the event in Memphis.
Proceeds from the Voodoo Music Experience will benefit the New Orleans Restoration Fund (NORF), a donor-advised fund of Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), to support organizations dedicated to the restoration of the people, community, and culture of New Orleans. A portion of the funds will be earmarked for Habitat for Humanity, Mercy Corps and other national organizations to provide basic humanitarian assistance to victims of the storm. The remainder of the funds will be distributed directly to local grass-roots organizations committed to restoring the vibrant cultural community of the greater New Orleans area, including WWOZ, 90.7, New Orleans Roots Radio; and YA/YA, Inc. (Young Aspirations/Young Artists), a local organization dedicated to empowering future generations of young artists and community leaders.
This year's VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE is produced by Rehage Entertainment in association with the City of Memphis; Dr. Willie W. Herenton, The Mayor of Memphis; Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF); The Riverfront Development Corporation; Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission; The Memphis and Shelby County Film and Television Commission; Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission; Memphis Music Foundation; VH1; Citadel Radio. Sponsors include: PlayStation®, Miller Lite, RollingStone.com, Southern Comfort, MTV2, nine.com, SPIN, Windows XP, MySpace.com, STA Travel, KKND, Filter, Revista Sonika, WWOZ and Spencer's.
ABOUT NEW ORLEANS RESTORATION FUND (NORF): NORF is a donor-advised fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). EIF, as the philanthropic leader of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars and provided countless volunteer hours to support charitable initiatives for critical social issues. Through this partnership, EIF will facilitate the distribution of funds raised through the event by drawing on its extensive philanthropic experience.
ABOUT VH1:
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in over 87 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH Uno, VH1 Mega Hits and VH1 Country. Connect with VH1 at www.VH1.com. VH1 is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom International Inc. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby it's programming can be seen worldwide.
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