Photo of Amy Winehouse from photographer Charles Moriarty

Amy Winehouse

Photo: Charles Moriarty

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MusiCares Announces One-Of-A-Kind Amy Winehouse NFT As Part Of Upcoming Back To Amy Exhibit And Livestream

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The NFT was animated from a rare photo taken by Charles Moriarty; proceeds from the NFT auction, set for Tuesday, May 18, will benefit MusiCares and the Amy Winehouse Foundation
MusiCares
May 18, 2021 - 6:00 am

In conjunction with the Amy Winehouse Foundation, founded to inspire children and young people to build their self-esteem and resilience, MusiCares has announced a one-of-a-kind NFT (non-fungible token) from photographer Charles Moriarty with visual artist Mark Palkoski. Proceeds from the NFT auction, set for Tuesday, May 18 and available for bidding through Mandolin and Open Sea, will benefit MusiCares and the Amy Winehouse Foundation, a registered charity. See link to NFT Auction Page here.

NFTs, an emerging asset in the cryptocurrency environment, is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger called blockchain, which certifies the digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable. This ensures that the Amy Winehouse NFT is truly one of a kind.

This NFT is part of the Back To Amy exhibit and livestream from exhibit creative director/photographer Charles Moriarty and executive producer Gabriel Gornell. The exhibit and livestream will be presented live on Friday, July 23, and will feature once-in-a-lifetime performances in celebration of Winehouse's legacy and cultural contributions on the 10th year since her passing. The livestream is presented by Mandolin, City Winery, and Qello Concerts by Stingray. Pre-sale tickets to the event are available now, with $10 from every ticket benefiting MusiCares and the Amy Winehouse Foundation. The celebration's lineup and details of the in-person exhibit at City Winery Nashville will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

"Charles has captured a fresh-faced Amy full of life and fun, I treasure those photos," Janis Winehouse, Amy's mother, said of the Back To Amy exhibit.

Unlike other NFTs, all auction proceeds will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation and MusiCares to support musicians struggling with mental health, addiction and substance abuse. Led by MusiCares and the Amy Winehouse Foundation, this will be among the first philanthropic NFTs ever.

"Dismissing Mental Health and resulting addictions have, unfortunately, claimed the lives of too many and in recent years has become more rampant across the industry. Here at MusiCares, we've seen time and time again how struggles with mental health can negatively impact someone's life. That is why we're proud to collaborate with the Amy Winehouse Foundation to not only honor Amy and her incredible life and career but also help those who are suffering from this devastating disease," Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares, said. "The proceeds from this auction will allow MusiCares, the leading music charity, to strengthen its support of music people working to improve their mental health. We are here to help the people behind the music and we couldn't be any more proud of this endeavor."

The NFT auction kicks off a series of events throughout 2021, including the Back To Amy exhibit and livestream on July 23, celebrating the life and career of Amy Winehouse, who died on July 23, 2011.

"We want to express our deepest thanks and appreciation to MusiCares, Janis Winehouse, the Amy Winehouse Foundation, Island Records, and most of all, Amy for continuing to inspire us all. We hope this NFT and upcoming Back To Amy exhibit help shine a light on the importance of mental health awareness," Charles Moriarty and Gabriel Gornell, the exhibit's organizers, shared in a statement.

MusiCares Announces Programming For Mental Health Awareness Month 2021

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell

Photo: Martin Mills/Getty Images

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Listen: 50 Essential Tracks By Joni Mitchell, Revolutionary Singer/Songwriter & 2022 MusiCares Person Of The Year

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Joni Mitchell was just crowned MusiCares' 2022 Person of the Year, which represents a feather in the legendary singer/songwriter's cap during her 77th trip around the sun. A career-spanning playlist shows her mastery in folk, jazz, blues and beyond
Morgan Enos
MusiCares
Sep 8, 2021 - 2:14 pm

Joni Mitchell is coming off a campaign of clamorous applause on the 50th anniversary of her 1971 masterpiece Blue, with adulatory features in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, NPR and other mainstream outlets. But when the popular YouTuber Rick Beato pondered what future musicologists would say about Mitchell hundreds of years in the future, he had a different answer.

"When music historians look at Joni Mitchell's catalog, they're going to see records like Mingus, he proclaimed in a clipposted last April, noting her collaboration with the irascible bassist and composer Charles Mingus shortly before his death. "They're going to see Hejira," he added, citing her immersive 1976 record backed by fusion masters.

"They're going to see that she played with all the greatest jazz musicians, like Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker and Larry Carlton," Beato continued. "The greatest musicians of the 20th century played in her band. Herbie Hancock. She was revered by the greatest jazz musicians."

Unlike almost any other singer/songwriter in her league—perhaps with the exception of Bob Dylan—Mitchell's legacy has a clear faultline in the middle, Beatles-style. First, she became the archetypal singer/songwriter, singing about female empowerment as a self-evident reality with a mastery of guitar and dulcimer and a composer's command of harmony. 

Then, she showed she could do the same in the jazz sphere, with those aforementioned records. And then, she made otherworldly space-folk albums in the '90s like Night Ride Home and Taming the Tiger, which stand among her most intoxicating works.

Mitchell was recently crowned MusiCares' 2022 Person of the Year (the event in her honor will take place Jan. 29, 2022). This marks yet another milestone for the legend, who was already having a big year with the love for Blue. 

Here's a playlist featuring her 50 most essential songs from across the decades.

Tables for the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year event will be available for purchase starting Sept. 8, 2021, at 10 a.m. PT at www.musicares.org/person-year. For more information about MusiCares Person of the Year, please visit www.musicares.org or email personoftheyear@musicares.org.

For The Record: Joni Mitchell's Emotive 1971 Masterpiece, Blue

Artwork for 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year: Joni Mitchell announcement

Joni Mitchell

Photo: Joel Bernstein

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Joni Mitchell Announced As 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year

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Joni Mitchell will be honored as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year for her musical contributions, with a tribute concert lineup to be announced soon
MusiCares
Aug 25, 2021 - 12:00 pm

MusiCares announced today that Joni Mitchell, eight-time GRAMMY Award winner and 16-time GRAMMY Award nominee, has been chosen as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year. Mitchell is the honoree of the 31st annual Person of the Year benefit gala.

Proceeds from the event will provide essential support for MusiCares, the leading music charity providing music professionals health and human services across a spectrum of needs. The tribute will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sat, Jan. 29, 2022, two nights before the 2022 GRAMMY Awards show, officially known as the 64th GRAMMY Awards.

"We are so excited to bring together an amazing lineup of artists to celebrate the musical legacy of Joni Mitchell," said Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares. "She is being honored not only for her iconic music and lyrics, but for her trailblazing spirit and the inspiration she's brought to so many artists."

The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute ceremony is one of the most prestigious events held during GRAMMY Week. It includes a reception and silent auction, offering an exclusive selection of one-of-a-kind items for bidding guests, followed by a dinner and tribute concert, featuring renowned musicians and other artists paying tribute to Mitchell.

"I'm honored to be chosen as Person of the Year by this great charity," said Mitchell, "I look forward to being part of this gala that will help MusiCares continue their inspired work in providing a support system for those in need."

As the industry heals from the recent pandemic and live music returns, so does the Person of the Year tribute. Since 1991, money raised from this gala goes toward MusiCares programs and services that assist the music community, including physical and mental health, addiction recovery, preventative clinics, unforeseen personal emergencies, and disaster relief. The safety of our honorees, guests, performers, and staff is our first priority. The event will follow all necessary COVID-19 precautions, safety guidelines and requirements set forth by health officials.

Mitchell joins a prestigious list of recent MusiCares Person of the Year honorees including Fleetwood Mac, Dolly Parton and 2020 honorees Aerosmith.

The event will be produced by the newly formed live event broadcast outfit Lewis & Clark, made up of Joe Lewis and R.A. Clark. Between the two of them, they've created broadcasts seen by millions for the Academy Awards, the GRAMMYs and the Super Bowl, and once-in-a-lifetime music tributes to the Beatles, Prince, Elton John, the Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder, and Motown.

Tables will be available for purchase on Sept. 8, 2021, 10 a.m. PT at www.musicares.org/person-year. For more information about MusiCares Person of the Year, please visit www.musicares.org or email personoftheyear@musicares.org.

How MusiCares' Music On A Mission Honored The Resilience Of The Music Community

Photo of person with headphones
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Listen: Kick Off Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 With MusiCares' Playlist Of Go-To Comfort Songs

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To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month 2021, the MusiCares team has compiled a playlist of their favorite pick-me-up songs, including tracks from Taylor Swift, Fitz and the Tantrums, Bill Withers and more
Hannah Kulis
MusiCares
May 3, 2021 - 5:01 pm

The MusiCares team is embracing in the healing power of music with a playlist of their favorite comfort songs in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month 2021. The playlist features all kinds of feel-good music, from bops like "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats to self-empowerment anthems like Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" to Billy Joel's calming "Vienna," which reminds listeners everything is going to work out just fine.

Mental health awareness is a crucial part of the MusiCares mission. Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989, MusiCares is the leading music industry charity that supports music people through three key areas of service: Human Services, Health Services, and Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services.

As part of their Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services, MusiCares hosts five free weekly online groups for anyone in the music industry looking for emotional support. MusiCares also offers direct financial assistance to music community members for things like therapy, psychiatric care, inpatient treatment, coaching, intensive outpatient care, sober living and more.

Mental health awareness is also a key element in MusiCares' virtual programming. In just the past three months, they have hosted over 10 programs specific to mental health awareness. This includes panel discussions such as "Black Mental Health Matters," a look at mental health through the lens of racial injustice, and "IN TUNE: Music as the Bridge to Mindfulness," a mindfulness and meditation workshop for individuals in the music industry.

For guaranteed positive vibes all month long, cue up the MusiCares Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 playlist below!

MusiCares Co-Founds First National Mental Health Action Day With MTV & Others

Press photo of Wax//Wane

Wax//Wane

 

Photo Courtesy of Artist

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Wax//Wane Releases New Single "The Way Down," Produced By Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, As A NFT Benefitting MusiCares

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Wax//Wane is releasing his Mike Shinoda-produced single "The Way Down," available for bidding for 24 hours starting Monday, April 26, via auction platform Nifty Gateway
Hannah Kulis
MusiCares
Apr 26, 2021 - 3:18 pm

Ryan Paul, professionally known as musical artist Wax//Wane, is joining the NFT game with the release of his new single, "The Way Down," produced by Linkin Park co-founder and two-time GRAMMY winner Mike Shinoda. The song will be released as a NFT today (Monday, April 26) starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on the auction platform Nifty Gateway, with bids open for 24 hours. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to MusiCares, the leading music industry charity providing a safety net of critical assistance to the music community in times of need.

Shinoda first heard the track through his #ShinodaProduceMeProject, an initiative where he asks fans to submit music for selection to be produced by him live on his Twitch channel. "I liked it enough that it intimidated me a bit," he said of "The Way Down" during the stream. "If I'm like 'Oh man, that's a really good one,' I get a little bit nervous about screwing it up."

Paul has been active as Wax//Wane since 2017, releasing one original song per month and releasing covers on his YouTube and Patreon pages. His original version of "The Way Down" is "a reminder that you can always fly again," Paul tweeted. He says the song is about a period in his life where he lost hope. Not sure where to turn, he reached out to friends who then connected him with MusiCares, which he credits with giving him the resources to rebuild his life. Paying it forward, Paul has now chosen to auction the song as a NFT and donate the proceeds back to MusiCares, so other artists who are struggling with their mental health can get the help they need.

NFT auctions are becoming increasingly popular around the world, particularly for those in the art and music space. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are digital assets stored on blockchain with unique identification codes and metadata that distinguish them from each other. Because these codes are unique, they cannot be traded or exchanged at equivalency, allowing digital assets like photos, videos, and songs to be commodified in a way that has not been done before.

The Music Industry Needs To Do More To Take Artists' Mental Health Seriously