By james art 
Before the first note is played on Fireaid on Thursday (January 30), more than $ 60 million will already be raised by dollars for ticket sales and sponsorship for effort to recover and prevent fire from fires that devastate the Los Angeles area. To this, add the donations of viewers who look live on more than 25 streaming retail outlets, which will be combined for a dollar by Steve and Connie Balmer, and the event will undoubtedly raise tens of millions of dollars more for the cause.
The concerts in Los Angeles will participate in Eilis, Earth, Wind and Fire, Gracey Abrams, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lille Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Plum While Alanis Morisset, Anderson .paak, Dave Matthew and John Meyer, Daues, Graham, Green Day, John Fogerti, Johnny Mitchell, no doubt, P! NK, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Stils, Stevi Nix, and the black hot crouches will take the stage at the Kia Forum.
The idea of the benefit, which was announced three days after the catastrophic fires that destroyed over 22,000 homes began on January 7, was born afterwards Shelli Azoff called the CEO of Los Angeles Clippers Jillian Zucker To see if they can benefit from Intuit Dome, Clippers Home. So many performers have voluntarily played to play that the concert quickly overflowed into the Kia forum.
Erving Azofwho produces the event with his wife Shelley and his family together with a live nation talks to Billboard On Tuesday night, as he heads to the Kia forum to watch the two Stevies – Nicks and Wonder – to rehearse. In addition to talking about the logistics of the shows, he wanted to express his exceptional gratitude to Ballmers, Artists and nearly 40 sponsorship partners who made the event possible.
It is really remarkable how quickly this gatheredS
After the fires started, Shelley says we have to do something. Some others say that the only thing we know how to do is present themselves in shows. Shelley calls Jillian, she offers us intuite and that’s from the races … so much [artists] voluntarily we know we can do both [venues]S You do not want to tell people not obviously the opportunity to raise more money when you have two instead of one, it is even greater.
At any moment you thought, “Let’s move it to Sophie Stadium or add a third place, considering how many performers are ready to play?
Look, there were three pieces in this: there is a live gate and corporate sponsorship for the live gate, which, I am pleased, is now north of $ 60 million. The sponsorships that Scott Sonenberg from the organization of the Clippers and Dan Griffis and his Oak View team came out and, they did only incredible work. People just called and said, “Can I [help]”? But we also knew that it was about helping everyone and gathering everyone so that everyone could start healing and enjoying this wonderful music to try to bring everyone back a little. We knew from the very beginning that we wanted to make a modern digital teleton where it sent you text messages. Ballmer offers the building, and the Clippers organization raises the cost so that every dollar of ticket money goes to the charity and with Steve and Connie, who respond to anyone who gives money during the teleton, no, we never thought of Sophie , nor should I have to.
Rod Stuart was the first artist to play voluntarily, right?
It was first, then Stevie Nix called me personally and she was second.
Were you surprised by the large number of artists who wanted to donate their time?
I am not surprised because the musicians are among the most concerned, heartbreaking, they give people in the food chain. So, no, I wasn’t surprised – fastened, but not surprised … It’s not just the money raised; We will create a worldwide awareness of what these fires were. [Executive producer] Joel Galen has brought together [segments] With some incredible KTLA footage of the survivors and people of fire. This is a different type of show.
What is the biggest challenge for you logistically?
Look, this is a rock and roll. What can go wrong will go wrong. As we try to go back and forth between the arenas through the bigger part of the night for the show, the biggest challenge is that we are that we have no technical problems that slow down to get on stage at the right times.
What can fans expect from kits?
Most people make two to three songs. Several do four. Once it was already on sale and [artists] are ready, then others [artists] Called. So[we said]”It’s too late to add you to the bill and we don’t have a slot, but how would you like to go to XYZ with such and such an artist?” I think there is a good half dozen really surprising moments.
In the New York Times article on Tuesday, the CEO of the Academy of Recording Harvey Mason stepped out of their way to say that you and Grammy on February 2 do not compete with each other, although the shows are only a few days one day by another.
We are not in any competition. They are awarded a show. They are a television show. We wanted to do this streaming teleton, which means a digital flow moment, right? We did not make any broadcast on the air. Of course, we will have our moments to tell the history of some of the people affected by the fires, but it is more recently as a stream of a music festival. This is not a reward. They are two very separate things. I am on board [Recording Academy charity] Musicares and I hope that our advice will find it good to give some of the money we make to Musicares.
How did you choose the date?
We looked at other dates. Remember that our show, because we are trying to ask for donations from consumers – unfortunately, people do not have a large, long period of attention – you want to get up while the fires are still fresh in the minds of everyone. This was somehow an assumption about when the time would turn and they would receive control over the fires. We couldn’t go next week because it’s Super Bowl and we didn’t want to go anywhere near the Super Bowl week. And next week we had no availability of buildings. We didn’t try to go, “Oh, let’s go to Grammy Week.” Almost all people who participate or live in LA or have a relationship with LA, so it wasn’t: “Oh, they’re all in the city for Grammy. It’s easy to book. “Most of the people would be here in three weeks, which are now here, so this is just the way you fell into place.
You have nearly 40 sponsors. Can sponsors appear?
We sold early today. There are no apartment and all the sponsors are not. Many sponsors said, “Here, just take your money.” We said, “Tickets have to come with it. Do you want to return our first respondents and people who have lost their homes? “And many of them did this. I think about 2500 have affected the first responding and homeowners or more in both rooms. Many of [the sponsors] They use their apartments. Everyone did what they thought was right. I guess for a single-day event in the music business, this is probably the biggest sponsorship in history. We talked about it today. We don’t think no one is approaching. We get the credit to get the ball, but then the community really took over.
What role does the live nation play?
[Live Nation president of California Region] Lincoln genes – like my wife and my daughter Alison and many others – worked 18 hours a day. [Live Nation CEO] Michael Rapino is an executive producer with Shelli and I and Jillian Zucker and Joel Galen. He was on calls all day and all night. We all raise money. We are all out, putting it together. The live nation was incredible. I’m just so proud of them and their team and what they brought to the party.
Was there any thought to go out to the exit or always stream?
When it became clear that we would make 27 contractors, there was no way. You will not put a show for five and a half hours on aired television.
You have already raised more than $ 60 million. What do you hope the common will be?
We are already grateful for what we have. I want to say that there has never been an effort to raise funds for strime like this one, so I can’t even start thinking … We will be happy. It’s a kind of new territory. The pour is historical, but unfortunately the fires are also made.
The audience can be set to Fireaid on a number of platforms, including music by Iaple, AppleTV, DirectV, Myfree DirectV, Directv Stream and Directv for Business, Disney+/Hulu, Fanduel, Iheartradio, KTLA, MAX, MAX, MAX, MAX, MAX, MAX, MAX, MAX, MAX com, Paramount+/Pluto TV, Peacock/NBC News Now, Prime Video and Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, John Mayer’s Life Channel by Siriusxm, SoundCloud, Tiktok, Veps, X and YouTube. Some retail outlets also make donations, including DirecTV, which have announced that it has donated $ 1 million to Fireaid.
In addition, several AMC and Regal cinemas will host the event screenings, which can also be heard in more than 860 radio stations, Iheartradio digital platforms and Iheartradio app.
Sponsoring partners include Kaiser Permanence, Live Nation, Scopely, American Express, AT&T, Capital Group, Netflix, Snap Inc., US Bank, UBS, Venmo and Visa Foundation. Gold Partners are DirectV, Goldman Sachs, Intuit, Starbucks, YouTube and Verizon Foundation.Calhope, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, JPMORGANCHASE, Salesforce, FamilyS
For donations and information about the concert, go to Fireaidla.org or @fireaidla.