The music community has historically shown that it can raise a lot of money in a short period of time with concerts after a disaster. The overwhelmingly successful Sound Relief concerts in Melbourne and Sydney on March 14 provided a day of music, entertainment, reflection, celebration, surprises, and inclement weather that will indisputably live long in the memories of those that attended the two simultaneous Australian concerts, which were staged due to the devastation from the Victorian bush fires.
The most significant outcome of Sound Relief comes just over a month after the concerts with the confirmation of the sum raised for the charities supported by the event. An impressive $8 million-plus was raised from the two events, with $7,159,760 donated to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal and $874,416 donated to the the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal.
In the month following the Sound Relief concerts, external accounting firms BSA Partnership and Moneypenny conducted a comprehensive audit of the two events and compiled detailed profit and loss reports which are now posted on Soundrelief’s official Web site. The reports detail all costs incurred in staging the Sound Relief concerts.
“We are thrilled with the amount of money raised by Sound Relief,” said the events’ organizers in a statement. “It is no small exercise to stage two stadium concerts of such magnitude and the willingness of so many to provide their talent, time, labour and equipment free or at cost has allowed such a significant sum to be raised for the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal and the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal.”
Some of the acts that performed in Melbourne included Jack Johnson, Jet, Kasey Chamers, Kings of Leon, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Split Enz and Wolfmother. In Sydney, Coldplay, Hoodoo Gurus, Icehouse, Jet and Wolfmother were among the performers.
