Paul Korda . com - The Web Home of Paul Korda, singer, musician & song-writer.

International Entertainment News

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

WAP! Technology and Music in Tune Help Manchester Cancer Hospital

WAP! Technology and Music in Tune Help Manchester Cancer Hospital

MANCHESTER, England, February 22/PRNewswire/ --

- With Photo

Innovative technology and top northern bands proved the winning formula
at a recent Manchester benefit concert staged by legendary music photographer
Mick Rock and ex-Smiths bass player Andy Rourke and his company Great
Northern Productions.

Manchester Vs Cancer drew an audience of 10,000 and raised GBP150,000 for
the city's Christie Hospital, Europe's largest cancer treatment and research
centre.

The money will help fund a Gene Therapy Research Centre backed by
Professor Robert Hawkins, which aims to investigate alternatives to
chemotherapy.

Headlining the event was New Order with support from the Doves, Elbow,
Johnny Marr and the Healers, Nine Black Alps, Stephen Fretwell, 808 State and
Mani from Primal Scream.

Mick Rock captured performances using a cutting-edge Nikon D2X digital
camera and transmitted the images via a wireless network to the vision mixing
console in the MEN Arena. Images were then edited on the fly and sent as
content feed to the lighting production crew who interpolated the stills in
the video and lighting mix for the performances.

The audience took part in the action by texting the word ROCK to a short
code which then generated a WAP push text message to handsets linking
directly to an online gallery with pictures of each artist.

The images captured by Mick Rock at the event were made available to
download as souvenir wallpaper images at GBP1.50 which contributed revenue to
the charity. Event images are also available as print on demand stills from
the Mick Rock website (www.mickrock.com) and co-signed prints of the stills
will later be auctioned on eBay to continue the fund raising efforts.

Besides appearing live all the artists offered their concert stills
royalty-free for the charity.

The co-signed prints of the stills are on show until February 24 at Vox
Pop record and memorabilia shop in Thomas Street, Manchester.

Manchester Vs Cancer was the largest charity gig ever staged in
Manchester and proved so successful that it is now hoped to make it an annual
charity event on the Manchester music scene. Interest has also come from San
Francisco and Sweden about staging similar events in these venues.

Mick Rock, who launched his career with an unknown David Bowie in 1972,
said it had been a wonderful chance to work with the cream of northern talent
and use the amazing new wireless imaging technology from Nikon so the
audience could interact and feel a real part of the event.

Andy Rourke was inspired with the idea of Manchester Vs Cancer after news
that members of his manager's family had been diagnosed with the disease. "I
quickly found that most people's lives have been touched by cancer in some
way and everyone wanted to help."

Notes to Editors:

Images from the event can be downloaded from
http://www.mickrock.co.uk/manchestervcancer/

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA
Photowire. It can be viewed at www.mediapoint.press.net or
www.prnewswire.co.uk

Source: Great Northern Productions

For more information on Christie Hospital please contact louise.tansey@christies.org +44(0)161-446-3613. For Great Northern Productions please contact tom@greatnorthern.uk.com +44(0)7752-299188. Technical queries should be directed to andy@viceandversa.com +44(0)7789-502877

-------
Profile: intent

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home