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

- A world first from legendary photographer Mick Rock changes the way
people view concerts around the globe.

At the historic Manchester v Cancer concert which saw dozens of Mancunian
heroes take to the stage together for the first time ever, the 10,000 fans
could download live backstage images direct to their mobiles.

Thousands of pounds was raised through texting adding to the GBP150,000
made on the night for cancer research at Christie Hospital - Europe's largest
cancer treatment and research centre

Staged by Great Northern Productions, the new company set up by ex-Smiths
bassist Andy Rourke, the money will help fund a Gene Therapy Research Centre
backed by Professor Robert Hawkins, which aims to investigate alternatives to
chemotherapy.

New Order, Doves, Elbow, Johnny Marr & The Healers, Nine Black Alps, 808
State, Shaun Ryder and more played at the concert and they were all
photographed backstage by Mick Rock.

He captured their performances using the cutting-edge Nikon D2X digital
camera and then sent 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 ROCK to a short code
which then generated a WAP push text message to handsets linking directly to
an online thumbnail 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. 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 their live input at the
concert all the artists offered their concert stills royalty-free for the
charity.

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

Manchester v Cancer was the largest charity gig ever staged in Manchester
and proved so successful that it is now hoped to make it an annual event with
cities around the world contacting Great Northern Productions Ltd.

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

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

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