Record $250,000 Raised From Starship's Christmas Album

A Record $250,000 Raised From Starship's Christmas Album Featuring Justin Bieber Amongst A Host of International And Local Recording Stars

Universal Music and Paul Ellis Publicity today presented Starship Foundation with a cheque for $251,923 from the proceeds of sales of the Starship Christmas Album 2012. It is by far the biggest donation Universal Music has ever made in New Zealand.

Along with Bieber, the debut album featured music industry heavyweights including Queen, Lady Gaga (featuring Space Cowboy), Elton John, Ronan Keating, Michael Jackson, Maroon 5, Hayley Westenra, Adeaze, The Jackson Five, Tiki Taane, OneRepublic, and Lucy Lawless.

All the artists generously provided their recordings royalty free to support Starship.

Sales of the Platinum selling album were sold either online, or through the generous support of The Warehouse retail stores nationwide, supporting music retailers, ASB True Rewards, SKY Television, Classic Hits and the New Zealand Herald.

Music industry veteran Paul Ellis who spearheaded the project in partnership with Universal Music to develop The Starship Christmas Album 2012 says, “In all my years in the music industry, I have never seen so many top artists come together in this way. The project was extraordinary and the quarter of a million dollar result is superb. We are very grateful to all the artists and Universal Music for their generosity.”

The funds donated by Universal Music will go to Starship’s National Air Ambulance Service.

Year-round the Starship National Air Ambulance Service flies top medical experts to life-threatening emergencies around the country. These vary from complications arising from normal childhood illnesses such as the flu to accidents (drowning, car crashes, sporting injuries); as well as children suffering from serious medical conditions. These specialists stabilise the children and allow them to be brought safely to Starship where they can receive the care they need. Starship Foundation raises $1.5 million annually to fund this service.

Recent Starship air ambulance patients include:

- Natasha O’Callaghan, a 13 year-old from Lower Hutt, who had a life threatening infection and lung clot; and
- Agaalofa Taisia Anae, a six month old triplet from Christchurch who was brought to Starship with pertussis (whooping cough).

Both patients are now at home and doing well.

Starship Foundation CEO Brad Clark says “We’re very grateful to every single person who purchased this album and supported Starship. By doing so, they are supporting children from all over New Zealand who, like Natasha and Agaalofa, need the life saving care of Starship’s National Air Ambulance. On behalf of these children, thank you too to Paul Ellis, the wonderful artists involved and to Universal Music for their generosity.”

Ellis says that he is already working on a line-up of artists and Christmas songs for this year’s release. “The album was the No1 selling Christmas album for 2012. The combination of current acts, performing contemporary songs is a combination that resonates with the New Zealand audience.”

For more information on the Starship National Air Ambulance Service, including video footage of an air ambulance mission, please visit www.starship.org.nz/airambulance. The public can continue to support this service with either cash donations or by donating their old mobile phone to Starship’s Mobile Phone Appeal (www.starship.org.nz/phone), the proceeds of which also go to Starship’s National Air Ambulance Service.

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