A festive prize draw is to take place of seven copies of the limited edition vinyl acetate of John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” (with the Plastic Ono Band and the Harlem Community Choir). The draw is a collaboration between Music Venue Trust, Help Musicians, Karousel Music, Collage Arts, Attitude is Everything, Movimientos, and Youth Music.
The winners will be announced on December 24 via a Facebook livestream by Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, and James Ainscough, CEO of Help Musicians. As reported, only 50 copies of the vinyl acetates have been produced to mark the track’s 50th anniversary, each one hand-cut by mastering engineer Alex Wharton of Abbey Road Studios.
Of those, 25 discs have been gifted by Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon to select music charities, non-profits, and grassroots organizations in the UK. Each is receiving a single copy to fundraise for their individual causes. Each edition is stickered and numbered out of 50 and includes a machine-printed signature from Yoko Ono.
A Crowdfunder campaign launches today in which entrants must make a minimum donation of £5, with each £5 increment giving the buyer an extra entry into the prize draw, up to a maximum of £50, or ten entries.
“This was such an incredible gesture by Sean and Yoko that we were immediately inspired to think how we could use this fantastic gift to do the most good supporting great causes,” says Davyd. “We are delighted to be working with such a great range of colleagues representing organisations that really demonstrate the enduring power of music as a force for positive change. With this prize draw, someone is going to get the Lennon fan’s ultimate Xmas gift.”
Adds Ainscough: “We are extremely grateful to Yoko and Sean for these rare and wonderful records in the lead up to Christmas. By collaborating with other valued causes, we can all really make a difference to those who dedicate their time, energy and lives to giving us the gift of music; something we all value that little bit more over the festive period.
“It’s no secret how challenging the covid crisis has been for those who work in music but the path back to career recovery is still rocky, so every entry into the prize draw really does make all the difference.”
Buy or stream “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” on the 2020 John Lennon compilation GIMME SOME TRUTH. The Ultimate Mixes.