Charity

Doujin, Game Music

Materia Collective & Multiplayer Release SPIRIT VGM Charity Album

October 5, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Materia Collective & Multiplayer Release SPIRIT VGM Charity Album Share this

Game music label Materia Collective along with Multiplayer charity organization have come together to help produce an entire EP of arranged and remixed video game music to help raise funds for aiding Hurricane Harvey victims, as well as draw attention to other recent victims of hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico.

SPIRIT is a fully licensed EP features four tracks of arranged game music from UNDERTALE, Final Fantasy VII, Journey and Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, with proceeds from sales going to Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund at the Greater Houston Community Foundation to assist with relief efforts. Game artists and arrangers Braxton Burks (Pokémon Reorchestrated), Laura Intravia (Video Games Live), StringPlayerGamer (Strings of Determination), Loudr co-founder Jesse Budington, Sean Schafianski (Video Game Music Reorchestrated), and others have donated their time in order to put the album together for the charity effort.

We started working on SPIRIT almost immediately after Harvey, since many Materia Collective members are from Houston and wanted to contribute to the rebuilding process. There was a great outpouring of support in the immediate aftermath of this disaster; however, the need is ongoing, and we hope that our EP can contribute. In the time since we started this project, other hurricanes have affected other areas, including Florida, the Virgin Islands, and most recently, Puerto Rico. While all SPIRIT proceeds will go towards the Greater Houston Community Foundation, we also want to raise awareness for these other areas that badly need support. – Emily McMillian, Director

<a href="http://multiplayercharity.bandcamp.com/album/spirit">SPIRIT by Multiplayer Charity</a>

The album is currently available on Bandcamp, iTunes and Spotify. Donation links for charities in other areas can be found on Bandcamp and Materia Collective’s official website.
Doujin, Events

Street Fighter II Charity Album to Benefit Richmond, VA Schools

June 22, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Street Fighter II Charity Album to Benefit Richmond, VA Schools Share this

Twenty producers, DJs, and emcees from Richmond, Virginia are excited to present a collaborative hip-hop tribute charity album featuring the iconic melodies from Street Fighter II. Street Fighter: The RVA Warrior has been released to benefit Richmond-based Building a Better RPS charitable organization to benefit public schools in the area and includes radio host Black Liquid, members of Gritty City Records, DJs Phil Dice, 8-Bit Mullet, and Dope Solo/Sultans, a co-founder of the Party Liberation Front and more.

I was excited to receive so much interest once I shared the concept with the collaborators. It’s been a great way to connect with other artists, support a good cause, and have fun re-living a game that each of us grew up loving despite our different backgrounds. – Alan “8-Bit Mullet” Brymer

<a href="http://streetfighterrva.bandcamp.com/album/street-fighter-the-rva-warrior">Street Fighter: The RVA Warrior by Various Artists</a>

A release show and fundraising event will be held at Garden Grove Brewery on Thursday, June 22nd, at 8:00pm and will feature Street Fighter II-themed drinks. The show, which will also be streamed live on Twitch, will include a Street Fighter II tournament, costume contest, and live art by Amy Black, a prominent tattoo artist. You can check out more on the event’s Facebook page and join in for a good cause.
Chip Music

Groupees Offers Chiptune + Charity Music Bundle

May 23, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Groupees Offers Chiptune + Charity Music Bundle Share this

Groupees, the bundle site that runs sales on music, games and more to benefit a variety of charities, has launched it’s 12th chiptune bundle campaign to help benefit MyMusicRx.

For 9 more days, buyers name their price for a bundle of chiptune albums and choose for a part of their contribution to be donated to MyMusicRx charity, bringing music to children facing cancer and other illnesses. Artists include Zalza, tiasu, knife city, Rock Candy, Chrome Cobra and more. – Christian Bunda, Groupees Music Director

For a minimum of $2, you unlock nine chiptune albums with bonus funding goals to unlock two additional albums and 20% of all donation goes directly to MyMusicRx.

<a href="http://planetzaxxon.bandcamp.com/album/portable-sound-system">Portable Sound System by Warez Waldo</a>
<a href="http://zalza.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-memory">Out Of Memory by Zalza</a>

You can check out all of the bundle albums and learn more about the artists and charity by going to the campaign page on Groupees, along with many other charity bundles available.
Miscellaneous

Bandcamp Artists Donating Today’s Profit to the ACLU

February 3, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Bandcamp Artists Donating Today’s Profit to the ACLU Share this
Over 200 artists and groups, including a good chunk of the VGM and chiptune scene, have gotten together with Bandcamp and are donating all profits from their sales today to the American Civil Liberties Union. The act is a response to current political strife, with Bandcamp donating 100% of their profits to the ACLU, and a large amount of musicians and music labels making additional donations of their profit cuts.

We hope that, as you listen to these albums, you’ll not only discover some great new artists, but will also gain a further appreciation and understanding for the way music transcends all borders, and remember that, even in the darkest of times, there is more that unites us than divides us.

Several video game cover bands and arrangers have thrown their support behind the movement. If you’re looking to purchase new music, beyond the Bandcamp portion, many of the following are making extra donations towards the ACLU:
Regardless of your affiliations, we suggest checking out these and several other VGM artists and bands today for the simple reason of expanding your library of awesome video game tunes.
Events, Miscellaneous

“Games On Song” to Perform for GamesAid Christmas Fundraiser

November 2, 2015 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on “Games On Song” to Perform for GamesAid Christmas Fundraiser Share this

Nobody wants to think about it too early, but the Christmas season is a month away. However, you can get in early for the Golden Giving event in London coming this December.

Today, Games On Song, the UK games industry choir is proud to announce it will be returning to the stage for a LIVE Christmas carol concert, raising money for GamesAid.

Formed in 2012, the Games On Song choir is made up members of the games industry who volunteer their time and voices to sing and raise money for GamesAid; a UK based video games charity which acts as an umbrella to support a number of smaller charities who help disadvantaged and disabled children and young people. – GamesAid

So, the event won’t itself feature music from video games, but rather “classic carols and Christmas songs with a video game twist” sung by game industry members. What that twist is, exactly, remains to be seen, but it all goes to a great cause regardless and with members hailing from places like Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and others.

The event is being held December 16th in London, and tickets can be purchased via the Golden Giving website.
Game Music, Indie Music

Multiplayer II: Co-Op Album Offers 26 Collabs for Charity

August 18, 2015 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Multiplayer II: Co-Op Album Offers 26 Collabs for Charity Share this

Multiplayer II: Co-Op, the follow-up to last summer’s video game remix album, is out now with all proceeds going to the Child’s Play Charity Network. The 26-track album collects the efforts of over 50 artists working together on unique collaborations to put new spins on classic video game themes.

There’s String Player Gamer working with Tera Catallo & xclassicalcatx to arrange “Metal Man’s Theme” from Mega Man 2 for orchestra and rock band. A ukulele and electric guitar rendition of the Crash Bandicoot Warped theme by Motion Ocean and Knife Mom. Josiah McDaniel & RichaadEB’s ultra-fast metal version of Gauntlet. An incredibly smooth acoustic and synth take on Streets of Rage from Mitchell Cairns & Songe. A metal rendition of “One Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII by LittleVMills complete with a choir of ten other collaborating composers.

And there are so many more; over 90 minutes of music in total. Check out samples and pick the album up on your digital storefront of choice: Loudr, Amazon, Google Play Music or iTunes.
Chip Music, Game Music, Indie Music

Grab 10 Chiptune Albums for as little as $3

July 14, 2015 | Shawn Sackenheim | 1 Comment Share this

Is it time to load up on some chiptune albums? Groupees has launched their seventh Chiptune + Charity bundle and for as little as $3 you can nab ten albums from Bignic, Shirobon, Monomer, Glenntai, Zalza, MisfitChris, MmcM, Note!, Zabutom and Xyce. There are also some bonuses to be had, the first of which is a live streaming performance by Glenntai for those who buy the bundle. The second bonus (yet to be unlocked) is a live performance by Zabutom.

I’m always up for more music from Bignic but I admit, I’m not familiar with many of the other groups. The samples sound pretty good, though, especially Monomer and Shirobon. What about you? Any favorites in this bundle or are you stumbling into this with me?