Manchester music conference Off The Record has gathered a host of music artists and celebrities to select their all-time favourite albums for the #IsolationAlbums fundraising initiative.
The campaign has been launched to raise awareness and funds for the Help Musicians charity, which is providing support for independent artists during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Help Musicians recently launched the Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund to offer rapid response emergency funding for musicians in need. More information and applications can be made here.
Established artists including Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons, Billy Bragg, Frank Turner, Felix White, Amy Macdonald, Kate Nash, Badly Drawn Boy, Kate Tempest and Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, plus emerging talent such as Zuzu, Lia Metcalfe of The Mysterines, and Alex Moore of The Lathums have joined Off The Record in celebrating their all-time favourite new, old and curveball records, soundtracking their self-isolation at home during the lockdown. See the videos here.
Help Musicians’ director of communications Sarah Woods said: “Help Musicians is incredibly grateful to be named as a benefactor in Off The Record’s brilliant #IsolationAlbums initiative. At times like this, the value of music is being appreciated by everyone, which is why it’s so important to help the people behind the music. As a charity that often sees the precarious nature of a musician’s trade, we are also witness to the scale of support needed right now. It is through support like this that we can continue make a meaningful difference to the music communities across the UK.”
We're happy to be using this as an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the musicians and artists who make our incredible scene possible
Mike Walsh
Off The Record
#IsolationAlbums also supports Record Store Day by directing the audience to their local independent retailer to buy the chosen albums online.
Megan Page of Record Store Day UK and National Album Day said: “The #IsolationAlbums campaign is a great way to celebrate how important music is in times like these, and to support those creating it at the same time. Record shops have also faced a double whammy of the postponement of RSD and now the closure of their stores nationwide. They are the lifeblood of local communities and the music scene so we encourage music fans to support them throughout the crisis by ordering a classic, new or curveball album from their local independent store here: https://recordstoreday.co.uk/stores”
Off The Record’s Mike Walsh (pictured) said: “We started #IsolationAlbums as a way to showcase the importance of music in times like this, and partnering with Help Musicians is a way for us to channel that into a charity doing really good work. As Off The Record looks forward to our future conference and events, we’re happy to be using this as an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the musicians and artists who make our incredible scene possible.”
