Kicking off the A to Z Challenge and my Music-Fan Connection theme with…rock up on the auction block: music auctions!
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘auction’? Do you think of stern-faced muckety-mucks silently holding up signs on sticks at Sotheby’s, or maybe one of those fast-talking, tongue-twisting auctioneers? How about helping rebuild the hurricane-damaged Jersey Shore by hanging out with Rob Zombie?
Say huh?
There’s a new hybrid of auctions out there, combining once-in-a-lifetime opportunities with good causes, offering you party-like-a-rock-star perks with a side of good karma.
Celebrity giving isn’t new. Just take a look at looktothestars.org for a couple thousand examples. It’s a huge spectrum, with some celebrities not giving much more than their name and 10% of the proceeds, while others donate all dollars raised, along with their time and creativity to make it happen. Today I wanted to highlight some of the more unique experiences and sites I’ve come across.
Charitybuzz: In the market for a baby grand? Why not bid on a Steinway that Billy Joel “generously agreed to donate his touch to”? Valued at $60K, this piano will be “personalized to the buyer’s desire” by the Piano Man himself when the auction is over. (Hurry, this one ends tomorrow, and the current bid, at the time I wrote this, was up to $30 grand.)
Maybe Bieber is more your style than Billy? You can bid on four tickets and a meet-and-greet with the teen heartthrob at his upcoming show in Philadelphia. This one is donated by the promoter rather than the Biebs, and valued at $25,000. Now, according to my grandmother, that experience wouldn’t be worth the bus ticket to Philly. But to thousands (maybe millions) of JB fans out there, it would be a dreamy dream come true.
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich gives some love to a fan via Charitybuzz
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich gives some love to a fan via Charitybuzz. Metallica’s charity of choice: Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
Charity Folks: I first heard about Charity Folks when moe., the band I work for, was included in a meet-and-greet package with Bob Weir and Ratdog, to benefit the non-partisan grassroots voter registration organization Headcount. Members of moe. have been involved with other cool auctions through Charity Folks since, like VIP festival tickets and a golf cart ride at the festival with various band members. Rest assured, they’re safe and seasoned drivers! Charity Folks is a smaller site than charitybuzz, but very hands-on. They also offer opportunities for walk-on rolls and auditions with casting directors.
Charity Folks – Nikki Sixx Build a School in Kenya
Charity Folks – Crue for Kenya!
Recently, I came across Luminary Lane, which claims to be “a secure, best-of-breed, online commerce solution” that “enables celebrities to sell personalized items and VIP experiences to fans…A material portion of all proceeds generated through Luminary Lane on behalf of each celebrity is donated to a carefully vetted, non-profit charity.” The site contains a small number of “luminaries”, such as Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell – Cornell and his wife have founded their own foundation to protect vulnerable children, which benefits from each item offered on his personal page. This doesn’t have to be a “donate big or go home empty-handed” type of thing: smaller items, such as guitar picks, signed set lists, and $1 fan badges have all been made available to help the cause. You can also suggest an item and offer up a bid right on Chris’ page.
Cornell – Spoonman as Luminary
Cornell – Spoonman as Luminary
Charity Folks and Charitybuzz also give you the opportunity to customize, if you don’t see your exact “dream” package.
My pockets aren’t as deep as my dreams, but I think I could come up with a few items on my bucket list, and some great charities that could benefit. How about you? If money were no option, what charity would you like to help out, and what musician (or other celeb-type) would you want to fulfill your dream? I’d love to hear!
i love chris cornell!
He’s great, isn’t he? Like a fine wine, getting better with age. 🙂
Man. It’s a good thing I’m not independently wealthy. LOL I’d lose it all after knowing about these things! LOL
Yep auctions make me think of wide boys – nice variation on the theme.
Thanks for popping by, David!
Goodness, I’d have no idea where to begin. There are so many wonderful causes and gracious celebrities out there. I suppose I’m more fascinated by the collective energy and effort to reach a certain goal, celebrities and us mere mortals alike.
It reminds me of those kickstarter campaigns and how people from around the world can come together to help support an idea.
While I can’t think off the top of my head of just one charitable cause or celebrity, I will stay that I love the spirit behind such endeavors.
See you on the hop,
Tonette dela Luna
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Blog: Textploits of the Writerly Persuasion – http://tonettedelaluna.wordpress.com/
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Well said, Tonette! I agree, Kickstarter is very similar and I think a lot of these sites bring people down to an equal level (whether they are celebs or just do-gooders) to get things accomplished without all the drama! Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve actually bid on a silent auction one time where the proceeds went to charity. It wasn’t a huge deal but I was able to puchase a couple of autographed items and gave them to my hubby as a Christmas gift.
Thanks so neat, Kristena – thanks for sharing your story!
Auction makes me think of those tongue-twisting guys, and the opportunity to find cool stuff. I remember when I had just met my husband we used to go on auctions sometimes, and we bought a DIY fiddle and a tenor banjo. The fiddle is still DIY I think, and the banjo hangs on the wall because it’s so poorly built. But it makes a nice decoration :).
Very cool story, Susanne – thanks for sharing. I love “success” stories of people making 2nd homes for items that become part of their own family history. 🙂
I’ve only been to one proper auction, and I was pretty young, so I actually think of eBay when I hear the word auction.
While the internet does prevent a lot of human contact (not a good thing) it has also opened the door up for commerce. I have a massive collection of records and CD’s that would not have been possible without the internet.
LC
Agreed, Laurence…the Internet makes the world a much “smaller” place – but we must not forget there are humans behind every transaction!
I would like to speak Elvish with Viggo Mortenson over a drink or two, especially if it was for an animal rescue charity. That’s my dream, anyway.
Gah! funny you should say that, Pam – we’ve been on a Lord of the Rings kick in our house lately, and just watched the Two Towers last night. definitely re-kindled my Viggo flame! Good choice. 🙂
I like this twist. It works with the earth friendly re-use things, too–selling instead of destroying, proceeds to charity. Works on a number of levels.
Thanks, Hart – I like your example as well. It’s the perfect marriage, and the internet makes it so much easier to link all these good things. Thanks for stopping by!
Great to see you back on the AtoZ trail. As for your question, I am wondering if anyone would let me get up on stage with them and sing one of there songs… *drifts off into daydream*
Welcome back to you too, Mama! Actually, yes – some artists do offer to opportunity to come on stage and sing with them. I saw a few of those kind of offers in my web research for this topic! Anyone special you have in mind?
Sorry, what a delayed response. I have been tied up with the Alphabet. Do you know I would love to sing with someone amazing like Barbara Streisand or Shirley Bassey… if I could sing. *drifts off into daydream*