Andrea Bocelli releases pay-what-you-like video download for ActionAid

Italian superstar tenor, Andrea Bocelli, is to take Radiohead’s lead and release an exclusive video directly to fans at the price they feel like paying.

‘Dare to Live’ will be available through the ActionAid website for digital download from May 5th.

This is the first commercial music video whose price is determined by what individual consumers want to pay. All proceeds will go directly to international development charity ActionAid, which helps more than 25 million people worldwide gain access to food, shelter, work, education and healthcare.

Using child sponsorship, ActionAid is dedicated to ending the extreme poverty that kills 28 children every minute of every day. It is a partnership between people in poor countries and people in rich countries – all working together to end poverty for good.

The tenor wanted to do something to help others and to raise international awareness of ActionAid’s valuable and wide-reaching work. In the video he duets with fellow-Italian star, Laura Pausini on the bi-lingual track, ‘Dare to Live/Vivere’.  

Bocelli said: “We hope this initiative can help to involve our fans in fighting poverty. We are aware that ours is but a small contribution, a little drop, but together many drops can create the sea.”

The moving video delivers a powerful and inspiring message that encourages viewers to support ActionAid’s goal of ending poverty. Video director Beniamino Catena said: “It’s a short film to tell the story of strangers coming from different parts of the world, wandering in a vast ocean of sand, to water the only tree.

“The experience of Andrea, Laura and ActionAid has been a great opportunity to express a universal idea, so simple but so symbolic, that seemed to be lost like an ancient holy book.”

 ‘Dare to Live’ is the English translation of the title track from Bocelli’s hugely successful 2007 album Vivere, which achieved double platinum sales in the UK as well as spending Christmas at no. 4 in the pop charts.

Universal/Sugar, the collaboration behind the video download, hopes that Andrea Bocelli’s commitment to ActionAid will encourage fans to donate generously. 

photo : ©Universal Music