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MusiCares® Announces One-of-a-Kind Amy Winehouse NFT as Part of Upcoming Back To Amy Exhibit and Live Stream

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2021--

In conjunction with the Amy Winehouse Foundation, founded to inspire children and young people to build their self-esteem and resilience, MusiCares ® announces the one-of-a-kind NFT (non-fungible token) from photographer Charles Moriarty with visual artist Mark Palkoski to benefit MusiCares and the Amy Winehouse Foundation, a registered charity. The auction is set for Tuesday, May 18 and will be available for bidding through Mandolin and Open Sea. See link to NFT Auction Page here.

NFTs, an emerging asset in the cryptocurrency environment, is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger called blockchain, which certifies the digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable. This ensures that the Amy Winehouse NFT is truly one of a kind.

This NFT is part of the Back To Amy exhibit and live stream from exhibit creative director/photographer Charles Moriarty and executive producer Gabriel Gornell. The exhibit and live stream will be presented live on July 23, 2021 and will feature once in a lifetime performances in celebration of Amy’s legacy and cultural contributions on the tenth year since her passing. The live stream is presented by Mandolin, City Winery, and Qello Concerts by Stingray and pre-sale tickets are available now with $10 from every ticket benefiting MusiCares and the Amy Winehouse Foundation. The celebration’s line-up and details of the in-person exhibit at City Winery Nashville will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Janis Winehouse, Amy’s mother, said of the Back To Amy exhibit that “Charles has captured a fresh faced Amy full of life and fun, I treasure those photos.”

Unlike other NFTs, all auction proceeds will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation and MusiCares to support musicians struggling with mental health, addiction and substance abuse. Led by MusiCares and the Amy Winehouse Foundation, this will be among the first philanthropic NFTs ever, and it benefits both organizations.

“Mental Health has, unfortunately, claimed the lives of too many and in recent years has become more rampant across the industry. Here at MusiCares, we’ve seen time and time again how struggles with mental health can negatively impact someone’s life. That is why we’re proud to collaborate with the Amy Winehouse Foundation to not only honor Amy and her incredible life and career but also help those who are suffering from this devastating disease,” says Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares. “The proceeds from this auction will allow MusiCares, the leading music charity, to strengthen its support of music people working to improve their mental health. We are here to help the people behind the music and we couldn’t be any more proud of this endeavor.”

The NFT auction kicks off a series of events throughout 2021, including the Back To Amy exhibit and live stream this July 23, celebrating the life and career of Amy Winehouse, who died on July 23, 2011.

The exhibit’s organizers, Charles Moriarty and Gabriel Gornell, shared the following statement: “We want to express our deepest thanks and appreciation to MusiCares, Janis Winehouse, The Amy Winehouse Foundation, Island Records, and most of all, Amy for continuing to inspire us all. We hope this NFT and upcoming Back To Amy exhibit help shine a light on the importance of mental health awareness.”

ABOUT MUSICARES
MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world. Offering preventive, emergency, and recovery programs, MusiCares is a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community. Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989 as a U.S. based 501(c)(3) charity, MusiCares safeguards the well-being of all music people through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources, and tailored crisis relief efforts. For more information please visit: www.musicares.org.

ABOUT THE AMY WINEHOUSE FOUNDATION
In Amy’s memory, we work to inspire children and young people to build their self-esteem and resilience, so that they can flourish. Our work is inspired by Amy’s spirit, her love of children and the challenges that she faced in her own life. Today, the Amy Winehouse Foundation helps thousands of young people to feel supported and informed so that they are better able to manage their emotional wellbeing and make informed choices around things that can affect their lives. We’re able to do this because of the support we receive from people like you. Anyone who believes in young people can become a part of our work and Amy’s legacy. By supporting our work, you will help them to transform their lives, flourish and be heard.

ABOUT THE BACK TO AMY EXHIBIT
Marking ten years since Amy’s passing, Back To Amy is a celebration of art, music, empowerment, and Amy’s legacy. Presented by Charles Moriarty and Gabriel Gornell, the exhibit benefits MusiCares and The Amy Winehouse Foundation. Join us for this 3-hour “festival style” event filled with performances, tributes, well-wishes, and inspiration from some of today’s most interesting artists. The stream will be shot live from within an emotional exhibit hosted at Nashville’s City Winery and from around the world. Announcements, Artists, and Special performances will be shared in May, June, and July leading to the July 23 live event.

FUNDRAISING STATEMENT: For every ticket to the livestream event sold, we will give $5 USD to MusiCares and an additional $5 USD to the Amy Winehouse Foundation Trading Ltd ( a registered company in England and Wales with registered number 7796128)which passes all its profits to Amy Winehouse Foundation (a charitable company registered in England and Wales with charity number 1143740 and company number 7737209).

ABOUT MANDOLIN
Mandolin helps artists and venues create connections with fans and prosper through the music they produce. Pushing the boundaries of livestream, Mandolin gives artists the right tools to create content, share it widely, and then better understand how fans engage. Artists can build a digital strategy with these insights and content. While fans gain unprecedented access to the artists they love. To learn more about how Mandolin is bringing live music back to the stage, visit mandolin.com, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

ABOUT CITY WINERY
City Winery, founded in 2008 by Michael Dorf, strives to deliver the highest-end combined culinary and cultural experience to urban wine enthusiasts. City Winery will continue to boast 10 locations including Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia and the new NYC location, launched in January of 2021. There are also four offsets run by the company: City Vineyard at Pier 26, City Winery Chicago at the Riverwalk, City Winery Greenway in Boston, and City Winery Hudson Valley. Michael Dorf explains his success and outlines his career in his recent first book, Indulge Your Senses: Scaling Intimacy in a Digital World. See www.citywinery.com for details.

ABOUT QELLO CONCERTS BY STINGRAY
Qello Concerts by Stingray is the world’s leading premium on-demand subscription service to stream full-length concerts, music documentaries, and live events on any device - reaching music lovers in more than 160 countries. Qello Concerts by Stingray can be downloaded from the App Store, Google Play, Amazon, the Roku Store, accessed through several pay-TV distributors, and the web. Qello Concerts by Stingray is also available as a linear streaming television channel accessible through connected TVs and other streaming providers. For more information: www.qello.com.

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CONTACT: Lourdes Lopez for MusiCares

Recording Academy

[email protected]

Jenn Kerr

Porter Novelli

202.973.3648

[email protected]

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MUSIC TECHNOLOGY PHILANTHROPY EVENTS/CONCERTS ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY OTHER PHILANTHROPY OTHER TECHNOLOGY PHOTOGRAPHY FUND RAISING FOUNDATION

SOURCE: MusiCares

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PUB: 05/18/2021 09:00 AM/DISC: 05/18/2021 09:03 AM

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