Over 200,000 people globally tuned into the COVID-19 Telethon Jamaica – Together We Stand on the VP Records YouTube channel
On Easter Sunday, April 12, over 200,000 people watched the six-hour live streaming event Telethon Jamaica – Together We Stand, a fundraising initiative spearheaded by an alliance of charitable organizations through the endorsement of Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. The aim of the project: to raise 10 million US dollars for personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers, in the island nation’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event featured an array of Jamaican luminaries including Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Usain Bolt and actress Sheryl Lee Ralph among others. The reggae music-fraternity was represented by an amazing line-up of talent including Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths, Stephen and Ziggy Marley, Sean Paul, Shaggy and dancehall queen Spice among others. In-studio performance highlights included Capleton, Gyptian, Naomi Cowan, Ikaya and Richie Spice, whose song “Together We Stand” was adopted as the theme song for the initiative.
The event aired on TVJ in Jamaica and was simulcast in its entirety via online streaming platforms including VP Records’ YouTube channel which yielded a live audience of 12,000 active viewers and over 200,000 post event views. There was massive activity on social media channels including live streams and posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The hashtag #JATogetherWeStand was posted on Instagram 683 times on the day of the event alone.
“We’re proud to be a part of this landmark event,” said Richard Lue, Director of Business Development for VP Records, “Together We Stand captures the spirit of the moment in our fight against this pandemic.” The label plans to use the song, released in October 2019, to build awareness for the fundraising initiative and support the message and work of Richie Spice, whose latest album will be released this spring. This weekend, select radio partners VIBE 105 FM (Toronto, Canada), Irie Jam Radio (New York, NY) WPFW 89.3 FM (Washington, D.C.), DaFlava Radio (Atlanta, GA), and Riddims Marketing (Florida) will devote on-air segments to feature the song, share information and solicit donations.
The label is also helping to raise funds through the development and sale of official Jamaica – Together We Stand branded merchandise, which is currently available for pre-order at vpreggae.com. Proceeds from the sales of the limited edition T-shirts and caps, adorned with the official Telethon Jamaica logo designed by Mark Chambers, will go to benefit Jamaica’s health sector and security forces.
To support Jamaica’s fight against COVID-19, visit jatogetherwestand.com. Watch the full Telethon Jamaica – Together We Stand event in the video above.
