The story so far...

Indienetunes.com sent off the first cheque - for $752.00 - from profits on sales of Independent Artist Aid - Hope Never Dies to Mercy Corps this week.

The quest to promote Hope Never Dies continues apace with a lot of action taking place behind the scenes right now, which will be reported here as soon as we are able to do so.

In the UK we had a very nice plug on BBC Radio Scotland on Wednesday at the end of the Iain Anderson show (this can be heard till Wednesday April 23 by clicking on the "Wed" link on this page). Still in Scotland, the Tollcross Channel at myEdinburgh.org has added a link to us, and next Saturday at 0150 GMT (0250 British Summertime) Glasgow-based internet station Radio Six International will broadcast a full length feature programme on Independent Artist Aid.

Still online, talent scouts LoadPuller have selected Happening (song #6 on the CD) for this week's playlist on Hidden Radio. Full previews of all tracks have been playlisted on Planet of Sound TK Radio on Live 365.

We now have a spanking new URL address - independentartistaid.tk - to house all the various sections of the IAA project: one click away from the order page, streaming audio and all the background information you could possibly desire.

The major media spotlight has moved away from the tsunami-affected regions now, with governments advising people to give to other causes and many charities pulling out of the trickier areas.

BUT:
The death toll is still rising. It's likely that more may die from diseases spreading due to contaminated water supplies and the breakdown of public health and sanitation systems. Aid agencies face difficult logistical issues in distributing clean water, food and medical supplies. More than 5 million people were made homeless. Many have lost their families, their communities and livelihoods. The task of rebuilding the lives of survivors will take years. The knock-on effect of the psychological damage inflicted by the tsunami shouldn't be underestimated either.

All these issues are being addressed by Mercy Corps, who are in for the long haul, dealing with all the less glamorous aspects of the aftermath that others have left behind for a multitude of reasons. We're hanging in there too - a very small drop in a large and turbulent ocean - and every penny counts.

Thanks to all who have bought copies of our CD already - if you haven't, what are you waiting for? This is a REALLY GOOD ALBUM with some CRACKING TUNES on it and it's for a GOOD CAUSE. What more do you need?