Massive Attack have agreed to allow the use of their track ‘ANGEL’ in a worldwide advertising campaign, but only after donating their fee to charity.
The track is set to be used in a commercial for the Emporio Armani fragrance HE/SHE. The band were reluctant for the song to be used, and were only willing to give permission if their payment was given to the Red Cross. A smaller portion of their fee will also be donated to the Bristol-based Beira Fund. Beira is a town in Mozambique which is twinned with Bristol, and suffered heavily from the recent floods. The money donated will go to help the rebuilding of schools in the area.
Massive Attack‘s 3-D said: “The music that’s used in ads is becoming increasingly homogenised, and the agencies are resorting to cheap rip-offs of other people’s styles. This is not something we want to be part of, but if we can redirect money to people that need it then it’s worth it.”
A spokesperson for the Red Cross told nme.com: “Obviously, any donation, however small or large, is a real help. I would expect the money to go into general funds, which isn’t specified to one particular project, but does help with the training of volunteers.”
Massive Attack have invited Armani to match their contribution, and between the pair they hope to raise in the region of US$500,000 for charity.
‘Angel’, the track that opens the band’s 1998 album ‘Mezzanine’, has been used in a commercial before. The song was also used in an advertising campaign for Adidas featuring soccer star David Beckham. A spokesperson for Massive Attack would not speculate where the money from that advertising campaign went.
Massive Attack are currently recording their fourth studio album, which is not scheduled to be released until the start of next year.