In just over 36 hours, U2 helped raise over $3 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by releasing their new song "Invisible" for free. It began on Super Bowl Sunday and for each download, Bank of America donated one dollar to (RED), an organization Bono cofounded in 2006 to combat AIDS.
During the game, the group debuted "Invisible" with a commercial and within the first hour of the ad's broadcasting, more than one million people downloaded the song. The bank continued to match downloads through midnight on Monday and in the process, surpassed its original pledge of $2 million. The bank has made a two-year commitment to raise $10 million for the Global Fund. Fans that didn't take advantage of the free window can now purchase the track for $1.29, with all proceeds still contributing to the campaign.
Since its inception, (RED) has raised over $250 million dollars for the Global Fund, which provides testing, treatment and prevention services for HIV and AIDS to people in the world's poorest countries. "These are much-needed funds for the fight to end the AIDS pandemic in our lifetime and to get closer to the goal of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015," said Deborah Dugan, CEO of (RED).
Prior to the Super Bowl, Bono said that the track could be considered a "sneak preview" for the group's next album, but it is not the record's first single. U2 have been working the follow up to 2009's No Line on the Horizon with producer Danger Mouse in New York City over the past year. Bono has estimated that the album will come out this summer.
The group released another new track, the Mandela-inspired "Ordinary Love," last year to accompany the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The track won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and it is up for an Oscar in the same category.
Website Proudly Designed, Development & Supported by Nocturnal Cloud.
