Morning:
8°c
Oxfam release for new Arctic Monkeys single
4 Aug 2009Arctic Monkeys are releasing their new single Crying Lightning in Oxfam charity shops.
The Sheffield band - Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley - will release the limited-edition seven-inch single, the first from new album Humbug, at every one of Oxfam's 700 high street shops on Monday August 17.
All proceeds will go to help the charity's work around the world.
David McCullough, Oxfam's director of trading, said: "We were thrilled when we heard about the idea for the new Arctic Monkeys single and are delighted to be partnering with Domino on something that will be great for music fans, and help us raise money to fight poverty at the same time.
"Oxfam shops have always been one of the best places on the high street to pick up a musical bargain or find a rare treasure, and this is a fantastic reason to pay your local shop a visit. "
The release marks the first time Oxfam shops have sold a new release single for 25 years.
Crying Lightning will cost £2.99, and each single will come with a download code allowing fans to get an MP3 version of the song for free.
Domino records and Arctic Monkeys are also urging fans to bring in unwanted albums and singles to their local Oxfam shop when they come in to buy their copy of the single.
Laurence Bell, founder of Domino, said: "Oxfam is a Great British institution and it's a delight to be working together on this project. There are about 700 Oxfam shops in the UK, many of them in high streets that once housed a record shop, so as well as raising some money for a great cause we are able to get vinyl back onto more of the nation's high streets, which feels good.
"We encourage all customers to bring something of value to donate to the store when they come down to buy the new Arctic Monkeys single."
More than 600 Oxfam shops across the country sell second-hand music - double the total number of independent record shops in the UK.
The charity sells around £6 million of music every year, enough to fund its entire programme in Indonesia for a year, buy 187,000 emergency shelters, or provide safe water for 8 million people.
Humbug goes on sale on August 24 and Arctic Monkeys are set to headline the Reading and Leeds festivals on August 28 and 29.
There will also be a 10-inch release, available in record stores, featuring B-sides Red Right Hand and a new original song I Haven't Got My Strange.
