ATLANTA, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in recognition of World AIDS Day, Cingular Wireless announced the debut of an exclusive Music Tone ringtone from the new single "Don't Give Up (Africa)," performed by Alicia Keys. Available now only through the Cingular Sounds™ music program, 100 percent of the proceeds from the ringtone sales will go to Keep A Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides life-saving AIDS medicines directly to children and families with HIV/AIDS in Africa.
"Don't Give Up (Africa)" was originally written and performed by Peter Gabriel with vocals from Kate Bush in 1986. In an effort to rally Americans to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty, the new recording will be released in its entirety later this month as a download-only, benefit single for Keep A Child Alive. Cingular subscribers are the first in the country to experience the song and will get access to the ringtone on an exclusive basis through the end of the year.
"Since my first visit to Africa, when I saw the impact of AIDS and the urgent need for the treatment they so desperately need, I've committed myself to doing whatever I can to fight this disease, raise awareness of the crisis, and help Keep A Child Alive," said Grammy-winning vocalist/pianist/songwriter/producer, Alicia Keys. "Through this ringtone and single I know we can make a real difference in the lives of children and families living with AIDS -- people who have nowhere else to turn."
Cingular is making it easy for customers to purchase "Don't Give Up (Africa)" and to spread the word about this important campaign. There are two easy ways to get the ringtone, including:
Cingular customers are charged a one-time content fee of $2.49 for the ringtone, plus a charge for the number of kilobytes used to download the ringtone to a wireless phone. All proceeds from the content fee of the ringtone go directly to Keep A Child Alive. Joining in the effort, Cingular partners Motricity and InfoSpace are also donating their proceeds.
Users who purchase the "Don't Give Up (Africa)" ringtone will receive an additional text message from Cingular, which can be forwarded to friends and family encouraging them to also purchase the ringtone and help Keep A Child Alive.
"As the nation's largest wireless provider, Cingular is in a unique position to reach millions of people in a way few can," remarked Jim Ryan, vice president, consumer data services, Cingular Wireless. "It is our privilege to be able to use the exploding popularity of ringtones and text messaging to help raise money for Keep A Child Alive and to send a positive message of hope and renewal 'ringing' out across this country for this holiday season -- don't give up AFRICA!"
"Keep A Child Alive is so happy to have been given this amazing opportunity to give life to many desperate people for Christmas because of Cingular Wireless," said Leigh Blake, CEO of Keep A Child Alive. "Alicia Keys leads her peers in recognizing the enormous challenges at work on the African continent. She is a dedicated humanitarian who is really 100 percent involved in our work and we are so proud of her and this incredible version of a beautiful song."
