As part of its overall hurricane relief efforts, MusiCares has been a lead partner of Music Rising, a campaign developed to provide replacement instruments and accessories to musicians affected by the hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast region. The campaigns initial goal was to put musical instruments back into the hands of professional musicians to enable them to regain their livelihood. MusiCares was joined by Gibson Guitar, the Guitar Center Music Foundation, U2’s The Edge and Bob Ezrin in committing to an initial goal of $1 million for this campaign. To achieve this target, Gibson Guitar and Guitar Center collaborated on the design, manufacture and sale of an exclusive Gibson guitar with all proceeds going directly to the Music Rising program. Additional collaborative partners include Conn-Selmer, VH1 and MTV networks, Ticketmaster, SpinCo and Kennedy-Marshall. Since its launch in November 2005, Music Rising has replaced the instruments of more than 2,100 professional musicians who were affected by the hurricanes with a total donation of over $2.1 million dollars assistance for Phase I.

The initial “Phase I” of the Music Rising program, which was administered on a “first come, first served basis”, focused exclusively on the needs of professional musicians. We are extremely pleased and honored to have participated in this worthwhile effort, which surpassed our expectations. MusiCares’ direct and specific involvement in administering instrument replacement grants on behalf of Phase 1 for Music Rising has come to an end, although we will continue to assist professional musicians in need of instruments and gear though our regular financial assistance program.

To apply or inquire about instrument replacement
To inquire about assistance for instruments and gear, please contact one of our three toll free numbers listed below. Eligible applicants must be able to document five years professional employment in the music industry and/or credited contribution to six commercially released recordings or videos.

West region – 800-687-4227

South Region – 877-626-2748

North Region – 877-303-6962

To make a donation to MusiCares Hurricane Relief efforts click here

Music Rising – Phase II
Phase II of the Music Rising program has been launched by the Gibson Foundation and will focus on replacing instruments in the churches and schools of the Gulf Coast region. If you are seeking assistance on behalf of churches and schools, or are interested in assisting with those efforts, we encourage you to contact the Gibson Foundation at www.gibsonfoundation.org or www.musicrising.org