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USICAREShas, at its heart, a very simple but fundamentally difficult objective: to focus the attention and the resources of the music! recording ind ustry on issues of human service and welfare that involve professionals in the same music! recording industry. "The music industry is at the oorefront of environmental, political and social issues and the support of our artists and our executives has lent considerable weightto many of these movements and concerns," says Recording Academy President Michael Greene. "Now it's time to help ourselves, to exi,

these matters." This neglect is one of the reasons for the creation of MUSICARES, a charitable foundation which began last year with a major national outdoor advertising campaign sending a strong and direct message to the public - and our own industryabout the dangers of sub-

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tend these efforts and this energy to our own industry. "The independent nature of this profession promises very little in the way of financial security. It offers even less if a person runs into a health crisis. Music people have no available national insurance program, for example. No referral or recovery program for substance abuse treatment. No pension plans or retirement facilities. And, importantly, no organization to address

stance abuse. Over 8000 billboards were used, showcasing musiclrecording artists against drug and alcohol misuse. Over 25,000 referral calls were logged as a result of this campaign which pictured Paula Abdul, Gloria Estefan, Young MC and David Crosby on the billboards. In this effort the Recording Academy was joined by the Federal Office of Substance Abuse Prevention and the Entertainment

Industry Council. And on February 12, the MUSICAREScampaign was climaxed by a galafundraiser at New York's Waldorf Astoria that honored musician David Crosby as the campaign's first person of the Year for his efforts in substance abuse reform. The MUSICARES gala, underwritten by the New York Host Committee for the 1991 Grammy Awards, boasted a dinner committee of top level executives from the recording industry and business worlds. The substance abuse program, Greene promises, is just the beginning. Already involved in talks with the American Federation of Musicians and AFTRAto broaden the scope of MUSICARES while still retaining its original agenda, MUSICARES stands ready to step up to its next plateau. Funds raised by the Crosby dinner will be dedicated to a support system for Musicare similar to that of the movie industry's highly acclaimed Motion Picture Health and Welfare Fund, says Greene.

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