Life-saving, and game-changing, musical event safeguarded forever
Abstract
The Band Aid Trust has entrusted some of its historical legacy in the form of the documentary “The Making Of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” to the Arctic World Archive (AWA). This deposit captures a unique 24 hours in musical history which led to the worlds biggest ever musical concert and an ongoing legacy of fighting hunger and poverty in Africa.
Band Aid, Live Aid and The Band Aid Trust
Since 1984, the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised and spent more than £145 million towards eradicating hunger and poverty in Ethiopia and beyond. The Trust’s efforts have funded food, medicine, housing, hospitals, water, infrastructure, schools and more. With no staff, no offices and minimal overhead costs, The Trust is able to give almost all of the money it raises directly to those in need.
The Band Aid Trust was formed following the success of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” a charity song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure recorded by a supergroup of British, Irish and American musicians in November 1984. Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” went to number 1 in over 15 countries worldwide and sold over 12 million copies. It has been re-recorded many more times and continues to raise money to eradicate hunger and poverty.
“The Making Of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” unearthed many hours of previously unseen footage documenting a behind-the-scenes record of how some of the world’s biggest pop stars and musicians came together in a unique collaboration which changed how the world viewed charity and which led to the biggest ever concert - Live Aid. As a snapshot of 1980’s culture, the 75-minute documentary is essential and absorbing viewing and a heritage treasure which deserves to be safeguarded for future generations.
Award Winning
“The Making Of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” won the FOCAL International Best Preservation Project Award and it was decided that such a unique record of 1980’s music history, which led to a life-saving song, concert and charitable trust, should be immortalised for future generations.
Future-Proofing
“The Making Of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was stored as a high-resolution audio-visual data file onto piqlFilm, the only technology which gives secure, migration free preservation. With this proven solution Piql has provided a sustainable and futureproof storage medium.
The Band Aid Trust’s deposit includes:
- The full 75-minute documentary, first shown on the BBC in 2024.
- Compiled from many hours of 16mm footage which was scanned at 4K resolution and digitally restored
- In rare and previously unseen moments, stars including Bananarama, Bono, Boy George, Duran Duran, George Michael, Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17, Paul Young, Phil Collins, Spandau Ballet and Sting, rehearse and record their parts and interact with each other during 24 hours which would make musical history.
- Also includes interviews which were shot on the day with Bono, Gary Kemp, George Michael, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon and Trevor Horn, plus an appearance from Nigel Planer, who played Neil in the BBC TV series, The Young Ones.
Piql and the Arctic World Archive
Band Aid Trust Trustee, “Sir” Bob Geldof KBE said, “The Making Of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” documents one day when otherwise normal people, dropped their “popstar” egos and came together to make something magical which today, 40 years later, still raises millions of pounds for the poor of Africa. Knowing that this record of our history will be safeguarded, securely and sustainably, on piqlFilm for at least a thousand years is incredible. Having the documentary stored in The Arctic World Archive, alongside so many treasures of human history, and available for future generations to know and understand what we did that day is, well, weird, and pretty amazing!”
Outcome
Through its deposit with AWA, The Band Aid Trust will ensure that the beginning of Band Aid will be immortalised and that the great work that it does in raising money to help the poor of Africa will remain in view more that 40 years later.
Read more about the Band Aid Trust:
