Musicians Gather Around The World to Provide "HOPE FOR HAITI NOW"

Today, Friday (Jan. 22) will see musicians gather around the world in NYC, LA, London and elsewhere to raise money and offer existential uplift in support of relief efforts for Haiti. Read more via the MTV News report below:

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"Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," will air Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on MTV and many other networks. It will include performances by Madonna (performing in New York) and Haitian artist Emeline Michel (in Los Angeles), Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira and Sting in New York; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Beyoncé, Coldplay, and a special group performance of the new song "Stranded," which was written and recorded within the past few days for Haiti by the collaborative team of Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna to be performed in London.

Music performances from "Hope for Haiti Now" will be available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store. Beginning on Friday, iTunes customers will be able to exclusively pre-order both the Hope for Haiti Now full performance album ($7.99) and the full two-hour video telecast ($1.99). Pre-orders will be delivered in the days following the telethon. Individual audio performances will also be available for purchase and download for 99 cents each in the days following the telethon. Apple, the record labels and the artists will donate their share of the proceeds to Haiti relief funds managed by "Hope for Haiti Now" charities.

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UPDATE: MTV News reports Sunday (Jan. 24) the following:

'Hope For Haiti Now' Sets New Record For Money Raised By Disaster-Relief Telethon:

More than $58 million raised to date; album is biggest one-day pre-order in iTunes history.

As donations continue to pour in from around the world, "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" announced on Saturday (January 23) that it has raised more than $58 million to date — a new record for donations made by the general public through a disaster-relief telethon. The preliminary figure includes donations made via phone, online and mobile, and does does not include donations by corporations and large private donors, or iTunes sales figures, all of which are still being calculated.

The "Hope for Haiti Now" albumis the biggest one-day album pre-order in iTunes history and is currently the #1 iTunes album in 18 countries. The studio version of "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour),"the original track performed by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna during "Hope for Haiti Now," is currently the #1 song on iTunes in 12 countries.