Gaga & Bieber Together At Last: “Songs for Japan” Charity Album Hits iTunes

To help raise money for disaster relief efforts in Japan, Universal Music Group has assembled a who’s who of the music world for a benefit album called Songs for Japan, which hit iTunes Friday. It includes an exclusive remix of Lady Gaga’s latest chart-topping single, “Born This Way.”

The 38-track album [iTunes link] costs $9.99 and features popular tunes in original, remastered, live or acoustic formats from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Katy Perry and other superstars (see full list below).

Worldwide proceeds from album downloads will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society to provide immediate assistance to people affected by the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The participating artists, their labels and music publishers waived their royalties, meaning every cent from each album download helps survivors.

This global initiative — one of the many new ways people can help Japan — is akin to the star-studded fundraising efforts following the destructive 2010 earthquake in Haiti when celebrities joined forces for a telethon and a new “We Are The World” charity single.

What do you think of the Songs for Japan lineup? Let us know in the comments.

John Lennon — “Imagine” (Remastered)U2 — “Walk On”Bob Dylan — “Shelter From The Storm”Red Hot Chili Peppers — “Around The World” (Live)Lady Gaga — “Born This Way” (Starsmith remix)Beyonce — “Irreplaceable”Bruno Mars — “Talking To The Moon” (Acoustic piano version)Katy Perry — “Firework”Rihanna — “Only Girl (In The World)”Justin Timberlake — “Like I Love You”Madonna — “Miles Away” (Live)David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland — “When Love Takes Over”Eminem featuring Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie” (Clean version)Bruce Springsteen — “Human Touch”Josh Groban — “Awake” (Live)Keith Urban — “Better Life”Black Eyed Peas — “One Tribe”Pink — “Sober”Cee Lo Green — “It’s Ok”Lady Antebellum — “I Run To You”Bon Jovi — “What Do You Got?”Foo Fighters — “My Hero”R.E.M. — “Man On The Moon” (Live)Nicki Minaj — “Save Me” (Clean version)Sade — “By Your Side”Michael Buble — “Hold On”Justin Bieber — “Pray” (Acoustic)Adele — “Make You Feel My Love”Enya — “If I Could Be Where You Are”Elton John — “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”John Mayer — “Waiting On The World To Change”Queen — “Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)” (Remastered)Kings Of Leon — “Use Somebody”Sting — “Fragile” (Live)Leona Lewis — “Better In Time”Ne-Yo — “One In A Million”Shakira — “Whenever, Wherever”Norah Jones — “Sunrise”

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HOW TO: Spend an Entire Year Giving to Charity

Try donating to a different charity every day for an entire year. Sounds hard, right? Well, it is, but that’s the exact goal that Carlo Garcia set for himself when he started Living Philanthropic, a one-year, one-man project to donate money 365 days in a row.

Every day, Garcia chooses a new charity and donates a small sum of money — usually around $10, but never less than $5. He then documents that day’s charity in a blog post on his Tumblr, where he describes the cause and provides some insights or personal stories to highlight its mission. Garcia, a Chicago-based actor and director, has minimal experience with blogging and social media but now relies on a suite of digital tools to spread his message, including a Twitter account, @deusexrockina, the hashtag #GiveEveryday, Facebook Page, and crowdrise profile.

Garcia admitted on his site that he doesn’t come from money, nor does he have an especially large bank account. The project was built on the belief that any support can make a difference. To make room for the donations, Garcia gave up some daily frills, like a cup of coffee or indulgent purchases like extra plaid shirts. Now on day 306, Garcia has given more than $3,500.

But Living Philanthropic is more than just a way for Garcia to feel good about himself. The project is as much about raising awareness as it is about the individual donations. Garcia’s daily blog posts serve to highlight and provide exposure for smaller non-profits like a Portland animal rescue or a school-building expedition in Mexico.

Garcia acknowledges that 365 days of disparate micro-donations won’t make as much of an impact as if he focused his attention (and money) on just a couple causes. Instead, the project acts as a kind of local charity tasting menu: By no means exhaustive but certainly expansive. Garcia hopes that in the different charities he features and supports, his users will find at least one charity that they love and will continue the chain of giving.

The outreach and positive messages have worked. According to his site, readers have donated more than $8,500 in support of Living Philanthropic’s mission. “The awareness and the power of the community that has built up around this grassroots idea is worth more than the actual money I can give,” Garcia said.

There are ways to donate even if you don’t have a ton of cash. Garcia’s tips for the everyday micro-philanthropist are: Start Locally: create a list of non-profits you want to support in your community.Start Small: You don’t need to go broke, donate what you can.Jar-to-jar: Set up a jar for loose change. At the end of the week, month or year, donate that amount to your chosen charity.Vetting: Make sure the non-profits are properly registered. You can use sites like Guidestar.org to do a quick, free search.Money Isn’t Everything: If you don’t have disposable cash, consider volunteering, raising awareness, or donating gently-used clothing and toys to local drives.The Great Opt-Out: After donating, ask to receive updates by e-mail rather than snail mail. You’ll keep your mailbox clean and save some trees while you’re at it.Give Anything: It doesn’t matter how small, every donation helps. If you miss a day, don’t give up.

What’s next? After this year is up, Garcia is launching YEAR TWO, a similar project for which he’ll donate all those daily savings to a different charity every month. The aim is to give those charities more time and ultimately more money.

What do you think of Garcia’s project? Can one person really hope to make a difference? Sound off in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, CarbonNYC

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