Amazon has joined forces with chart-topping artist Lewis Capaldi, BBC Sound of 2020 winner and Amazon Music Ones To Watch 2020 artist Celeste, and Welsh artist and producer Cate Le Bon for ‘Prime Day Live’, a special livestreamed event to raise awareness and funding for the nation’s much-loved grassroots music venues, which are now under threat of closure owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Day Live will see Lewis Capaldi swap his arena tours for a very special ‘behind closed doors’ performance from a venue in Scotland which was instrumental to his career – and which is now among many venues at risk of closure owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporting acts Celeste and Cate le Bon will join live from iconic, grassroots music venues in England and Wales.

Amazon Music kicked off donations to Music Venue Trust’s COVID Fund in March 2020, and Amazon is making a second donation to the charity, as well as to the venues participating in Prime Day Live. All additional public donations generated from Prime Day Live will go to the Music Venue Trust #SaveOurVenues appeal.

Prime Day Live, presented by Amazon Music and in support of Music Venue Trust, will stream from 7-9pm BST on Friday October 9, 2020 via Amazon Music UK’s Twitch channel and via the Amazon Music iOS and Android app. Each artist will perform a 30-minute set live on stage from a small independent music venue across the UK that is under threat of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Day Live will help raise awareness of the plight of important grassroots music venues that are so integral to music culture in the UK, as well as raise funds to help support them.
Patrick Clifton, Head of Music, Amazon Music UK

Lewis Capaldi was the UK's best-selling artist of 2019 and of 2020 to-date, and the Scottish star had both the top album and single of the year, with his song ‘Someone You Loved’ racking up 2 billion streams – putting him in unprecedented territory. For this special gig, the two-time BRIT award winner, who is more used to commanding sold-out arenas and festival stages, will swap thousands of screaming fans for an empty, small capacity venue where he played one of the first gigs of his career in 2017, serving as a poignant reminder of the challenges facing the live music industry today.

Talking about the event, Lewis said: “Buzzing to be playing a v v special acoustic show for Amazon Music at one of the venues back home where it all started for me.”

Mark Davyd, Founder and CEO, Music Venue Trust, said: “Many of the UK’s iconic grassroots music venues remain at significant risk of permanent closure, which is not just catastrophic for everyone associated with each and every venue, but for UK music culture in general. Amazon Music was one of the first donors for our COVID- 19 Crisis fund earlier this year, and we’re excited they are continuing their support through this Prime Day Live event to help us raise awareness of the plight of venues and help drive much-needed donations to keep them open. Every penny helps, so we are also hugely grateful for Amazon’s donations and any further support from the public.”

Patrick Clifton, Head of Music, Amazon Music UK, said “Prime Day Live will help raise awareness of the plight of important grassroots music venues that are so integral to music culture in the UK, as well as raise funds to help support them. It will bring music fans closer to some of their favourite artists through an evening of great music that can be enjoyed for free at home. Seeing these artists reconnect with some of the live music venues that are a part of their musical journeys will be a special moment.”

Raising Funds for Struggling Music Venues

As part of Prime Day Live, Amazon is making donations to each of the four participating music venues to support their ongoing operating costs, as well as making its second donation of 2020 to the Music Venue Trust’s #SaveOurVenues appeal. During the livestreamed event on Twitch, viewers will be able to donate directly to Music Venue Trust, and Amazon has also made Music Venue Trust one of its spotlight Smile charities for the month of October, meaning a portion of eligible purchases will support the charity when customers shop via www.smile.amazon.co.uk and select Music Venue Trust.

Prime Day Live ‘Watch Party’ Prize Draw

Amazon is offering two lucky winners the chance to win a Prime Day Live at home ‘Watch Party Kit’, for more details and to enter visit Amazon on Facebook or Instagram. Terms apply.

Amazon Music Unlimited Prime Day Offer

For just £0.99, Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Unlimited can get four months of the premium streaming tier with unlimited access to more than 60 million songs ad-free, and now a wide selection of popular podcasts. Find out more.

Support Small Businesses on Prime Day

Prime Day Live is taking place in the run up to Prime Day which is taking place on 13th – 14th October and which is focussed on supporting small businesses. For Prime Day 2020, Amazon is making a £75million investment to support small businesses globally. In the UK, Prime members who spend £10 with select small businesses selling in Amazon’s store between September 28 and October 12 will earn £10 to spend on Prime Day, visit www.amazon.co.uk/supportsmall for more details.

Find out more about Prime Day Live.