Bob Geldof: Band Aid 30 single sales have been ‘manic’

 
Charity fundraiser: Bob Geldof (Picture: Getty)
Alistair Foster18 November 2014

Bob Geldof today said that sales of the new Band Aid single have been “manic” since its release.

The reworked version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? was heading towards the top of the iTunes chart within two hours of being available for download at 8am.

Geldof today revealed the song raised “a million quid” to help combat the Ebola crisis in pre-orders alone after it was debuted on the X Factor.

“It’s gone manic,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “That’s the digital age. We promoted the single on X Factor, Simon Cowell gave us five minutes of the show last night. Within four or five minutes of leaving the show we had a million quid. That’s extraordinary. From what we’re seeing now from iTunes it’s gone bonkers.”

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The single features artists including Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Jessie Ware, Paloma Faith and Ellie Goulding. Chancellor George Osborne has agreed not to levy VAT on the sales and iTunes said it is waiving its fees.

Geldof, 63, called upon other countries to follow Britain’s lead in terms of raising awareness and funds. He added: “The Germans go in to bat today — I have asked the Germans to do the German version and I have asked Carla Bruni to do it in France, to translate it into French, so they’re going next.”

The track is available to download for 99p and a £4 CD version will be released in three weeks. The new recording marks the 30th anniversary of the song, originally put together to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia.

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