Lane Brown bad mouths RED(WIRE)

If I mentioned HIV/AIDS to you, I would expect that you might say a horrible disease that needs to be stopped. If I said that your help, a donation of say $2.50, would provide medicine and research for a cure to HIV/AIDS most would say no problem. It’s a small amount of money and at worst you are losing a cup of coffee from Dunkin Doughnuts or an extra shot of espresso at a coffeehouse. If I suggested you make that same donation once a month I imagine that most would still say ok, again it’s not enough money to worry about the rent over.

Now here is the question. Does it matter if you actually made a donation of $5 and only $2.50 went to the research and medicine?

For VULTURE and Lane Brown it does. There is an article that takes on the RED(WIRE) charity which provides music from various bands to digital subscribers for a monthly fee of $5. It seems the problem Vulture has is that only half of the money gets to provide medicine for those afflicted with AIDS in Africa. A bit less than the other half the money goes to the artists, the rest to administration fees.

Musicians are getting paid for their effort on behalf of a charitable organization. The world is about to stop spinning. Seriously so what. At least the charity is getting 50% of the proceeds. Many organizations can’t boast that much. And it’s an extra $2.50 per subscriber per month that was not available before.

I understand that some might want to sit back and use the logic that 50% of a donation going to a great cause is not enough, justifying their refusal to make a donation. But I am not in favor of anything that uses such an argument to promote their own success and profit (note the 5 ads on the page). It’s a bit of a slap in the face.

How much I wonder of the advertising dollars is New York Media LLC (owner of the site) giving to AIDS research and medical aid in Africa or anywhere? If they are giving money to help end AIDS and help those in Africa, or anywhere, afflicted with this disease, how much is that organization actually providing after the fees of operation and whatever else. Are they just throwing stones from in their glass house?

Entertainers get paid to perform at charity events. Charities have administration costs. The bigger the venue, and/or entertainer, the higher the costs to operate. That’s the way of the world. Even charities can only run but so long without paying the bills.

If VULTURE or Lane Brown really are upset about the division of money being sent to fight AIDS I ask where their charity providing more than 50% of the donations exists? I want to see the entertainers and celebrities they have endorsing their events and services that help AIDS only. I want to see the media attention they give to AIDS and HIV prevention and cure.

In fact, searching the blog for AIDS provides 46 results going back to June of 2007. In that time, on this keyword, exactly 1 post comes up that deals with AIDS. And that is this post blasting U2’s Bono and RED(WIRE). I really think that with a record like this VULTURE and Lane Brown should shut the hell up when it comes to people actually doing something more than complaining about AIDS/HIV.