iHeartMedia today announced the launch of “The iHeartRadio Living Room Concert Series Presented by State Farm,” a weekly performance series with the goal of bringing Americans together for performances by some of music’s top artists.
In honor of essential workers, a donation will be made to a featured charitable organization for each episode in the concert series, and will include a call-to-action encouraging viewers to donate.
The first episode, featuring Thomas Rhett, will benefit Feeding America — and during the performance, he plays “Be a Light,” a song that already has a charitable history, as the officially released version benefits MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund.
The official version of the song, released late last month, features vocals from Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin, but Rhett performs it solo on the iHeart show.
“I wrote this song on the road last year with a few of my buddies,” Rhett says on the show. “We really had no idea what was going to come of the song, and when all this stuff started happening in the world with this pandemic, we thought, ‘What a time to put out a song that can spread some light. Reba’s singing on it, Chris Tomlin, Hillary Scott and Keith Urban — some of my heroes in the music biz, so whether you stream or YouTube or buy this song the proceeds go to MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund, which is super cool and very dear to my heart.”
The series will video stream and broadcast every Wednesday to celebrate the importance of community and being a “good neighbor” through the power of music during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premiering Wednesday, the concert series will kick off with a performance from Thomas Rhett. The music event will stream on iHeartRadio’s YouTube Channel and broadcast across iHeartRadio stations nationwide at 7 p.m. local time.
“The living room has become the new stage. Until our live music events return, this is a way for millions of fans to stay connected to their favorite artists, while staying safe at home,” said John Sykes President of Entertainment Enterprises for iHeartMedia. “We are excited to partner with State Farm on this new music series.”
“This crisis had the potential to separate us – yet in many ways has brought us together through creativity, innovation and kindness,” said Sue Beigie, Director of Marketing, State Farm. “Together with iHeartRadio, we hope the Living Room concert series brings music fans together through their love of music in comfort of their homes.”