U2 pledge €9m tour profits to charity
U2 will donate an estimated €9m of their summer tour profits to charity.
The Irish quartet will give away 100% of the income from VIP auction ticket sales at up to 100 of their 2009 concerts.
Up to 600 stage-front tickets-per-gig are being sold off via auction. Minimum bids start between €95 and €1,015 to get tickets in the 'Red Zone'.
The charity-style partnership Global Fund, which helps fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, will benefit from a large donation. U2's precise cut of their concerts' takings is a closely-guarded secret, but is thought to be upwards of 75%. Promoter Live Nation also takes a cut, along with the venue.
A U2 spokeswoman said: "All of U2's income raised from the auction of Red Zone tickets will be donated to charity."
A good deed, though U2's 360 tour is hardly short of income. According to the Business Insider website, the tour took nearly $20m in revenue in just one day, 30 March.
The band sold-out 219,000 seats for their first three US shows - in Chicago, Boston and New York - raking in more money on a single day than album No Line On The Horizon did in the first three weeks of its release.
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.