Coca-Cola and (RED) are using the universal language of music to raise awareness and funds for the fight to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The “Share the Sound of an AIDS FREE GENERATION” campaign, which kicks off today and runs through World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, aims to help Millennials understand they can be the generation to end the AIDS pandemic.

Every week for the next four weeks, a different artist will unveil an original song, starting with Queen’s “Let Me in Your Heart Again (William Orbit Mix)” featuring the vocals of the band’s late front man Freddie Mercury, who died from AIDS in 1991. Download it on iTunes.

“It’s been 23 years since the world lost our beloved Freddie Mercury,” said Queen guitarist Brian May. “We’ve made extraordinary progress in the fight against AIDS in that time. But we cannot simply rest on the fact that the treatment is available. We must ensure that it is provided. Roger (Taylor) and I are proud to lend this rediscovered song to the (Coca-Cola) RED campaign, in the hope that Freddie’s powerful voice can inspire the world yet again.”




Other participating artists include Aloe Blacc (week of Nov. 10), Wyclef Jean featuring Avicii (week of Nov. 17) and OneRepublic (week of Nov. 24). All songs will be available for download on iTunes at www.iTunes.com/REDSound with proceeds benefitting the Global Fund to finance grants in eight countries in Africa, to deliver programs which provide HIV prevention, testing, counseling, treatment, and care services.

Fans can also visit omaze.com/CokeRED to donate to the campaign for the chance to win a range of once-in-a-lifetime experiences – from flying to a U2 show where Bono will hand over his custom (RED) Gretsch guitar and sign it backstage, to attending the 2015 NBA All-Star game in New York City with Magic Johnson in his suite at Madison Square Garden, to joining EDM all-star Avicii on-stage in Las Vegas, to spending a day with OneRepublic and enjoying VIP access to a show.




Tipping Point

According to recent UNAIDS data, the world has reached a tipping point in the fight against AIDS. In 2013, for the first time ever, more people accessed treatment for the first time than were newly infected with HIV. About 12.9 million people currently are on lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, up from just 300,000 in 2002.

"There is much to celebrate, but we must also renew our vow to wrestle this virus to the point it becomes part of our history not our present, said Bono, who co-rounded (RED) in 2006 with Bobby Shriver. “Music fans have been a real army in the fight against AIDS, we hope this campaign will swell the ranks.”

Every day, 650 babies are born with HIV, yet life-saving medication exists and costs as little as 40 cents a day. That same medication can reduce the risk of an HIV-positive woman passing on the virus to her baby by 95 percent. Medicine should be taken during both pregnancy and breastfeeding.



Mother to Child RED 604

“These numbers have given us hope that this generation can end the AIDS pandemic,” said Anne Carelli, senior manager, entertainment marketing, Coca-Cola. “We were inspired to step up our commitment to (RED), both with our marketing and shift from solely awareness-building to include fundraising. We hope to continue Coke’s legacy of bringing together generations and inspiring them around a critically important cause… in this case, using the key youth passion point of music to help deliver an AIDS FREE GENERATION."

Coca-Cola announced a multi-year partnership with (RED) on World AIDS Day 2011 to support the drive to help end mother-to-child transmission of HIV and deliver an AIDS Free Generation by pledging $5 million to the cause. With the “Share the Sound of an AIDS Free Generation” campaign, the company has committed an additional $2 million directly to the Global Fund to purchase anti-retroviral medicines and help fund education and prevention programs. Since 2006, Coca-Cola and its foundations have committed more than $15 million in the fight to end AIDS through awareness, education and prevention.

(RED) partners with the world’s most iconic brands, which contribute up to 50 percent of profits from (RED)-branded goods and services to the Global Fund. To date, (RED) has raised more than $275 million for the Global Fund, impacting more than 55 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services.