NEW YORK, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Songs For Japan, a star-studded album collection benefitting Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief, has been rushed into production as a double CD to be available worldwide April 4 with an official US domestic release on Tuesday, April 5.

Released as a digital album on iTunes on Friday, March 25, Songs For Japan rocketed to #1 on iTunes in 18 countries including the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Sweden and Japan and is debuting in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200, based solely on a three-day window of domestic digital sales. Worldwide, music fans have purchased more than 250,000 digital copies of the album in the first week of sales.

Next week, an advance donation of US $2 million – reflecting proceeds from the digital album's global sales – will be made to the Japanese Red Cross Society to support its disaster relief efforts.  The artists participating on Songs for Japan, the music labels and music publishers have waived their royalties and proceeds to ensure that the JRCS receives as much support as possible from this initiative.  iTunes is also donating its proceeds from the album's worldwide sales to the benefit of the JRCS, and is prominently featuring the project throughout its stores worldwide.

A music industry wide charity initiative, Songs For Japan is an unprecedented compilation of 37 major hits and classic tracks including 21 Billboard Hot 100 hits and five #1's from more than 30 of the biggest names in contemporary music.

About EMI Music  

EMI Music is one of the world's leading music companies, representing artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Records Nashville, Manhattan, Parlophone, Virgin Classics and Virgin Records.  

About Sony Music Entertainment 

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including American Recordings, Arista Nashville, Arista Records, Battery Records, Beach Street Records, BNA Records, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Epic Records, Essential Records, Flicker Records, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, MASTERWORKS, Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville, RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Reunion Records, Roc Nation, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Verity Gospel Music Group, and Volcano Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.  

About Universal Music Group  

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation. 

Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Show Dog – Universal Music, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalogue of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalogue is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.  

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.  

About Warner Music Group  

Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.

SOURCE Legacy Recordings