Workhouse public relations said the album would be released in the spring “as a celebration that provides a musical voice and ultimately through record sales, financial support to fortify the movement’s continuation”.
The album is being put together by Occupy Wall Street solidarity group “Music for Occupy”. Other artists involved with the album are Third Eye Blind, Crosby and Nash, Tom Morello, Thievery Corporation, Warren Haynes, and Immortal Technique.
Occupy Wall Street, inspired by the Arab Spring protests, began when protesters set up camp in New York’s Zuccotti Park on September 17, sparking demonstrations across the United States and elsewhere in the world.
But the eviction of protesters in New York and public spaces in other US cities in November and December has made the protests less visible, and organisers now face the challenge of how to maintain momentum without the physical camps.
Protesters are upset that billions of dollars in bailouts given to banks during the recession allowed a return to huge profits while average Americans had no relief from unemployment and a struggling economy. They also believe the richest 1 per cent do not pay their fair share of taxes. — Reuters
