REM - STIPE RECORDS NEW SONG SIX TIMES FOR KATRINA SURVIVORS

REM frontman MICHAEL STIPE has recorded six versions of a new song with stars including COLDPLAY and BLACK EYED PEAS singer WILL.I.AM, to raise awareness of the continued plight of America's Hurricane Katrina survivors.

Stipe's six-track IN THE SUN EP is exclusively available at Internet download site iTunes, while a duet with Coldplay's CHRIS MARTIN will premiere on US TV medical drama GREY'S ANATOMY this Sunday (05FEB06).

Proceeds from the sale of the iTunes EP will go to charity Mercy Corps.

Stipe, who has family roots in the devastated Gulf Coast region, says, "The news cycle has moved on and I don't want the public to forget about those who were affected by Katrina or to believe that everything is fine now.

"Things are not fine. The storm is still impacting people's lives in very real ways and many have been left desperate. I want to remind each of us that, as humans, and certainly as Americans, it is our responsibility to help those in need."