Provo City’s fourth Christmas album is a fresh twist on classic songs recorded by local artists. To top it off, every bit of the money spent on the album goes directly to charity.
Mia Grace is a local artist featured on this year’s Provo album. She, along with all the other artists featured, participated in the album as a free contribution to the Sub for Santa program through United Way.
Provo city’s public relations officer Whitney Booth said former city mayor and current Rep. John Curtis started the charity album in 2014.
Booth said they met with music producer Colin Hatch in the late summer to discuss which bands they’d like to feature, and the album was finished by the end of October.
They began selling CDs on Black Friday.
“We order 2,500 CDs to be sold in local stores, and they basically sell out,” Booth said. “We only have around 10 copies left at the end of the Christmas season.”
Booth said all of the music on the CD can also be purchased and downloaded online, and all proceeds go directly to United Way.
Booth said the Provo mayor’s office uses public domain Christmas songs for the albums, and local businesses help with production costs. This allows 100 percent of the proceeds to go directly to Sub for Santa.
United Way marketing manager Michaelann Bradley said the Provo Christmas Album raises $20,000 dollars every year.
“The local Christmas CD helps approximately 160 kids every year, and the United Way helps approximately 3,000 kids every year,” Bradley said. “This CD is no small portion of the total donation amount.”
Bradley said United Way helps foster teens and the elderly, as well. Five hundred to 600 elderly “golden angels” or teens benefit from the program.
Bradley said the Sub for Santa program will allow sponsors for kids, teens and the elderly until Christmas Eve, and last-minute sponsorship could really help someone in need.
The Solarists is another band that took part in Provo’s Christmas album this year.
Lead singer and BYU student Clint Purser said the band was excited to participate. He said he loves the project because all of the album’s proceeds go to United Way of Utah County.
“A lot of bands we really like have had the opportunity to be featured on (past) albums, so we’ve always been huge fans of the project,” Purser said.
Purser said The Solarists recorded a music video with Provo’s Channel 17, which will be released by Dec. 17.
