Songs for Japan

Thanks to strong sales that have kept it in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the iTunes download chart, the Songs for Japan compilation has raised $5 million to date for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The compilation was released on March 25 by a group comprised of all four major labels. According to a Reuters report, organizers said the Japanese Red Cross Society received a $2 million payment last month on behalf of the featured artists, songwriters, labels, publishers and iTunes; all waived their royalties and proceeds. Another payment of $3 million was made on Monday.

Originally released as a digital collection on iTunes priced at $9.99, the 38-track compilation is also available as a two-CD set, featuring a one-of-a-kind collection of songs by some of the biggest artists in pop and rock history. To date, more than 500,000 copies have been sold in all formats.