Laval-based garage band Beauty In Motion is part way through a month-long fundraising campaign for Diabetes Canada. On July 26, the band released its debut single, I Feel Like This, a song was written as a tribute to bandmember Marco Chioda’s wife, Tania Bellon, who lives with type 1 diabetes. The release, in fact, coincided with the couple’s 10-year wedding anniversary.
Uploaded to Bandcamp, a popular online audio distribution platform, 100 per cent of the profits* from the single, priced at $1.30 CAD or more, go directly to Diabetes Canada. The goal is to raise $1,981, which matches the year Bellon was born, and by August 5, 10 days after the launch, the band had already raised more than $800.
“People have been extremely generous and have donated more than the $1.30, some even donating over $100$ to the charity. We're blown away,” said Chioda via email.
“Profits?” You ask? Well, I did, and the answer is since Bandcamp is a relatively artist-friendly platform that only charges a 15 per cent service fee, plus a credit card service fee, the band gets to keep 85 per cent of the sales. So, after those deductions, the band’s profit is 98 cents. Got it? Together since April of this year, Beauty in Motion is comprised of Chioda on drums and vocals; Daniel Desrosiers on bass; Maria Masucci on vocals; and Cyril Usnik on guitars — all teachers at Laval Senior Academy, part of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board.
From left, Tania Bellon, Chioda’s wife and a former ba.