Homeless Musician Using iTunes to Get Off the Streets
Dred Scott is a homeless musician who plays for passersby at Denver’s open-air 16th Street Mall.
A local producer heard him, recorded his music and launched an album on iTunes to help get Scott off the streets.
Released July 12, the album is called Live From 16th Street Mall and it offers six tracks of acoustic covers, including a haunting “Wind Cries Mary,” for $3.99. You can see him in action in the video above, performing “Purple Rain.”
Local news reports that “sales are already brisk and it’s hoped the money will help him get off the streets.”
Scott, who has been playing for over 25 years, told a local blog that he makes anywhere from three dollars to three hundred dollars a day busking on the same stretch of street where he also sleeps.
“To gain Dred an opportunity that he has not had in the past, hopefully get him some exposure where he can do music full time, and not just have to live on the streets,” said Tyler Ward who recorded Scott.
This isn’t the first time iTunes has raised money for a good cause, but it may be the first time Apple’s multimedia store has helped get someone back on their feet.
We’ll keep you posted.
- Source 9News.com
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on 
