Portugal. The Man Performs the #EndangeredSong "Sumatran Tiger" at the National Zoo
The #EndangeredSong campaign continued this evening at the Smithsonian's National Zoo with a free stripped-down concert by Portugal. The Man. It was the first time the band had performed the #EndangeredSong, titled "Sumatran Tiger," for a live audience. The song will become part of their set list for the remainder of this tour.
The Endangered Song Project, an analog-meets-digital awareness campaign, launched on Earth Day, April 22, 2014, and called upon 400 participants to use their social media strength to spread the message that there are only 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. The National Zoo partnered with Atlantic Records' indie rock band Portugal. The Man to distribute the previously unreleased song titled "Sumatran Tiger." The song was lathe-cut onto 400 custom polycarbonate records designed to degrade after a certain amount of plays. With no other copies in existence, the 400 participants are tasked with digitizing and sharing the song through their social media channels using #EndangeredSong. Breeding the song socially will help save if from extinction.
The #EndangeredSong campaign was created in collaboration with pro-bono services from DDB New York, an Omnicom Group. The campaign is supported through the dedicated website, www.endangeredsong.si.edu. The site features a real-time update of all the social conversations surrounding the project, more about the initiative and how people can help "breed" the song.
