DIGITAL PHILANTHROPY - Concerts in Minecraft

909 Worldwide is a collective of hardcore artists founded by 99Jakes, & Laura Les (1). On all of 909 Worldwide's social media platforms, the phrase "hardcore will never die" visibly displays the collective's intentions. Many other artists have gotten involved, including (but not limited to) Alice Gas, Petal Supply, and dontloveme (2).

What is noticeable about the collective's social media is the philanthropic nature of their shows. 909 Worldwide raises money at each virtual festival (hosted in Minecraft), including $2,206.83 (3) for the NQTTCCN (National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network), 2,300.37 for Albuquerque Health Services (4), & participated in the 100 Gecs Square Garden Festival which raised a massive $50,000 for Feeding America (5).

A number of the fundraising festivals took place during the pandemic and, for many, provided happiness during international lockdowns. In April of 2020, we had the privilege to attend the 100 Gecs Square Garden Minecraft Festival, which featured several members from the hardcore movement. We were met with several abrasive hardcore tracks that got our virtual characters dancing (while we were spamming crouch).

The sense of community around during the festival was striking, given the dystopian nature of the early pandemic. Unlike other virtual events (such as the Travis Scott Fortnite show), the event didn't take itself that seriously and felt more playful. The playful nature didn't detract from the experience, & for me, it aided the overall mixes from the event. The second a hardcore track would drop, you would see hundreds of comments spamming the chat, making the music hit just that much harder.

Since the festivals, the collective has been relatively quiet on social media. Post-lockdown/post-pandemic, it will be interesting to see if the collective plans on hosting any real-world festivals. We are keeping our eyes peeled towards any upcoming festival announcements.

ARTIST LINKS: SOUNDCLOUD - INSTAGRAM - TWITTER