Call Of Duty

President Barack Obama announced the United We Serve initiative June 17 and, no, the music industry doesn’t get a pass. Effect, the parent company of MusicMatters, has been asked by the White House to get the industry involved in the volunteer program.

“There is a high level of interest and hope from the White House that the music industry will take a leading role building momentum for this initiative,” Effect said in a statement. “It is critical to position community volunteerism as a cool, hip opportunity. The music industry has the distinctive ability to engage and leverage fans’ passions to encourage participation. Musicians have the power to move millions and create real, quantifiable change.”

To that effect, musicians are asked to link to Serve.gov on their Web sites, send an e-mail about the initiative to the fans, allow a United We Serve table at concerts and provide tickets or music tracks to fans who volunteer, among other ideas.

More information is available at EFFECTpartners.com.