Playing for Change

Playing For Change was born in 2002 as a shared vision between co-founders, Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroenke and is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. Playing For Change’s first single “Stand By Me” began with a Santa Monica street performer named Roger Ridley; they recorded Ridley’s live public performance and then traveled the world recording more and more musicians to collaborate on the track. Today, the video has over 100 million views on YouTube alone.

The creation of the Playing For Change Band has helped realize a dream of uniting the musicians met during PFC’s journey on one stage. A unique fusion of influences and talents in constant evolution since 2008, the PFC Band is a tangible, traveling representation of our mission to connect the world through music. The Playing For Change band has performed over 300 concerts in over 13 countries, including being one of the first to perform in Argentina's DirectTV Arena, a tour in Brazil headlining for an audience of 35,000, and a tour in Australia as the opening act for Robert Plant.

The band has collaborated with artists such as Bono, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Jimmy Buffet, Stephen Marley, Manu Chao,Toots Hibbert, Ziggy Marley, Sara Bareilles, Keb Mo, Babaa Maal, Tinariwen, Los Lobos, Bombino and many more. When audiences see and hear musicians who have traveled thousands of miles from their homes, united in purpose and chorus, everyone is touched by music’s unifying power.