This generally takes the shape of rich people giving starving children money. As you'll know if you saw Live 8, or have been to an Oxjam festival show, music and charitable work often go hand in hand. But which musicians are the most philanthropic?
Let's take a look...
After capturing the hearts of children through the boyband N*Sync, JT went on to found the imaginatively titled "Justin Timberlake Foundation" which initially funded music education, but now does all kinds of charity work. One of his biggest charitable endeavours was a celebrity golf tournament, raising millions of dollars for children's hospitals.
For a pop starlet with hips that seem to be epileptic, Shakira is a deceptively intelligent woman. Speaking 5 languages and with an IQ of 140, she's technically a genius and has put her smarts to good use - founding the Pies Descalzos Foundation that helps educate poor children in Colombia, working on the Live 8 and other charity concerts, and campaigning heavily for education for all. She's strongly of the belief that it's a quality educational system that will solve the majority of the world's problems.
As one of the most famous people in the world, MJ used his position to great philanthropic success, with millions of dollars donated to countries around the globe to assist where famine, war and disease had hit. Also, his "Heal the world" foundation brought underprivileged kids back to his personal amusement park where they could enjoy the rides and forget about real life for a bit. Aww.
The lead singer of the band "The Boomtown Rats" pretty much pioneered the modern musical philanthropic concept, founding band aid and raising millions through the single "Do they know it's Christmas" and founding Live aid, raising further hundreds of millions.
His shaky voice and shakier etiquette (throughout live aid he frequently swore at the British public, ordering them to give money for the cause) belie his steadfast belief in charitable causes.
It's undeniable that U2 frontman Bono has become one of the most iconic musical philanthropists in living memory. He's become the go-to-guy for comedians wishing to mock charitable musicians and for good reason; not only does he give money to causes, he gives time. He's organised many charitable campaigns, including live 8 with the aforementioned Bob Geldof and the ONE campaign, which raised literally billions of dollars for poverty and disease in Africa.
Not bad for one Irish musician whose band-mates decided to kick him off guitar and onto vocals because he was so bad with a 6-string!
