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Austrian artist tops iTunes charts with silence

Kate MüserAugust 19, 2015

Raoul Haspel of Vienna published a minute of silence to support refugees - and has topped the iTunes charts in Austria, even before the "song" is available for purchase.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GHsB
Symbolic Image for refugees, Copyright: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Ebener
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Ebener

Raoul Haspel is a visual artist who aims to defy tradition with his work - and he's getting a lot of attention for his most recent project: a minute of silence in honor of asylum-seekers.

The Vienna-based artist has recorded 60 seconds of quiet which will be available for sale on iTunes and Amazon for 0.99 or 1.29 euros, respectively, starting August 28. But as of Wednesday (19.08.2015), the number had beaten out Robin Schulz, Lost Frequencies and Cro to take Number 1 on the iTunes download charts with its pre-orders.

Proceeds from the download sales are reported slated to go to a private refugee project in the Austrian town of Traiskirchen. It's already been featured on radio, though it's not yet available for purchase.