Top world musicians will perform in seven continents across the globe at the Live Earth concerts to highlight climate change.

Organisations including the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Climate Group and Stop Climate Chaos will benefit from the event.

Madonna, Genesis, James Blunt and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be among the headliners at the London show of the global series of concerts, joined by groups including the Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, Snow Patrol and Razorlight at the Wembley Stadium.

Taking place on 7 July, a total of 17 acts have been announced for Wembley, with the promise of more to follow. The diverse line-up includes hip hop group The Beastie Boys, singer-songwriters David Gray and Damien Rice, and R&B pianist John Legend.

Tickets will be allocated by a ballot, and fans will be able to register their interest online for
72 hours from 1200 BST on Friday, according to organisers.

Tickets, priced at £55 each, will be limited to two per applicant and can then be purchased from Wednesday 18 April.

The organisers promised further details to be released on Tuesday regarding the US leg of Live Earth. In addition, there will also be concerts in Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo.

Eco-friendly electricity, sustainable lighting and carbon-neutral travel will be featured at the concerts, which aim to set a "green example" for other music events.

Former US Vice-President Al Gore, who is one of those involved in organising the series of events, said he expected Live Earth to attract "an audience of billions".

"We hope Live Earth will launch a global campaign, giving a critical mass of people around the world the tools they need to help solve the climate crisis."