The latest round of the charity auction, which is one of the biggest in eBay's history, kicks off today and closes on April 21. There are still four days to go until the end of the first phase of the auction, featuring items from artists and writers including Coldplay, Beastie Boys, Jane Birkin, Depeche Mode, 30 Seconds To Mars, Simple Minds, Alice In Chains, and The Chemical Brothers.

Items added to the auction today include 18 holes of golf with Anne Murray at the prestigious Angus Glen Golf Club course, a one-off diamante head used onstage by Deadmau5, a framed guitar signed by Coldplay and a triple platinum sales award from Canada for "Viva La Vida", Gibson Les Paul guitar signed by 13 Canadian artists (including Anne Murray, Feist, k-os, Serena Ryder and Finger Eleven), Columbia Crest guitar with partial hand-written lyrics and signed by Colin James, Yamaha F310 guitar with partial hand-written lyrics of "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone" and signed by Glass Tiger, Yamaha F310 guitar with partial hand-written lyrics of "Rock You" and signed by Helix, a cupcake trampoline used on stage in Katy Perry's current California Dreams world tour, the 1987 Ferrari 412 as featured in Daft Punk's film "Electroma", a limited edition "Yellow Submarine" bicycle issued to mark the re-release of The Beatles' famous movie, access to private concert rehearsal by Sting, three framed and signed prints of David Gilmour taken in Gdansk, and more than 30 albums individually signed by David Bowie.

Also included in the auction is the MacBook used by David Guetta to create the demos for his hit album "One Love", the hand written lyrics to "God Only Knows" from the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Tinie Tempah's pink blazer from the "Frisky" video, and one of the four original handmade "Zero" shirts worn by the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan for the release and tour of "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness".

All funds raised from the charity auction will be used towards the Japanese Red Cross disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Funds will be used for the on-going provision of immediate relief to support the affected population during their recovery. EMI Group has committed to match all funds raised from the auction up to a maximum of one million euros.

The first phase of the charity auction ends on April 15^th, with the second phase ending on April 21^st. All the items can be viewed at ebay.com/EMIfamily4Japan.

Beastie Boys said: “Japan has always been a special and important place for us as a band. We've made so many friendships there in our personal and professional lives. We hope in some way that our donation can help the people of Japan rebuild after the devastating earthquakes and tsunami.”

Billy Corgan, the vocalist, lead guitarist and songwriter for The Smashing Pumpkins, commented: "The people of Japan are an incredibly strong and proud people, and their love of life and culture has had a profound and positive affect on the way I view my own life. There are a million things I wish I could do right now to help soothe the pain and sorrow that so many of our fans and their families are experiencing, and my heart hurts when I think of the losses they have suffered, and are still suffering. I wanted to contribute to this auction to show my gratitude to the Japanese people and offer something that was particularly meaningful to me. I'm also proud of all the other artists who have pitched in to help, as well as my old label EMI for stepping in to organize and also match donations."