For a few months in 2021, the music industry was abuzz with the news of a climate-focused music album. Many music lovers and members of the climate change community were excitedly anticipating a call to action for the masses and a vision for a decarbonized future. The album, titled “Solar Power,” was expected to be a game-changer. However, it turned out that these expectations were misplaced, as the album was not intended to be a climate change record.
Despite this, the music industry's impact on the environment cannot be ignored. The music industry, like many others, is a giant machine that contributes to the climate crisis. While its tangible contributions, such as greenhouse gas emissions and waste generated by the live music industry, are easily noticeable, its intangible contributions, such as the energy required to stream music online, are often overlooked.
The physical platforms on which music is delivered to listeners have long been a source of environmental concern in the recording industry. However, the advent of MP3 downloads and streaming platforms, which require no plastic, seemed to have addressed this issue. Unfortunately, the energy required to store data on servers and deliver it to devices remains a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to the intangible aspects of the music industry's impact, virtually every aspect of the live music side of the industry is also damaging to the environment. Large amounts of energy are used for lights and sound systems, and the artists, crew, and equipment all travel to the venue, as do fans. All of this inevitably creates emissions and waste.
To minimize the environmental impact of touring, several artists, including Lorde, have partnered with nonprofit organizations like Reverb, which works with artists and venues to make concerts more sustainable. However, the emissions generated by venues and travel associated with the touring account for over two-thirds of a tour's environmental impact.
Coldplay attempted a top-to-bottom sustainable tour in 2022, relying on biofuels, renewable energy, and energy-efficient travel, but the industry's reliance on voluntary carbon offsets is troubling. While these offsets can allow the industry to claim carbon neutrality, they are often less effective than they claim to be.
Consumers of music, both recorded and live, have little ability to enact change on their own, and the intangibility of the environmental cost of streaming makes it unnoticeable to consumers. Thus, pressure for change will have to come from the policy. While some policies already exist, they are still in their infancy and must be expanded and implemented on a wider scale.
In conclusion, the music industry must address its impact on the environment. While the industry has taken some steps towards sustainability, it has a long way to go. As industries have little incentive to become truly sustainable without pressure, policy changes will be necessary to encourage the industry to address the issue.
Here are some ways the music industry contributes to climate change:
- Touring: Touring is a significant contributor to the carbon footprint of the music industry. Large-scale tours require extensive travel by planes, buses, and trucks, which emit large amounts of greenhouse gases.
- Venue energy consumption: Concert venues require a significant amount of energy to power sound systems, lighting, and other equipment. This energy consumption contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
- Manufacturing of physical music products: The production of vinyl records, CDs, and other physical music products requires energy and resources, and can also result in waste and emissions.
- Merchandise: The production of merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, and other items also contributes to the carbon footprint of the music industry.
- Festival waste: Large music festivals generate significant amounts of waste, including single-use plastics, food waste, and discarded camping equipment.
- Streaming: While streaming music is often seen as a more sustainable alternative to physical products, the energy required to power data centers and devices for streaming can also result in greenhouse gas emissions.
Inputs from / WPR / theguardian
