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Last year saw the pause button pressed on life, slowing down all human activity which gave us a brief glimpse of a world with a smaller human footprint. Wildlife roamed city streets, the number of flights halved and the roads were clear of cars but despite the last twelve months feeling like an eternity, it has been far too short a period to have any positive lasting effects on the environment. 

Music Declares Emergency is an organisation that was collectively created in 2019 by like-minded individuals that, according to Jamieson, felt the music industry needed to “speak with one voice on their commitments to action”. Their idea was “to build a narrative that the music industry was pioneering change because [they] felt that was [already] happening”. As director of communications, he speaks on behalf of Music Declares Emergency explaining “the principle of that action would be two-fold. One; for the industry to commit to actually changing business practice to increase sustainability, reduce carbon emissions and pioneer new green business strategy”. “The other side of it was to encourage artists who individually had been speaking out about climate, some very notably, to feel like they were part of a community that was taking action. So to increase the voice of all artist, across all sectors of music, all genres of music so that there was a feeling of community.”

With founders of Music Declares Emergency coming together from other organisations such as Extinction Rebellion and Culture Declares Emergency and others who were just concerned with the sustainability of the music industry, Jamieson says they “all came with the guiding principle that music had always been a pioneer of social change. Rock n roll gave us teenagers, Elvis gave us sexuality, … [the] Vietnam war, racism, gender politics, sexual politics, music [has] always been there”. 

Now with over 4000 declarers, they have “successfully identified a desire in the artist world and in the industry world” and are launching groups in France, Germany, Sweden, Chile and Canada. 

What Lewis made clear though is that Music Declares Emergency can not single-handedly save the world but that they offer a platform/hub for people within the music industry to collect and combine their voices to influence the public and incite governmental action.

When asked about what artists could be doing to become part of the movement, Jamieson expressed it is dependant on where that artist is in their career. 

We, as consumers, need to be willing to pay a higher price for merchandise that is produced ethically and environmentally friendly

“If you’re an artist that’s signed to a label or produces physical product, the first thing you can do is look at what you’re producing. If you’re producing vinyl, there [is] a tendency to print on 180gsm. We all love very thick vinyl, it makes us feel, because of the price of vinyl, like we’ve got something that’s really valuable. The truth of the matter is though, you can drop it to 140gsm and there’s no difference in terms of sound quality”. “What are we wrapping that vinyl in…get rid of the shrink wrap… that is a literal definition of a single-use plastic”. Stop and think seems to be fundamental to this process of change; being conscious and aware of how you’re creating and selling your product are small but impactful actions.

Lewis explained that it is not just the job of the artist to implement this but as a fan your relationship to product needs to change. We, as consumers, need to be willing to pay a higher price for merchandise that is produced ethically and environmentally friendly. Music Declares Emergency set a great example as their “t-shirts are made by a company called Tee Mill… [they use] solar power, wind power, it’s all renewable energy. The t-shirts are printed to order, there’s no overstock. The cotton used is sourced and certified, the water reduction is as much as they can get it to make the cotton, the inks are non-polluting and when you’re finished wearing the t-shirt you can bring it back to them, they’ll shred it and put it back in the process.” Find your size here. 

The more artists push through this door, the more change will come

Musicians can also think about the products they’re consuming; “look at your riders…obvious things, meat, dairy, etc. and there’s advice on [the Music Declares Emergency website] about green riders via Julies Bicycle”. “Look at the wider rider within the venue, try to coach them not to use single-use plastics, try and encourage them to find ways to be more aware”. Jamieson encouraged artists to seek out venues that are consciously making an effort to reduce waste and be more eco-savvy.  “The more artists push through this door, the more change will come”. He reiterates the importance of community and collaboration between artists and between audiences, “it all comes down to the audience… if the audience are on board then they will accept paying a £1 deposit in a cup that they keep all night”. 

think about the other things you might be able to convince the company to do, ask them about what their sustainability policies are if you’re in a position to do that

For artists who are yet to be signed or looking for management Lewis points out that you are in a position to “think about what you want from that…think about the other things you might be able to convince the company to do, ask them about what their sustainability policies are if you’re in a position to do that. Use your power, when you have the power”. 

An unsigned artist is less likely to be touring and be producing large amounts of merch therefore do not have the same environmental impact as signed artists. However, doing simple things like encouraging fans to car share to your gigs or creating merchandise to order are all things that reduce the music industry’s footprint but more importantly they engage the audience in the conversation about climate. During our interview this seemed to be the most important idea according to Lewis, other than getting rid of jewel CD cases. His contempt for jewel cases is unparalleled; “jewel cases are evil, end of story . They are non-recyclable plastic muck”.

More profound advice he gave is that “the most powerful thing artists can do is to engage with the issues and use their art, however big they are, whether they’re playing the Brudenell or whether they’re playing the Royal Park whether that still exists… or they’re playing the O2”. What Music Declares Emergency does is provides a platform for artists to be “starting conversations, bringing people in”. That’s when Jamieson believes “we’ll be in a place where it’s achievable”. 

Small but collective actions seem to be the way forward but what about the bigger issues like touring? How do artists and labels tackle that? When I put these questions to Lewis, he believes touring is “the biggest challenge for the industry”. This is an area that he feels the government need to assist on to help offer alternatives like providing bursaries, funding and incentive schemes.

there needs to be a business model that works, nobody is going to benefit from crippling themselves financially in order to virtuously tour because there will just be no touring

Music Declares Emergency are in talks “with some people from an electric vehicle solution for touring. In terms of electric sleeper buses there are companies developing these… obviously new technology is expensive and this is where the government comes in… there needs to be a business model that works, nobody is going to benefit from crippling themselves financially in order to virtuously tour because there will just be no touring.” Stopping touring all together is not a viable solution as, other than touring being an essential income to artists, what Lewis points out is that “when artists don’t tour and they play domestic shows, the audience comes to them… instead of moving a crew of 20 around you move an audience of thousands”. There needs to be a compromise, an equilibrium reached between accessibility and sustainability. 

What Lewis suggests musicians can currently do while touring is “look at their riders, they can make them as green as possible. They can look at their back line, they can look at the way they source their instruments, they can look at the size of their touring party and make sure it’s no bigger than it needs to be… but beyond that what can they do?” A question not asked only by Lewis Jamieson but the whole of the music industry. 

Other organisations such as Julies Bicycle, Festival Republic, Ecolibrium and Moving Arts that work alongside Music Declares Emergency are all great resources available to artists, managers, fans etc. to help strengthen the voice of this community and create some serious change. Lewis feels that “every voice saying what they want and why they want it is what we need this year”. But after a year without live music, I imagine fans are eager to book in as many gigs as possible, artists to put on as many gigs as possible almost to make up for last time. I asked Lewis whether he thinks this desire to get back to gigs will take priority over making the music industry more sustainable? 

“The experience we’ve all had has almost created two opposing desires, [it has] created an awareness for the immediate reality of the environment we live in…[but] there’s that interesting opposition of where we can find this sweet spot between those two. I think there is a balance, any solution to the climate crisis is going to have to be based on a balance. People do not want to throw away everything about modern life in order to save their lives conversely we can’t keep everything about modern life if we want to save our lives so we’re going to have to find a new way out”. There is nothing idealistic about Lewis’ or Music Declares Emergency’s outlook towards the climate emergency, every concept discussed and recommendation made by Jamieson are well thought through and achievable. What resonated throughout our conversation was the importance of one collective, powerful voice to make this change a reality. 

Head over to Music Declares Emergency to see how these words of advice are put into practice.

We’ve been following MDE since 2019, check out this video from their first march as an organisation from 2019, filmed by Becca Cribb and James Ward.

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In recent years, the environmental crisis has surged from a far away problem to the largest global obstacle the world has had to face, and no it isn’t next generation’s problem. Despite varied opinions and a broken world in terms of willingness to accept these facts, new findings are hard to ignore: 12 years left to minimize global temperature rise to 1.5C to avoid a catastrophic climate breakdown. 

As we deal with the frustration of our impending doom, life goes on. The achievements of global leaders to find solutions to climate change has been limited, despite the Paris agreement, 2018 global emissions have been the highest on record. So, as awareness increases of just how vital it is to make significant changes on a more localized level, it is becoming apparent at just how much difference can be made when we don’t just sit around and wait for ‘the experts’ to lead the way. 

The music industry has always been quick to respond to modern socialist ideals, with a variety of musicians using their voice to promote change in their wider community. With 9.7% global growth within the industry in 2018, it is clear that musicians have an increasing influence over their audiences and ability to encourage people to act with sustainability in mind. With industry growth also comes more responsibility and ability to coordinate these changes internally, which can cause musicians the problem of having to choose between the environment and practicality. 

International flights are often the backbone of touring cycles, allowing artists to reach several destinations promptly. Many artists, especially DJs rely on aviation to reach international venues, which in turn creates extortionate rates of emissions. For example, U2, a band who have been widely outspoken in their involvement with fighting climate change, had their 44 date world tour calculated to create the same amount of emissions as a return flight to Mars. Refusal to take international flights and limiting oneself to local shows through ‘slow touring’ in attempt to limit personal emissions can however be detrimental to one’s career; the rapidly growing live sector can be a huge source of income for artists and their ability to reach new markets. DJ Richie Hawtin explains as part of his new Environmental Awareness Initiative, “As an international performer I find there are few realistic alternatives to flying thousands of miles per year travelling between performances and online or “virtual” performances are currently no substitute for a “real” physical public performance”.

However, it has been said that majority of the problem lies with high profile artists such as Diplo and Calvin Harris who choose to fly via private jet, alongside aviation companies themselves who thus far seem to have refused to accept their corporate responsibility. With a wide variety of cheap flight destinations and a growing European festival industry, festival bound air traffic is a growing concern, partly for this reason it is no wonder Ryanair is now considered the 10th largest polluter in Europe. With this said, some aviation companies are attempting to battle this by developing more sustainable technology, America’s Wright Electric are in the process of creating an electric aircraft for EasyJet, however it would only be suitable for flights under two hours and still requires years before it’s ready for commercial use. 

Several other companies are also starting to take responsibility for the environment and are finding innovative solutions to provide music without incurring a great climatological cost. Festivals such as Flow Festival in Helsinki encourage audiences to avoid short haul flights and instead opt for public transport routes, whilst getting involved with offsetting initiatives. This helps to reduce total transportation emissions from live events instead of putting the whole responsibility on artists. Stevio’s Freerotation festival only allow artists to play if they have a minimum of 3 other EU dates on a tour to avoid one off shows. “We never fly an artist in and out of Freerotation on a long-haul flight.” Other companies such as booking agency POLY are also developing environmental policies to find sustainable solutions to artist tours.

Sammy Bananas founded DJs Against Climate Change to provide an easy way for other DJs to purchase carbon offsets, to give back money in climate initiatives and counteract the amount of carbon dioxide produced by their tour travel. Donated funds are invested in projects such as green energy and is becoming a large deal in the industry, with increasing sites allowing artists to calculate their tour emissions with ease. 

Promoter Tail & Twist has created the exiting new club night ‘Eco Disco’ in London, which proudly features avocado shell-based straws, eco- glitter and reusable steel cups which are paid for by a refundable £2 deposit. For their upcoming Climate Change Strike Afterparty in Peckham, £1 for every ticket sold will be donated towards Plastic Oceans and all artist travel carbon offset through Forests Without Frontiers. 

Some artists are also beginning to consider their environmental impacts throughout touring cycles. On their April tour and recent festival slots, Sundara Karma have used refillable water bottles “we saved, like, 100 bottles a day! Because people just half drink them and throw them away.” Additionally, Sundara Karma requested wooden cutlery as part of their rider to reduce plastic waste, with a variety of success rates. On one occasion a promoter had misunderstood the request and the band arrived to find a selection of large serving spoons and forks. Quite funny and rather ridiculous, however it is a clear example of how promoters in the live sector also need to be educated in how to create sustainable experiences for artists whilst they are at each facility.

Jack Johnston has also been heavily involved in creating sustainability within his tours for over 10 years. A ride sharing program was introduced to encourage fans to travel to his shows via public transport or carpool groups, to minimize vehicle emissions as a result of his shows. He has also been committed to using local food produce and donating any wastage to food rescue groups during each tour with the help of Reverb’s Farm to Stage Project, who say the ease of sourcing sustainable produce has increased in recent years. “A decade ago, he had to bring his own caterer to source local food at each location to feed the crew. Now, he’s able to find caterers in each city that specialize in local sourcing.”

Companies such as Julie’s Bicycle are starting to pop up online which help to provide artists with affordable solutions to reducing their carbon footprint whilst on tour. Suggestions include swapping to a vegetarian diet whilst on tour as this can reduce carbon footprint as a result of consuming meat by up to 3/4, as well as finding green alternatives to set/lighting design. Radiohead are a band who’s exclusively LED lighting touring system has provided proof that large scale production at a fraction of standard energy requirements and still within budget. “Radiohead’s lighting system demonstrate how a forward-thinking band and production team can drive technological innovation”.

Orca Sound project works with a range of music industry clients such as Warner Music to provide sustainable alternative to plywood ‘Orca Board’, which is suitable for a range of temporary construction work in festivals and venues. Every board is made from ‘30kg of plastic directly from our oceans or form the land preventing it from entering landfill.’ This is the type of forward-thinking approach to live music that will help to create long term solutions to industry in the climate crisis.

Climate consciousness whilst on tour also comes down to the choice of venue and their attitude to sustainability. Village Underground who run on 100% renewable energy and have made efforts to minimize the use of in-sustainable materials within the building such as the use of green roofing, show it is possible to create a live music space which has minimum damage to the environment.

Decisions from Glastonbury Festival this year to include David Attenborough as a secret guest to address climate change to the audience and thanking the festival for its decisions to go plastic free this year, “more than a million bottles of water have not been drunk by you in plastic.” The words of praise and encouragement proved to hold a positive impact, with a reported 99.3% of tents being taken home after the festival had finished.

Many artists have taken on this responsibility to address climate change during touring however more needs to be said during shows and interviews to really reiterate to audiences the necessity of being environmentally conscious. In a recent interview The 1975’s Matty Healy and manager Jamie Oborne stated in reference to Greta Thunberg ‘“the most important person in the world to give a platform to. Other artists didn’t want to do it – it’s madness. Bigger artists than The 1975.”, suggesting some resistance in the industry to adapt and act in the interest of the environment.

A recent letter from MP David T C Davies to climate conscious band The 1975 was posted on social media. The letter has shown just how insincere members of the wider community can be, especially in the minds of politicians who are ready to point fingers instead of trying to help create sustainable solutions to the issues of international touring. The letter questions the band’s motives but fails to understand that one band’s decision to promote the importance of climate change will not change the world, the music industry is just one part of a much wider issue. Awareness and willingness to accept change is the first step towards making a difference, this includes the need to stop shifting the blame onto others and work together to create innovative solutions. Modernity may not have failed us yet, but if we are to have any fighting chance, we must act now.

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Now, I don’t want to assume too much… but if you’re reading this you’re probably one of the wealthiest people in the world.

If you earn more than £12,000 a year (just over minimum wage for a 18-20 year old in the UK) then you’re in the top 7.5% of wealthiest people in the world. That £18,000 a year graduate job that your friend just got puts them into the top 2.5% (this is according to 2008 world bank data, check for yourself here). When you pass around £25,000 a year you become part of the 1%. When we talk about the 1%, we are talking about ourselves and our consumption habits, if not now then in five or ten years’ time if we’re lucky.

Now you might be the sort of person who says “Yeah but there’s people far worse than me out there, how can my actions affect the environment when it’s the big corporations that are doing all the damage?” Those big corporations are there to serve your needs. Your holiday in Malaga, your meat, your car. Unless you’re reading this from Angola or a hut in Nepal (if so then hello, welcome, lovely to have you) then your actions are more likely than almost anyone else’s to make a difference.

With that said the onus is on us to examine all aspects of our consumption so that we can curb the most damaging aspects of our behavior. This won’t be a series telling you that the world is doomed and that there’s no hope but instead we hope to highlight problems and suggest solutions that will help us to continue enjoying the things that we love so much.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be examining band T-shirt culture, international touring and more in an effort to make us all more ethical music consumers without punishing those looking to make a living off their art. If you have any ideas of things we should be writing about, get in touch!

Obviously we’re not the only people to be writing about this, this series was inspired by numerous sources which we would love to share – for example resident advisor are doing a wonderful series on dance music that I would highly recommend you check out now you’ve finished this article (first article here)

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