FEATURE:
Massive Impact
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2024: A Year for the Industry to Reduce Its Carbon Footprint
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I know that there are…
PHOTO CREDIT: Ron Lach/Pexels
so many people through the music industry that are tackling climate change in their own way. Trying to reduce their carbon footprints and think more ‘green’. There are a couple of recent music news stories that piqued my interest. Relating to the environmental impact of festivals and physical music. They are very different in terms of their tone - though they both raise points worth discussing. I think that, with more and more artists touring and there being this huge demand for live music, it is very hard to fulfil that and be as environmentally conscious as possible. In terms of festivals and gigs, it is almost impossible at the moment to put one on that is carbon-neutral. Between transportation of equipment and the energy needed to power everything, there is a fair bit to tackle and find alternatives too. You can read how festivals have impacted (positively and negatively) on the environment and how some, like Glastonbury, are taking steps already to do their part. I do think that there has been a lot of awareness and reaction to an issue that needs to be a top priority. With freak weather being more common now, the cost of adapting festivals is huge. At the moment, with many struggling to book big headliners and having to raise ticket prices, there is an extra cost in making things greener. Ensuring that, in the case of extreme weather, people are safe and the damage is as minimal as possible. It is a worrying time where so much has to be considered!
Last year, this article from The New York Times state how one festival, Nashville’s Deep Tropics, took steps to show how a festival can become greener. A smaller festival compared to America’s Coachella and Glastonbury here, how easy and affordable is it to follow in their lead?! I think that the more smaller festivals make changes and reduce their carbon impact, this will then spread to more of the larger ones. Of course, it is more difficult for major festivals to go as close to carbon-free as possible owing to their size and the amount of people they attract. Rolling Stone UK recently reported how Massive Attack are making a big impact. Reducing travel emissions/pollution and introducing new initiatives, let’s hope that this can roll out to many other festivals next year:
“Massive Attack have announced details of a huge new hometown gig in Bristol next summer, set to trial new advances in climate friendly live music events.
The gig at the Clifton Downs on August 25 is titled ‘Act 1.5: Climate Action Accelerator’, and aims to become the lowest carbon gig of its size ever held.
Initiatives at the gig include a presale of tickets for local residents with nearby postcodes to avoid extensive travel to the show, free electric-powered shuttles to train stations after the gig, the planting of a new woodland area in the south west and more. Find out more details here.
It comes after the band’s collaboration with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, where they collaborated with climate scientists and analysts to work out ways of making live performance greener.
IN THIS PHOTO: Massive Attack/PHOTO CREDIT: Warren Du Preez
They were set to trial these findings at a special show in Liverpool, but that was cancelled during the pandemic.
Speaking about the show and its aims, Massive Attack’s 3D said: “We’re chuffed to play our home city again and to be able do it in the right way. In terms of climate change action there are no excuses left; offsetting, endless seminars and diluted declarations have all been found out – so live music must drastically reduce all primary emissions and take account of fan travel.
“Working with pioneering partners on this project means we can seriously move the dial for major live music events & help create precedents that are immediately available.”
Professor Carly McLachlan from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research added: “This is precisely the type of transformative approach that we need to see more of in the live music sector and indeed every sector; one that has the collaboration and vision to reduce emissions across all areas of impact and working beyond the areas you directly control to unlock the systemic change we urgently need to deliver on our Paris Agreement commitments”.
Alongside festivals and the impact they have on climate change – in a negative sense -, there is also the production of physical music. I am going to say outright how physical music needs to continue. There is no way that we can stick with digital music and be happy with that. People need physical products and, for artists and labels, it is unsustainable relying on streaming. Given the continued demand for vinyl and formats like C.D.s and cassettes still being bought, there is no question that physical music needs to flourish and be available to all. If we get rid of that, it will have devastating consequences for artists. Many are struggling to make money at the moment. A lot rely on the money from physical sales - so we cannot let that slide. It is clear that there needs to be alternatives in terms of the material of albums and how they are being distributed and manufactured. Something that made me angry was reading a recent NME feature. They reported how one music executive called out artists who are supposedly highlighting climate change and want to make a different, yet they continue to have their albums manufactured and sold (which does create some damage to the environment):
“A senior music executive has said artists who advocate for climate change and continue to produce physical records are “hypocritical”.
Sir Robin Millar is a senior record industry executive who has also produced albums such as Sade‘s ‘Diamond Life’ and Everything But The Girl‘s ‘Eden’. He is also the co-founder of management company Blue Raincoat Music, who currently lists Skin and Phoebe Bridgers amongst its clients.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Sir Millar said he believed the production of physical records such as vinyl and CDs should be eradicated.
“I am baffled that no large record company has had the backing of a big-selling artist to stop making physical records,” he said.
Millar further argued that the quality of digital songs were equal to vinyl, and that artist tours – which also cause damage to the planet – could be screened online. Furthermore, vinyl and CDs are packaged with “chopped-down trees and plastic”.
“How can anybody stand up and say ‘save the planet’?,” he said. “Artists are awful for hypocritical bandwagonery.”
Back in 2019, NME examined how artists could tackle climate change, highlighting vinyl production as one facet of the issue. We spoke to Chiara Badiali, who works at London-based charity helping industries improve environmental sustainability Julie’s Bicycle. Badiali said vinyl “is actually such a small part of the industry if you look at the manufacturing footprint.” (In 2019, vinyl accounted for 3.6% of music sales worldwide.)
“People focus on it because it’s so visible and it’s a tangible thing. From a carbon footprint perspective the environmental impact doesn’t compare to the impact of travel. It’s so small that it’s basically a blip.”
However, she did see room for improvement in the sector regardless: “People are looking at how you’d reduce the amount of energy that gets taken in pressing a piece of vinyl. There are people who are experimenting with the actual raw materials of vinyl. But that’s where it’s really tricky because at the moment vinyl is one of the best mediums that we have found to do what we want it to. The biggest problem is: what happens to it at the end of its life?”
Since then, the likes of Bicep, Angel Olsen, and Black Country, New Road teamed up to feature on the first bioplastic vinyl release. R.E.M.‘s Michael Stipe also released music on the world’s first commercially available bioplastic vinyl in 2022”.
There are steps and developments where artists are finding ways to press to vinyl in a green way. NME recently reported how some bands are reissuing albums on eco-friendly vinyl. It is encouraging that there are shoots of good news - though I don’t think it will be easy to convert all vinyl to something more eco-friendly:
“Albums by Enter Shikari, Napalm Death and Carcass are set to be re-released as eco-friendly ‘Greenyl’ vinyl records.
Record shop Rude Cares has teamed up with Greenyl to release the album as part of a new Be The Change initiative, for which the LPs will be made at the first eco-friendly vinyl plant.
Enter Shikari’s ‘Common Dreads’, Napalm Death’s ‘Harmony Corruption’ and Carcass’ ‘Heartwork’ will be printed on PVC-free Greenyl, made from 99 per cent recycled plastic compound which has zero emissions during the production process.
Other bands taking part include The Dangerous Summer, Less Than Jake, Chiodos, Polyphia, Sydney Sprague and Graphic Nature. You can find release dates and links to pre-order here.
According to the Be The Change initiative, the records sound “perfect” and still have a “high-quality sound”.
“We’re on a mission to flip the script on vinyl manufacturing, launching a project that’s not just music but a message for our world,” said co-founder of Greenyl and president of Rude Records, Ilich Rausa (per Kerrang!")”.
For a start, artists should not have to choose between having principles and being able to survive in the industry. They are quite right to back change and highlight climate change. It is not hypocritical still relying on physical sales. Major and smaller artists need to produce physical albums to make money. Fans demand it and want to keep that music on something they can play years from now. Not only does streaming have its own carbon impact, it is also ephemeral by nature. Various songs and albums can disappear at any time. When it comes to artists making a difference in terms of their carbon footprint, maybe travel and gig dates are more realistic. Perhaps performing more as close to home as possible or finding new and less damaging ways of traveling. Physical music is something they have very little say in. They are not making those albums and shipping them out. Rather than calling out artists and calling them hypocritical for being concerned about the environment and seemingly damaging it by making albums, the better approach is to realise that, in such a tough and demanding time, very few artists can rely on streaming revenue. We also do not know how long streaming sites will operate; therefore it is a less stable and long-term source of revenue. Physical music is a way of passing music through the generations. The better approach is to make bioplastic vinyl as affordable and available as possible. Maybe not as short-term reality, artists committing to finding alternatives to plastic.
PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels
It does seem that bioplastic vinyl is going to help decarbonise. I am not sure how realistic and available it is at the moment. It is still an idea in its infancy. In terms of manufacturing, shipping and delivery, there are a lot of considerations. How to make the entire process and production cycle as carbon-free as is possible. At the moment, with there being relatively few vinyl manufacturing plants and it being quite expensive to buy vinyl albums, there is not this short-term and easy fix. I also think that bioplastic might be an even more expensive option to start. If it is making a more positive impact on the environment, will it sell less because it is not as ‘affordable’ as vinyl?! I know that there are costs involved producing vinyl though, with prices pretty high at the moment, we also need to think about consumers and pricing them out. There is a lot to absorb when it comes to physical music manufacturing and festivals next year. Two of the biggest and more difficult areas to tackle when it comes to pollution and climate impact, there are signs that things can change. From Massive Attack’s Act 1.5: Climate Action Accelerator – which is a really stupid name, but you can’t fault its importance! – to possible alternatives to traditional vinyl, even more commitment and innovation needs to occur in 2024. I know it is a gigantic thing to take on board! I haven’t even mentioned C.D. and cassette production and alternatives to them in terms of material. How realistic it is for artists to travel further afield more greenly. There is so much to take on board. We are all witnessing the effects of climate change. The music industry needs to – and I believe will – do everything they can to reduce its carbon footprint. The responsibility is everyone’s. Labels, artists, fans and venues need to pledge to a greener 2024. Striving towards a future where we can buy physical music and attend festivals whilst ensuring that there is as little impact on the environment as is possible. It is not only to keep music fans and artists happy. It is to ensure that we are all kept…
SAFE from harm.