Music Declares Emergency said it simply: “No music on a dead planet.”
Our big, beautiful, natural earth has been inspiring artists since the earliest form of music through the present. Some of our favorite tunes pay melodic and lyrical tribute to our Mother: “What a Wonderful World,” by Louis Armstrong, “Fields of Gold” by Sting, even “Earth” by Lil Dicky!
It’s quite unfortunate that music can’t heal the planet the way that it heals us. On the contrary, the carbon footprint left by artist and band merchandise, live shows, and transportation is immense.
While many artists have taken action on becoming more sustainable (and many others not), we only have control over ourselves. The changes that us little people can commit to making, the more alive our earth will be and the longer our favorite music will last.
Buy Consciously
The environmental impacts caused by the production of a t-shirt include water usage, energy consumption, the use of non-renewables, and harmful air and water emissions.
The most sustainable way to shop is to not, but I know to music fans that sounds like a death sentence. If your favorite artist drops a new merchandise line you just have to purchase from, do some research to check if the line is being sold at your nearest Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, Target, or pop up shop. Going into a store to purchase saves on plastic wrapping, boxing, transportation, and will probably even be cheaper than ordering it online once you consider shipping fees.
It’s also important to look into how involved your favorite artist is in their merch process, and how committed they are to selling you something that’s good quality and sustainable. Here are some artists who love to reduce, reuse, recycle and often give to charitable causes that support our planet:
The 1975- After collaborating on a track with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, The 1975 started repurposing old t-shirts and printing their band logos and designs on them, according to Plant-based News.
"We are not making new shirts for now. Unsustainable," frontman Matty Healy explained in an instagram post.
RZA- Wu-Tang Clan's RZA released a vegan clothing line called 36 Chambers, which is entirely PETA-approved and vegan-friendly, according to LiveKindly.
Dave Matthews Band- Dave Matthews joined forces with Methane Studios to create journals using remnants of misprinted and overrun DMB posters.
Paramore- Paramore is constantly partnering up with causes to donate (usually 100% of proceeds) to local charities, and independent venues.
When you make the decision to buy a new merch piece, make a deal with yourself to donate something similar. You don’t need three t-shirts from the same band- we get it, you’re a mega-fan! But someone else needs that t-shirt more than you do.
Physical vs Streaming
The value of music has dwindled exceptionally since the 1970s. It’s easy to believe that streaming has made the consumption of music more sustainable, because less physical product (CDs, cassette tapes, vinyl) should mean lower carbon emissions. According to The Conversation, in 1977 the industry used 58m kilograms of plastic in the US. When CDs peaked in 2000, it was up to 61m kg of plastic. As downloading and streaming took over, the amount of plastics used by the US recording industry dropped dramatically, down to just 8m kg by 2016.
We love to see less plastic, but we can’t forget about the energy being used to power online music listening. “Storing and processing music in the cloud depends on vast data centres that use a tremendous amount of resources and energy,” The Conversation continued. Don’t forget about all of the manufacturing that goes into making our laptops, cell phones, iPads, etc.
By translating plastic production and the electricity use into greenhouse gas equivalents (GHGs), we can more easily digest the facts: GHGs from recorded music were 140m kg in 1977 in the US, and 157m kg in 2000. By 2016 it is estimated to have been between 200m kg and over 350m kg.
There is so much more research we would need to truly state what way of listening to music is the most sustainable. Until we have those statistics available it wouldn't hurt to keep using your walkman and record player, sell or trade your physical music, buy physical from local small businesses, and stream music with friends!
Touring
Touring musicians are pretty brutal on the environment. An artist’s touring carbon emissions come from flying, tour busses, moving sets, and making merchandise, on top of the energy needed for things like lighting and sound. It’s suggested that live music generates 405,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK every year.
34% of that number comes from the venue, and 33% from Audience travel. When you buy tickets to see a show, make sure the performance is local, travel in groups, and remember the smaller the venue, the better!
Many bands have been working with REVERB, a nonprofit organization that unites with musicians, festivals, and venues to green the concert industry. Their efforts range from things as simple as recycling the plastic water bottles used on stage, to composting the catering, or even working with the venues to make their operations more green. “Reverb has worked with more than 200 clients, including the likes of Maroon 5, Fleetwood Mac, and Harry Styles,” according to Futurism.
In 2010, Sheryl Crow worked with Reverb to switch to compostable catering, reusable water bottles and biodiesel fuel for her tour, claiming she neutralized an estimated 1.5 million pounds of C02 — the equivalent of 81 homes not using electricity for an entire year.
The issue has become so huge, that Coldplay paused touring in 2019 to figure out how their tours can be more sustainable. "We're taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable [but] how can it be actively beneficial,” said Chris Martin.
To All Musicians
Even if you’re a musician who plays just for fun, how you purchase and dispose of your gear matters! From broken guitar strings to old drum kits, you can always re-use, repurpose and recycle your instruments. When possible, try to choose biodegradable products and eco-friendly materials. You can even sell back or donate your instruments to most music shops.
Educate Yourself
It’s so important to do your research on how to be a sustainable music fan, and to keep up with your favorite artists to see what efforts they’re making to push the music world into a greener future.