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This week we’re dusting off our music business degrees (yes, we both have one) to talk about the music industry and how touring can come back more sustainably. Olivia uses Harry Styles’ first solo tour as a case study for mitigation efforts of large-scale shows (and as an excuse to talk about One Direction). Then Elise lays out the demands that artists, managers, and fans can advocate for to make concerts more sustainable for everyone, at any budget. We also discuss inequality in the music industry (and the many parallels to climate injustice), developing genuine connection as a means for social change, and how you can support artists for free during a time when so many are struggling to make ends meet. We need more creatives in the climate movement, join us!
Attention musicians, artist managers, and venues! The rider templates, nature sample packs, and sustainable vendor lists we mentioned are all linked below.
Story #1: Harry Styles and Making the Stadium Tour Sustainable (Olivia)
Sources:
Harry Styles official website
Harry Styles – Live On Tour impact results via Reverb
A New Ethical Direction For Harry Styles And His Merch by Bebe Ashley for United by Pop, May 2020 and web archive of the Stay Home Stay Safe Tee
How to Tour More Sustainably: Guidelines for Greener Shows on Reverb.com (not affiliated with Reverb.org)
Harry Styles can’t get enough of this eco-friendly brand by GQ, November 2020
Green Highway website, Bonnie Raitt’s environmental initiative
Extra sources/links:
A Harry Styles Concert Gave Me Faith in the Youths by Matt Miller for Esquire
Harry Styles partners with environmental organization Reverb for USA leg of tour by Charitable Direction
Greening the entertainment industry is music to our ears by UNEP, July 2020
Story #2: Sting, Slow Touring, and Bringing Back Live Music Sustainably (Elise)
Sources:
Julie’s Bicycle
Take The Green Train, European Jazz Network
Greener rooms: how is the music industry responding to the environmental impact of touring?, Crack Magazine, Sept 2018
The (Un)Sustainable Side of the Music Industry, Medium, Aug 2020
Slow Touring – Savour the Journey, Jazz Collective, Sept 2019
What The Police Taught Me About Slow Touring: A Berklee Online Instructor on Booking Sting’s First US Dates, Berklee Online
DJs For Climate Action
Resources for Musicians, Artist Teams, and Venues
Inequality: Olivia mentioned the Vox article How music has responded to a decade of economic inequality, which is such an interesting read especially in terms of what a greener music industry can look like. The music industry can’t become truly sustainable until the wealth disparity is addressed.
Green Riders: Check out Evan Parker’s Green Rider which Elise talked about in the episode. It starts with super simple, totally free asks like keeping the lights and AC off until you arrive, and then goes more in depth opening up ways for the artist and venue to collaborate to create a truly unique eco-friendly experience. Plus there are tons of resources from Julie’s Bicycle!
If that rider isn’t enough, there are even more resources on how to green your tour on the BYOBottle website! Their reusable vendor list is a great place to get ideas flowing.
Nature Samples: Want to incorporate the environment in your music? DJs For Climate Action has a Free Climate Sample Pack of Greenpeace field recordings. Such a cool way to start a conversation about the climate crisis!
The Dump
Listen:
Elise is in episode 61 of Clotheshorse giving tips on selling on Depop! If you want to get into secondhand clothing or want to make your small business a bit more sustainable, definitely check out this episode.
Read:
Speaking of! The host of Clotheshorse, Amanda, just talked about her experience as a fashion buyer with faux leather with the fashion industry has dubiously labeled vegan leather. This extremely successful instance of greenwashing is close to our hearts, as we have an episode about it as well. Check out the article HERE.
Meditate:
We’ve both been loving the Lumenate app. While this year has been filled to the brim with alone time, this app really reinvents sitting alone in your thoughts in a way that’s both deeply relaxing and invigorating.
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Thanks for listening!
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