sustainability
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The Music Sustainability Summit has announced programming for its second annual conference, happening Feb. 3 at Solotech Studios Los Angeles. Focused on developing solutions to climate change within the music industry, the event will feature the following talks and panels: C-suite Conversation: What it Takes to Prioritize Sustainability: a conversation with amusic industry executive about […]
This year, the two biggest players in live music, AEG and Live Nation, put energy and resources into making power sources at live events, and festivals in particular, cleaner and greener.
This largely took the form of batteries, with the option to use batteries to power not just the errant parking lot light but full mainstage operations becoming real with the evolution of technology, as driven by the electric vehicle industry.
The effect was felt at the highest levels, with Lollapalooza in August becoming the first major festival in the U.S. to power its mainstage using battery power. Meanwhile AEG/Goldenvoice, which has been experimenting with battery systems for a few years with lower-priority power needs, had a breakthrough year in 2024 through a hybrid system that uses industrial-tier batteries, clean generators, biodiesel, solar and grid power to dramatically reduce “scope 1” emissions at events. (“Scope 1” refers to the emissions created by power sources at the event itself, versus a scope 3 emission that would include carbon emitted by fan travel to and from shows.) The hybrid system from AEG/Goldenvoice saved the use of more than 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel (truly, stop for a second to consider how much that is) at its Portola Festival in San Francisco alone. This same system at Camp Flog Gnaw in L.A. in November ended up being, the company said, Goldenvoice’s “cleanest energy festival to date.”
What’s also encouraging is that huge and longstanding festival energy providers like CES Power are also looking at ways to implement battery systems and starting to shift inventory to include batteries.
These aren’t yet perfect systems. Batteries still must be charged by generators, with the standard diesel-chugging kind still primarily used for this charging. Plus, these systems are still more expensive than traditional power sources, which can make it hard for producers to use them even with the best intentions. But with industry leaders putting time, money and attention towards these projects, there’s reason to believe the trickle-down effect will happen in time as prices across the battery industry come down and technology advances.
When it comes to sustainability, there’s a lot of industry talk about freely sharing information about the stuff that’s working, given that this work is so important for the industry and humanity at large. And yet, one gets the sense that a competitive spirit is still driving some of this innovation within the perpetually-competitive live events world, which if true feels like a welcome battle to wage.
A sustainability initiative focused on festival-wide power use at San Francisco’s Portola in September resulted in the avoidance of using roughly 6,053 gallons of diesel fuel, a rep for the festival tells Billboard. This number is equivalent to taking 3,873 cars off the road for one day, according to AEG.
This was the first year the initiative was implemented at Portola, which hosted its third annual event at San Francisco’s Pier 80 Sept. 28-29. The project was a joint effort by the festival’s producers, AEG and Goldenvoice, along with battery system designer Overdrive Energy Solutions, the Music Decarbonization Project from music industry sustainability advocacy group REVERB and AEG’s longtime energy partner, CES Power.
At Portola, a team made up of reps from each company implemented a cutting-edge hybrid energy system that used solar and grid power in conjunction with advanced battery technology and Tier 4 generators, which are built with emission control measures, to provide power.
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Overdrive deployed 37 battery power-stations across the festival grounds, powering a significant portion of the festival. This project marks a major expansion of Overdrive’s work with AEG/Goldenvoice, with the companies first working together at Coachella 2023 on smaller-scale energy needs.
“It feels like we’ve taken a giant leap forward this year,” Goldenvoice’s vp of festival production Dre Hanna says. “We’ve been doing small bits and pieces for two years, but this year — and the progress I feel like we’re making specifically on this show and proving to our vendors, artists and departments that we can do this and that the show is better for it — I think that [the use of these systems] is going to pick up [across our events] pretty quickly.”
The battery system entirely powered Portola’s Ship Stage for both days of the festival. While many batteries used at festivals must be charged by diesel generators throughout the day, at Portola, use of the Tier 4 generator made it possible to charge batteries for two-and-half hours each day after the festival ended.
This charging required 260 gallons of diesel fuel, which is 2,730 gallons (or 91%) less than that used by standard festival battery systems. Goldenvoice purchased 100% renewable diesel for the generators, with the system ultimately reducing CO₂ emissions at the Ship Stage by 21.1 metric tons, compared to the emissions there would have been if the stage had employed standard generator. CES, meanwhile, provided other more traditional power sources for the event.
The difference wasn’t just in fewer emissions, but the elimination of the diesel fumes that typically emanate from generators. And because these batteries make no sound, they also eliminated the typical backstage noise pollution caused by a generator.
“It is 100% better,” Hanna told Billboard backstage at Portola. “It’s so quiet back here, and our team doesn’t have to fuel a generator each morning.”
According to Overdrive Energy Solutions founder Neel Vasavada, the company’s batteries have 99% fewer emissions than the standard diesel generators that have long been used to power festivals. They also use 90-95% less diesel fuel.
Overall, the project at Portola resulted in the avoidance of 48.8 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, a number equivalent to the amount of carbon annually sequestered by 58 acres of U.S. forest.
As battery technology advances — with the electric vehicle industry helping drive this evolution — batteries are an increasingly popular solution for sustainably powering large-scale music events. In August, Lollapalooza became the first festival in the U.S. to power its mainstage entirely by battery, reporting a 67% reduction in both fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions over prior years, when batteries had not been used.
While Hanna says Lollapalooza’s accomplishment helped increase industry-wide confidence that batteries are reliable enough to use even at the biggest stages, Vasavada notes that the system implemented at Portola was “very different” from those used to power Lollapalooza and other events.
“[This equipment] is not made for rock and roll music events,” he says. “These batteries were built for industry and for disaster relief, but it’s never been optimized for temporary portable power or for situations where you don’t have a grid. That’s what Overdrive has done.”
Overdrive Energy Solutions’ previous festival work includes implementing batteries at two years of Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion near Austin, Tex., along with events including West Virginia’s Healing Appalachia and Maryland’s All Things Go.
Portola 2024
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Hanna reports that Goldenvoice’s use of battery power is expanding. The company’s Harvest Moon, which happened Oct. 5 in Lake Hughes, Calif., was powered entirely by batteries and solar-fed grid power. Goldenvoice’s Camp Flog Gnaw – which happened at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium in November – used a hybridized battery and generator system at two of its three stages, also employing a combination of grid power, batteries and solar to power entire sections of the festival. (That initiative was once again a joint project from AEG/Goldenvoice, CES Power, Overdrive Energy Solutions and REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project). Hanna calls it “Goldenvoice’s cleanest energy festival to date.”
As battery technology advances and becomes more widely available, the cost of deploying these systems remains a key prohibitor to their widespread adoption. (Energy prices vary between shows based on factors including vendors, owned vs. rented equipment, trucking rates, available grid power and more.)
But Hanna says that generally, improved power planning internally, combined with creativity and collaboration with power vendors, “is already leading to more competitive pricing on battery systems. The data we’re gathering from each show is helping us find efficiencies that prove hybridizing power can be as cost effective as generators and the fuel they consume.”
And given that battery systems provide event producers with precise data about how much power they actually consume and truly require, Hanna says that ultimately “we’re going to be able to be more efficient and cost effective, because at the end of the day we can’t spend more.” REVERB, a 501c3 nonprofit that’s focused on sustainability in the music industry for 20 years, made the 2024 Portola power system possible by subsidizing a portion of its cost. The organization estimates that each year, U.S. festivals burn the equivalent of 46 million miles driven by gasoline powered vehicles.
As far as when these clean energy systems will entirely replace carbon-emitting generators at festivals, Hanna believes that moment is on the horizon. “it’s not next year. But is it in five years? Maybe. We are heading in that direction as quickly and as efficiently as we can.”
Demi Lovato is getting gamified for a good cause. Starting on Tuesday (Dec. 3), the pop star will appear as an animated version of herself in the mobile video game Subway Surfers. Available as an in-app purchase, Lovato’s character will be available in the game through Jan. 5, 2025. All of the profits from Lovato’s […]
Presumably, a lot of artists want their shows to be as environmentally friendly as possible. But with many factors contributing to a sustainable performance — from power sources to food vendors to fan transportation — it’s challenging for an artist to put on a truly green event without involving the many partners it takes to put on a show.
Now, a new initiative from U.K. live music advocacy group LIVE (Live Music Industry Venues and Entertainment) aims to help.
Together with representatives from AEG, Live Nation, Wasserman, WME, CAA, UTA and other major players in the touring industry, including U.K. promoter Kilimanjaro Live, LIVE has written a collection of “green clauses” — suggested language that can be written into contracts between artists and agents, agents and promoters, and other agreements in order to produce sustainability-minded shows from the ground up.
These green clauses offer recommendations for creating energy efficiency; waste reduction; water conservation; prioritizing plant-based, local and sustainable food; encouraging attendees to travel to the show using lower carbon emission transport; offering sustainable and ethical merch; and much more.
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The project comes from LIVE’s working group, LIVE Green, which is led by Carol Scott — the principal sustainability advocate at global event producer TAIT — along with LIVE Green’s impact consultant Ross Patel. The suggested contractual language was launched on the LIVE Green website in October, and Patel tells Billboard that “there is absolutely a commitment to adopt them” within the industry, adding that “in some cases, those conversations are already happening.”
Along with the clauses, LIVE Green has created a resource hub with information on how to execute sustainability practices and reduce carbon emissions at shows. These free guidelines primarily reflect the needs and capabilities of projects in the U.K. and North America, although Patel says the hub maintains a high level of relevancy for most event organizers, touring artists and their teams globally.
Here, Patel talks about the goals of the clauses, how sustainability-minded tours by major artists have helped lay the groundwork and why, in his words, “doing something is always going to be better than doing nothing.”
What were the conversations like in putting these clauses together, particularly given that you were working with global entities like Live Nation, AEG and the big agencies?
To a large degree, there wasn’t any disagreement in the primary content of what we were asking for, in terms of key things that need to be addressed, such as energy, power, water, food and transport. Those aspects were not really commented on. The red lining was to get clauses more in line with the tone of [each company’s] existing contract templates. They have to build them into contracts they already use, so a lot of it was just trying to make it fit.
What was the process like, with so many participants whose needs and wants are related, but also specific?
There was one sticking point we managed to resolve, which was the purpose of what this template was being designed for. It’s to provide something for anyone to have access to and to adopt and adapt as they see fit. In the end, we opted for an all-parties, best-endeavors wording, because that’s the thing that is going to be the most relevant to the most people.
What were the sticking points?
Of course, if you’re an agent, you’re going to want to see something that’s in favor of the artist. If you’re a promoter or venue, you’re going to want something more in favor of the venue or promotions company. As a working group, and certainly from LIVE Green’s perspective, we felt an all-parties and best-endeavors approach was the best way to start, with getting something out in the industry that wasn’t going to be a shock to the major corporates. We want them to participate in this, so that when someone now sees this in a contract, or when they now speak to each other to figure out how they want [a contract to look], there’s a starting point that isn’t in favor of either side.
That makes sense.
The next practical step is, let’s say Live Nation and WME — because they do so much business together — they will have templates they’ve already agreed on and negotiated. There’s a baseline that they’re happy with. They do that all the time, with lots of different clauses. This just happens to be one that is focused on sustainability that wasn’t in contracts before.
How useful have sustainably-minded tours by artists like Billie Eilish and Coldplay been in creating examples for what you’re doing?
It feels like the industry is ready for this because we have case studies of big booking agents, big promoters and big artists actioning what we’re now sharing with everyone else. They might have been just one-offs, but they’re operating. [It demonstrates] that it’s an option.
If a venue hosts a Coldplay show, and that contract states the venue must do certain things for sustainability, then the following week, that venue has another artist who also has these clauses in their contracts, the hope is that those adjustments will eventually become permanent.
Now, more often than not, larger venues tend to make the adjustment for the show, then revert to whatever their previous installation was. With a more consistent request of these changes, inevitably it will make sense for them to keep these things in place.
So this small group of artists who are showing shows can be done this way are important, in terms of being a proof of concept?
Exactly. There’s more and more examples of [these things working]. Hopefully this will put us in a position where the impetus is on everyone to help deliver these things. Some people will be further along than others. Some artists might already have contracts that far surpass what we’ve introduced. Some promoters or venues might already have their own sustainability criteria that’s far more developed than what we’re asking artists to sign up to.
The point is that we’re hoping to expedite the conversation. Where someone might be further along, they can share what’s being done. There is now almost a contractual recognition to get them to where the other person is, to bring everybody up.
Ross Patel
Courtesy of Ross Patel
To what extent do you think people feel more inclined to participate given that they’re already living with the realities of climate change?
There’s a number of reasons, and that’s definitely one. I don’t think anyone can deny — well, there are still people that seem to be able to deny climate change somehow — but I think the majority of people have witnessed and experienced the impacts of climate change. Certainly, from an industry perspective, there is an ever-increasing and urgent need to acknowledge and address this and act, because we’re seeing how it’s affecting tours. We’re seeing the very real impacts of flooding, droughts, travel issues. We are losing business as an industry due to climate change.
That’s something I think people are seeing on a terrifyingly regular basis, and therefore it’s at the top of the agenda. With the increased buoyancy of the live industry [after the pandemic], people have more to contribute, because it is a cost implication. It’s one that needs to be factored in as part of doing business. I wish we could have been in this position to do something earlier, but we’re here now, so let’s just move the dial as quickly as we possibly can.
How are advancements in technology helping the cause?
We now have proven, stable technology that allows you to run festival stages and live events on battery cells and don’t require diesel generators. We did have those three or five years ago. Hopefully through proven technological advances within the industry, we can not only introduce the audience to that which excites them and gives them a feeling of positivity and safety and hopefulness, but we can move those case studies and proof of concepts into policy and make these things contractually obligated. We can’t do that specific thing yet, but that is what I would like to see down the line. But that will be very much market dependent, artist dependent, event dependent.
How enforceable are these clauses as the templates stand? What will be the tipping point for getting these things into contracts as a legal obligation?
That will have to be in line with policy. We could, for example, write that if an event doesn’t provide fuel cells, then the contract is null and void. But is that a reality for that show, in that market, on that tour? Possibly, or possibly it just isn’t. There has to be a degree of people acknowledging what’s being asked of them in specific areas, and then, more importantly, using the resource hub that LIVE Green has developed.
But using best endeavors means you’re looking at what’s in the clauses and doing anything you possibly can to respond to what’s in them. Doing something is always going to be better than doing nothing.
Given the incoming administration in the U.S. and its anticipated loosening of environmental regulations, do you feel or fear there will be decreased momentum around this project and projects such as these?
My personal feeling is that the initiative will have a greater degree of support from the industry because of the election. Of course, any climate-related agenda now will be challenging to uphold, but the creative industries still have an opportunity to influence and drive audience behavior change through positive messaging and innovative climate solution implementation. There may not be a policy demand or regulation in place for a particular action, but that doesn’t and shouldn’t stop us from progressing anyway. It’s what the consumer, fans and wider industry want!
It will be a whale of a good time — for a good cause — when members of Mt. Joy, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Young the Giant, Needtobreathe, The Red Clay Strays and more perform a show benefiting endangered whales next month.
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This group of artists, along with other yet-to-be announced musicians, will perform as part of Whale Jam, an ongoing concert series benefiting The Whale & Dolphin Conservation, and North Atlantic right whales in particular.
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This upcoming edition of Whale Jam marks the event’s first time in New York City, with previous show happening in Boston since the event’s inception in 2022.
Happening Dec. 12 at Brooklyn Paramount, a 2,700-capacity venue that opened earlier this year, the night will feature Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy, Ela Melo of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Sameer Gadhia of Young the Giant, Clyde and Grace Lawrence of Lawrence and others. See the current lineup below.
Tickets for the event are available now and start at $64, with proceeds directly benefiting the nonprofit Whale & Dolphin Conservation North America. Focused on stripped down sets and impromptu collaborations, Whale Jam’s last show this past May in Boston raised $75,000 for the organization.
Whale Jam is produced by Nantucket Crisps, a potato chip brand inspired by Nantucket, with flavors named after islands on the beach. The famed Massachusetts island is, of course, located in the North Atlantic ocean, where whalers in the 1800s hunted North Atlantic right whales to the brink of extinction. Nantucket was once the whaling capital of the world, a legacy that gave Nantucket Crisps co-founder Hayden Arnot a special interest in raising money for whale conservation.
“For our last show, Matt Quinn joined Taylor Meier for ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, David Shaw of The Revivalists joined Jonathan Russell of The Head and The Heart for ‘Lost in my Mind’, and at the end of the show all of the artists joined on stage for a rambunctious version of Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’, very fitting for Boston,” Arnot tells Billboard. “It’s truly amazing seeing these eco-minded artists take the time out of their busy schedules for this cause; it’s a stars aligning moment every time. The North Atlantic Right Whale is a whale that is very near and dear to the heart of the Northeast.”
North Atlantic right whales — named so because whalers once considered them the “right whales” to hunt — are only found in North America and live on East Coast’s migratory corridor. According to the The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species. The whales have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1970, with roughly 370 of these whales currently remaining.
Their two biggest threats to these whales are strikes from water vessels and accidental entanglement in fishing gear. As such, money raised by Whale Jam directly benefits efforts to expand on demand fishing, which removes vertical line from fishing waters to prevent entanglement. Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America is also working to implement regulations that would require water vessels to go slower during whale migration periods. Money raised goes to purchase on demand fishing gear and to pay staff working to get regulations in place.
“In order for our oceans to be healthy, we need whales,” Whale & Dolphin Conversation’s deputy director Melissa Walker tells Billboard, explaining that the work whales to do circulate nutrients in the ocean plays a vital role in ocean health and its ability to absorb carbon and release oxygen.
Whale Jam
Courtesy of Whale Jam
One of sustainable touring’s pioneering acts, the Dave Matthews Band, is reporting several successes in that realm following its latest tour. The band’s summer tour, which wrapped in early September at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Wash., unrolled the group’s “On the Road To Zero Waste” initiative, done in partnership with Live Nation. According to […]
Only six months since launch, the “Feat. Nature” artist page on Spotify has generated major funding for conservation organizations.
On Thursday (Oct. 24) at the COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, organizers of the Sounds Right project — which launched the page on Earth Day in April — announced that $225,000 generated by the project will be donated to agencies working to protect areas of Colombia’s Tropical Andes, a region that boasts one of the world’s highest rates of biodiversity and native species.
Of that sum, $100,000 will go to Reserva Natural La Planada, which oversees 3,200 hectares of lands protected and governed by indigenous communities. Elsewhere, the Fundación Projecto Titi, which protects Colombian cotton-top tamarin monkeys in a 900-hectare reserve, will receive $80,000 over two years. FundaExpresion will receive $35,000 over two years, with the money going to community-led initiatives securing 450 hectares in the Andean forest, along with other local endeavors. And Jacana Jacana, an initiative focused on music, education and ecological awareness among children, will receive $10,000 over one year.
The recipients were selected by the Sounds Right Expert Advisory Panel, which is made up of conservationists and Indigenous rights activists. A representative for the project tells Billboard that the panel assessed projects based on their proven models of ecological and community impact, with a “strong intent to honor the communities whose ways of life nurture vital biodiversity strongholds, yet are often underfunded or overlooked.”
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Sounds Right organizers also announced the addition of seven new tracks to the “Feat. NATURE” artist page, with contributions coming from artists including Lykke Li, Ela Minus, AySay, Sam Lee, Alexis Taylor and Louis VI. The songs join a playlist that includes music by David Bowie with Brian Eno, Ellie Goulding, U.K. electronic outfit London Grammar, neo-soul and folk artist UMI with V of BTS, Indian artist Anuv Jain, Norwegian singer Aurora, and more, bringing the total number of songs on the playlist to 24.
As announced in April, songs on Spotify’s “Feat. Nature” artist page incorporate sounds of the earth, melding ocean waves, wind, bird calls and other nature sounds into original tracks and remixes. Since April, the playlist has generated more than 65 million streams from 7.5 million listeners in more than 180 countries, a representative for the project says.
“Feat. Nature” shares royalties with participating artists, with streaming income consistent with other artist payouts for music and ambient nature sounds on digital streaming platforms.
“We strive to leverage our platform for good and inspire, engage and educate listeners and the wider community to take climate action,” Spotify’s sustainability lead Hanna Grahn said in a statement. “Sounds Right is a fantastic initiative, leveraging the power of creativity and music to support nature. We are proud to be part of such impactful organizations and creators, and that nature finally is getting the praise she deserves.”
The rep for Sounds Right says that since launching, the “Feat. Nature” project has raised approximately $300,000 through royalties and institutional and individual donations, which are separate from the philanthropic funding that’s been raised to cover program costs. The organization will publish an annual impact report to show how income generated by the project through royalties and donations is being used.
Sounds Right was developed by the Museum for the United Nations — UN Live, a Copenhagen-based organization that uses culture to create local action and global change in collaboration with a variety of climate-focused partners.
The Music Sustainability Summit (MSS) has announced programming for its next event, which is set to take place on Feb. 3, 2025, at Solotech Studios in Los Angeles. Produced by the Music Sustainability Alliance (MSA), the second edition of the conference will focus on solutions to climate change’s effects on the music industry, with special […]
Jacob Collier and Swedish alt-pop artist Aurora recently boarded a ship to the arctic to perform amid the glaciers.
In video, premiering today (Oct. 1) the duo play a mash-up of their two songs, Collier’s “A Rock Somewhere” from his 2024 album Djesse Vol. 4 and Aurora’s 2019 song “The Seed,” with the performance intended to raise awareness for ocean and climate protection.
“The moment I heard about an opportunity to jump aboard one of the legendary Greenpeace ships, head to Arctic waters, and sing a song with one of my favorite artists next to a mighty glacier, I knew I was signing up for something special,” Collier says in a statement. “What I hadn’t foreseen was quite how transformative and moving the experience would be, and how much it would teach me – musically, energetically and environmentally.
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“I was bowled over at the sheer magnitude of the Arctic – and also its deep fragility,” Collier continues. “We’ve lost two thirds of all the Arctic summer ice in the last forty years. It’s a shadow of its former self – yet it’s not too late for us to help.
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“We compete with each other as nations but we forget the one thing we all have in common,” adds Aurora. “If we keep interfering with the few untouched areas of this Earth, there will be no future. We have to stop deep sea mining. I hope our Prime Minister and the other world leaders will do what is right. Not for them, but for the children of the children.”
Greenpeace notes that millions of people around the world have signed Greenpeace’s petition calling for ocean protection. 32 countries currently support a deep sea mining moratorium, precautionary pause or ban on deep sea mining in the international seabed, which covers more than half of Earth. Greenpeace adds that 58 leading electric vehicle and technology companies have publicly committed to not source minerals mined from the deep sea, with this list including Google, Samsung, Apple, Volvo and BMW.
“We won a historic Global Ocean Treaty last year, which keeps our goal of protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 alive,” Dr. Laura Meller of Greenpeace Nordic says in a statement. “But governments now want to mine the deep. We won’t let that happen. We hope this collaboration will inspire millions of people around the world to join our mission to protect the oceans for future generations. We still have time, but governments must act now. They must protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 and introduce a moratorium on deep sea mining.”