It’s no secret that artists, poets, philosophers, and musicians have long contemplated music’s healing and unitive power. Jazz legend Louis Armstrong said, “music is life itself.” In an age where sustainability is at the forefront for many business leaders, it is not surprising that the music industry’s major players are checking in to see how they help heal the planet.
In December last year, major record labels Universal, Sony, and Warner and 12 other labels, including Warp and Beggars Group 15, founded and signed a pledge to examine and limit their environmental impact. The Music Climate Pact promises “To harness the power of the music industry towards inspiring transformational action on the climate crisis.“ Each member has committed to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. They also work with their suppliers and streaming partners to establish standards that promote sustainable, low-emissions modes of operation.
However, some founding members have taken it upon themselves to establish more ambitious emissions goals. The Secretly Group, responsible for labels like Jagjaguwar and Dead Oceans, pledged to become carbon positive by 2026. Beggars Group and Ninja Tune had already promised to attain carbon neutrality by the end of 2021.
The pact was formed in response to the COP26 Climate Summit and developed in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme. The objectives listed are backed by either the Science Based Targets program or the SME Climate Commitment. Each signatory discloses their progress to one of these organizations.
Members address greenhouse emissions using three scopes or categories to track emissions goals. The categories cover emissions that come directly from:
- The company (Scope 1)
- Indirect emissions like purchased electricity or gas (Scope 2)
- All other emissions associated with the company (Scope 3)
The majority of these labels are working to minimize their Scope 3 emissions. These efforts include talking to artists they represent about ways to become more conscious about their environmental impact and minimizing emissions from touring, vinyl manufacturing, and music streaming.
Although streaming services have made music consumption less expensive and operate at a lower per-unit carbon footprint than any physical medium, it currently is responsible for the most significant portion of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.
There are an estimated 524 million streaming subscribers worldwide with the ability to listen to songs all day.
To put it into perspective, as of December of last year, Good 4 U, one of the top singles from Olivia Rodrigo’s record-breaking album, Sour, has more than 1.1 billion monthly streams on Spotify and caused more than 2,800 tons of carbon emissions. Finding a sustainable way of producing music and sharing it with listeners is of utmost importance.
For the Music Climate Pact members and their partners in streaming and supply, it will be a demanding couple of years that will require massive restructuring. Despite the heavy load, these leaders have vowed to keep music a healing force.
