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2024 saw some fantastic moves towards sustainability for the music industry as climate change becomes a primary concern in the industry.

The ever-pressing issue of climate change becomes more critical each year. So, it’s emboldening to see progress within some of the world’s biggest industries. The music industry saw some heartening moves towards a greener future in 2024.

In this article we’ll present some of the biggest news in music’s move towards ecological sustainability in the last year. If you’re aware of some green progress in the music industry that we’ve left out then share the good news in the comments below.

Live Music becomes greener

Live music is an essential part of the industry and a special part of music. However, it can’t be denied that the huge live music industry has an environmental impact.

In 2024, Live music companies have been progressing their efforts to make shows greener. Music industry body Live set up their “Green and Sustainability Clauses for Artist Contract” in 2024 focusing on greener practices in the live industry. This includes energy use, water reduction, water management, eco-friendly merch, and how audiences travel to festivals.

The two biggest live music companies, AEG and Live Nation, made moves to reduce energy impacts focusing on power sources. Thanks to their efforts, Lollapalooza became the first major festival in the U.S to power their mainstage using battery power. Of course, there are questions over the sustainability of switching to batteries as long as they require fuel-powered generators to function.

AEG/Goldenvoice have therefore been experimenting with greener battery systems using clean generators, biodiesel, solar, and other more environmental solutions. They claim that their effort saved over 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel at their Portola Festival in San Francisco this year. Now, imagine all festivals begin to make those savings every year!

Eco vinyl

With vinyl sales soaring in the US and at their highest since 1990 in the UK, making vinyl better is important. Vinyl records are made with plastic and take a lot of energy to print, therefore their sales returns whilst great for artists are not so good for the earth.

Thankfully, vinyl production is getting better. The Naked Record Club are one vinyl producer making better records. Their innovative injection-moulding machine uses up to 90% less electricity than traditional pressing machines. They also use PET, an energy efficient plastic material that is recyclable.

Cups for good

Reusable cups are becoming more and more commonplace, reducing the huge waste of throwaway plastic and other materials used at bars and vendors. Schemes like cup deposits encourage returns of reusable cups and a surcharge to the initial cup price encourages attendees to keep hold of theirs.

Huge venues such as L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena and Peacock Theatre have been transitioning to reusable cups this year. The aforementioned Portola festival in San Francisco also implemented reusable cups, noticeably reducing the cup-laden landscape after the weekend.

The founder of one resusable cup company, Michael Martin of R. Cup, says that the cups are not only more sustainable, being useable for up to 300 times, but also create local jobs, as they requre a nearby washing facility.

Better merch for better artists

Merchandise is a huge bonus to artist’s career providing extra income and promotion that fans display proudly to the world. But producing custom items at a price that makes them both feasible to produce and price realistically for fans to buy means that often merch production comes at an environmental cost.

Thankfully there are more options each year, like switching from cheap cotton to organic cotton or bamboo. Recycled polyster is also a better chocie, often being made from plastics that would otherwise be thrown away. Choosing eco-conscious vendors is an important factor, companies will likely advertise when they use eco-friendly options as it becomes more of a prescient desire.

Managing director of Bravado International Group, David Boyne says: “The deamnd for more sustainable merchandise is coming from both sides – artists and consumers. In many cases, artists are aware this is not only important to them but to their fans and they use their influence to accelerate industry change and catalyse new types of products.”

Music’s biggest climate collectives make progress

Two huge collectives within the industry have been progressing towards greener goals for music. The Music Industry Climate Collective (MICC) is made of the 3 major labels. Their goal is to gain insights into their impact and collaborate on how to reduce their carbon footprint whilst bringing transparency to their practices.

This year’s examples include the launch of Billie Eilish’s new album with UMG. Her album launch saw 100% recycled black vinyl and Eco-Mix or BioVinyl used for records.Packaging was made completely from post-consumer waste. Eilish’s merchandise was also all produced using “deadstock” from previous productions, with organic cotton or recycled polyester and non-toxic dye inputs.

The Music Sustainability Alliance (MSA) is a broader group containing stakeholders, artists, managers, venues, promoters, and more. Their focus is on bringing sustainability to all aspects of the industry from the ground up. Their first ever Music Sustainability Summit took place this year in Los Angeles.

The MSA have been connecting with players across the industry with president Amy Morrison stating they’re creating a “pre-competitive environment” to focus on producing sustainability aside from business competition. They have been hosting free webinars to educate the industry on climate action. Their next Summit will take place in February in an even bigger location.

We’re thrilled to see a year of significant moves towards a healthier music industry that works for the planet. There is always more to do and we hope that 2025 brings even more progress in the music industry and beyond.

Find out how you can do your bit to push your music towards a sustainable career in our article below.