Musicians support sustainability with LIVE Green Clauses

LIVE (Live Music Industry Venues & Entertainment), a coalition of 15 live music organizations, has launched LIVE Green Clauses, a green contractual clause template for artists booking contracts.

An open letter to UK artists (full text below), invites them to support the initiative and to add their voice to a petition, advocating for a more sustainable live music industry. Signatories of the letter can participate in ongoing activity and media coverage if they wish, or they can implement sustainable action via the clauses privately and without making a public statement if they prefer.

Some booking agencies have pledged to propose the adoption of green clauses to their managers and artist clients using the template to draft their own.

Alongside the live green clauses template and open letter, LIVE Green created a LIVE Green Resource Hub, designed to respond to the content of the clauses, which highlights considerations for addressing each individual aspect, as well as additional resources.

LIVE Green is also supported by Earth Percent, A Greener Future, Featured Artist Coalition, Music Managers Forum, Julie’s Bicycle, Music Declares Emergency, Association For Electronic Music, Music Sustainability Alliance and Tour Production Group.

Live Green’s Open Letter To Artists

Dear Artists,

Fela Kuti said “music is a weapon of the future”. It has an unmatched power to transcend borders and ignite social change. It gives a voice to the voiceless, challenges the status quo, and inspires action. Throughout history, artists have harnessed this power to address critical issues and move the world towards a better future.

Bob Marley, with his anthems of peace and unity, used his music to fight against oppression and injustice in Jamaica and beyond. His songs became a soundtrack for movements fighting for social justice and equality, proving that music could be a powerful tool for social change.

The AIDS crisis saw music icons like Elton John and Freddie Mercury confront stigma and raise awareness through their art and activism. Elton John’s tireless fundraising efforts and Mercury’s courageous public battle with the disease helped shift perception and galvanise support for research and treatment.

Today, artists like Billie Eilish, Massive Attack, Bring Me The Horizon, Idles, Nile Rodgers, Coldplay, Aurora, Jack Johnson and Yungblud amongst many others are paving the way using their platforms to advocate for climate action. Engaging with their fans and communities to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote sustainable practices, collaborating with climate experts and research centres to highlight and assess the environmental impact of the music industry and inspire necessary change.

These artists, and countless others, demonstrate the profound impact that music has on our societies. They inspire us to be the change we want to see in the world, reminding us that music is not just entertainment; it’s a force for good, a catalyst for progress, and a powerful weapon in the fight for a better future.

Recognising this, LIVE Green facilitated a cross-industry, multi-stakeholder working group to develop and publish the ‘LIVE Green Sustainability Clause’ template for artist booking contracts, designed to encourage a greater degree of consideration towards sustainability efforts in live events. These clauses address crucial areas like energy, waste, food, merch and travel.

This is where YOU come in.

We invite you to now add your voice to a growing chorus of artists demanding a more sustainable live music industry.

By SIGNING THIS PETITION, you can privately send a powerful message: a more sustainable and ethical music industry is not an option; it’s a necessity, and is within our grasp. Or, if you like, you can opt-in to be mentioned in our press release and have us approach you with any media coverage opportunities.

The Live Green contract clauses can be viewed here.

Resources to help with the clauses can be found here.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of the Skyline Artists Agency