Eno, Jacob Collier, and others name the Earth as co-writer of songs

Brian Eno, Jacob Collier, Dave and Stormzy producer Fraser T Smith, and Anna Calviare are among a growing group of musicians naming the Earth as a co-writer of their music to divert an ongoing portion of royalties towards environmental activism.

Mount Kimbie, Rostam Batmanglij, Erland Cooper, and Aurora have also joined the effort coordinated by the non-profit Earth/Percent. Some, including Big Thief, have pledged to donate 1% of touring revenue to the charity to help offset their own environmental impact.

Eno calls the effort “a poetic construct … a beautiful idea.”

“Many within the music industry want to do something to address the climate crisis but simply don’t know how, which is why Earth/Percent is working with scientists and experts to identify and fund the most promising solutions.

Aurora told the Guardian:

“I am currently writing my next album – it’s an album about interconnectedness and the art of coexistence. There is no greater teacher than Mother Earth. There is no greater home or provider. There is no better place than Earth. And that is why I want to make this whole album with Mother Earth as a co-writer because without her there wouldn’t be any such thing as music.”

Eart/hPercent’s goal is to raise $100 million by 2030, and to direct the funds in “ways to reduce the environmental impact of the music industry, as well as restoring nature, advancing policy change and securing ‘climate justice and fair environmental stewardship.”

Learn more and get involved at EarthPercent.org.

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