Music industry Eco-Conference Announced

From IQ. Issue 16: Q1 2008, p. 9.

The first extensive body of research to examine the environmental impact of the UK’s music industry will be revealed at a conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London on 18 April.

Run by music industry greening group Julie’s Bicycle, the conference will call on delegates from the music and wider creative industries to reduce their carbon footprint, with the research forming a key part of its future strategy.

The paper, researched and compiled by the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, is examining the industry supply chain to identify where there is capacity to reduce its footprint, and how. It includes estimates of how much CO2 is crated per concert ticket and CD.

Julie’s Bicycle, launched in July 2007, will publish its research before making initial recommendations to the industry, but it is already trialling a ‘SWITCH OFF’ strategy for music and theatrical stage lighting. Backed by PLASA, the National Theatre in London and Live Nation, the pilot scheme concerns dead time between performances: the hours between 2.00pm and 6.00pm when lights are burn on but the performance has not begun.

Alison Tickell of Julie’s Bicycle says, “We’re also working with Transport for London to research audience travel to events, in order to deliver a programme of environmental audits for music companies, as well as establishing an industry working group to build consensus and agree joint action plans, and providing training for sole traders, artists and community-based companies.”