Lorde's 'Solar Power' and How Musicians Can Enact Environmental Change
By Jas Calcitas
As many sectors of society have become increasingly involved in creating a sustainable future, it comes as no surprise that the music industry has been trying to follow suit. It is a difficult task — most of the music industry either relies on physical goods that use many natural (and unnatural) resources or digital means that end up using energy. An industry such as music has an astronomical amount of power, as I would like to imagine most people listen to music on a daily basis, buy concert tickets, or even create their own. In fact, according to a study in 2015, 93% of the U.S. population listens to music more than 25 hours a week; this number has probably increased since then. So, exactly how is the music industry trying to change its ways?
A couple of weeks ago, Billboard published an article on Lorde’s commitment to environmentalism through both her music and music distribution. Her team recently announced that instead of producing CDs for her upcoming album, Solar Power, they will distribute a “Music Box”: a completely biodegradable box containing exclusive photos, handwritten notes, and a download card in lieu of a CD. The card also contains bonus tracks, as an incentive to her fans.
Now, this environmentalism doesn’t come as much of a shock considering the album itself is “thematically focused on the natural world.” Lorde even describes her personal commitment to the environment over the last couple of years coming through in her professional life. She is hoping for her merch to be sustainable too. In the Billboard article, she states:
I realized I had no idea where my merch’s cotton came from, for example, or who was stitching it, or if it was new or recycled… and once I started digging into [details] like that, I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t in good conscience ask my supporters to buy t-shirts without knowing I’d done everything I could to make them a little better for the environment. Don’t get me wrong, buying new stuff isn’t good for the environment. But I knew there’d be demand, and I wanted to feel like I could stand up tall behind the supply.
Lorde isn’t the only artist omitting CDs from album rollout. This year, many hip-hop albums reached the Billboard charts without a CD. Taylor Swift’s Folklore debuted at No. 1 without a CD release, even though the physical goods were released the following week. So many smaller, and especially new, artists only have their music via streaming — CD copies don’t even exist.
It makes one begin to think about exactly how much unsustainable practices go into the music industry. Personally, it becomes a snowball effect; I think about CDs and merch, and all of a sudden I’m contemplating buying a ticket to a festival where hundreds of tour buses running on diesel fuel will be parked behind the stages and where I’m very likely to see a graveyard of scattered plastic cups on the grass. There are a lot of components that one doesn’t even think about.
So many unsustainable practices go into touring. The buses running on fuel across the country are one thing, but think about every plastic water bottle sold at a concert; all the power and electricity used to amplify sound and light the stage; all of the merchandise sold; all of the garbage on the floor when the lights turn back on. Now multiple those aspects by 20, 30, 40 shows.
Now, to stop touring all together might not be the answer as well. Larger artists can afford not to tour if they so choose, but smaller artists need the tours for profit and exposure. I think about how many previously-unknown smaller bands I’ve seen live, either on their own or opening for another artist, that I love now that I got the chance to get to know their music. Plus, live performances are fun, and in my opinion, a vital part of the human experience. The energy that comes from a concert is unparalleled. Concerts don’t need to stop — how they are touring does.
While doing research, I came across a company called REVERB that aims to promote sustainable practices for tours and venues. This company partners with musicians, festivals, and venues to promote sustainability and mitigate environmental destruction associated with touring. This includes offsetting carbon emissions, eliminating plastic water bottles, and recycling hundreds of tons of materials. While legislation needs to be put in place to truly create a more sustainable future, companies with power like this are doing good for the planet by reaching a wide audience and simply encouraging mindfulness within the entertainment industry.
Lorde says she hopes to inspire other artists to take a more sustainable approach with distribution. I hope that larger musicians see the power they have to actually enact change, not only with their merchandising and distribution decisions, but with their voices and opinions. An artist as huge as Lorde has so much influence just by using her voice, which I applaud her for doing. I would love to see more artists follow her lead to helping create a more sustainable future for the music industry. ◆