LIVE adds green clauses to boost sustainability
UK trade body LIVE has announced a groundbreaking sustainability initiative aimed at driving the adoption of greener working practices across the board.
The scheme will introduce a contractual clause template for artists booking contracts, with the goal of galvanising industry-wide action and transforming the environmental impact of live events.
The initiative was led by the organisation’s expert working group, LIVE Green, which is headed up by Carol Scott, principal sustainability advocate at live experience company TAIT, and Ross Patel, LIVE Green’s impact consultant.
Scott says the move “marks a significant step forward for the live music industry”.
“This is an industry initiative written by the industry for the industry,” says Scott. “As with everything LIVE produces, this work is intended to be for the benefit of all and will be free to access via www.livemusic.biz. We hope the clause template will be adapted as necessary and subsequently adopted far and wide, stimulating awareness and conversation.”
Patel adds that the template represents “a true collaborative effort across the entire ecosystem of live events”.
“There is a moral obligation to do the right thing for our communities and to use our cultural platforms to help ensure a fair and just future”
“There is a moral obligation to do the right thing for our communities and to use our cultural platforms to help ensure a fair and just future,” says Patel. “By sharing this piece of work and emphasising the cross-industry collaboration that has been crucial to get us to this point, we hope the wider industry, artists and audiences feel inspired and empowered to accelerate positive change within their spheres of influence.”
The clauses focus on key action areas of; waste, energy, water, food, merchandise and audience travel to make live music more sustainable and drive the adoption of greener working practices across the board. They include contributions from a cross industry stakeholder group, which included promoters, agents, artists, managers, venues, festivals, sustainability consultants and production company representatives, among others.
Global talent agencies have indicated they will propose to their clients the adoption of green clauses (using the template to draft their own), as an opt-in alongside independent agencies such as ATC Live and Pure Represents.
“ATC Live are proud and excited to be a part of this long-needed initiative and to have worked with LIVE to create this clause,” says Olivia-Jane Ransley, director of operations at ATC Live. “We hope that its inclusion in contracts will not only raise awareness but also create some impactful change within the industry.”
Paul Winteridge, president of The Entertainment Agents’ Association, which was one of the original member associations to initiate discussions on the introduction of a Green Clause, says its members will be early adopters of the suggested wording.
“Each member agent will adapt the clause to suit the wide range of live entertainment performances wherever possible, from live music to theatre shows,” he says. “We are grateful to the work of LIVE for its collaborative approach to green issues, and we are proud that the music and entertainment industry is playing its part in actively working towards reducing carbon footprint and emissions.”
“These resources show that both the artists and the sector can adopt and implement any clause or measure in a flexible way”
Ensuring a fully joined up approach to the initiative, major promoters including SJM and Kilimanjaro have also confirmed they will encourage the inclusion of the clauses.
“At Kilimanjaro Live we are delighted to be part of such a positive leap forward in tackling the environmental impact that live music can have,” says Zac Fox, Kilimanjaro Group COO. “It’s thanks to the collaborative set up of LIVE that this has been achieved as it will take all elements of this industry working together to make a change.”
Alongside the clause template, LIVE Green has also created a LIVE Green Resource Hub, which highlights considerations for addressing each aspect of the clauses, as well as further resource and guidance from sustainability experts in the industry.
The work has garnered further industry support from live events accessibility charity Attitude is Everything, as well as the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Featured Artists Coalition (FAC).
“Attitude is Everything is proud to be part of the LIVE Green industry initiative,” says the organisation’s founder Suzanne Bull MBE. “What’s important about the initiative is that there are a range of resources provided alongside the Artist Commitment clauses. These resources show that both the artists and the sector can adopt and implement any clause or measure in a flexible way.
“The toolkit that we created with Julie’s Bicycle and A Greener Future, ‘No climate action without us – how to include disabled people in live event sustainability’ takes a similar approach to having flexibility in its solutions. We’re pleased that our toolkit has been referenced as part of the initiative”.
MMF CEO Annabella Coldrick says: ‘For music managers, ensuring live touring is as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible represents a major challenge. This initiative from LIVE Green offers a pragmatic step to help tackle those challenges, and ensure there is a joined-up approach across the industry to set new standards. It has the full support of the MMF’.
David Martin, CEO of the FAC, also backs the initiative, adding: “The FAC fully supports the LIVE Green Clause. The environmental challenges we face are among the most critical issues confronting society, and it’s vital that the music industry leverages its collective voice to raise awareness and drive meaningful change. These clauses offer a practical roadmap for reducing the environmental impact of touring and improving sustainability within our sector.”
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LIVE CEO Jon Collins on next steps for key issues
Jon Collins, the recently appointed CEO of live music industry umbrella group LIVE, has spoken to IQ about sustainability, diversity, consumer confidence and the spiking crisis, in the second instalment of a two-part interview.
In the first part of the interview, published last week, Collins discussed his approach to tackling VAT reduction, government engagement, post-Brexit touring and the cost of living crisis.
Here, the CEO sets out the remainder of his key priorities and his plan of action for each, going forward.
“We’re out of the habit of going out and we need to find ways to get people back out”
Consumer confidence
We’re post-Covid restrictions but still dealing with the impact they’ve had on customers’ confidence to go out to gigs. We’re just finalising some consumer research which found that 14% are reticent. And there is still that tranche of people who did go to gigs beforehand and are saying they’re not quite there in terms of being comfortable to go out. The average person is holding 2.3 tickets from events that have been rolled over so they’re waiting to go to those events before buying something else – in some cases because they don’t have as much disposable income.
You’ve got 55% whose attitude towards attending gigs, in general, has changed – with 20% of those saying they’re going to fewer events overall. Not having as much energy to go out and not thinking about going out counts for 15% each, and 13% say travelling to events now feels like a lot of effort. We’re out of the habit of going out and we need to find ways to get people back out.
One thing we would like the government to do is to encourage people to come out. I think it’s Spain where they gave people a couple of 100 euros to go and spend in their local economy. That drives activity, which drives tax take, so there’s demonstrable value there. But beyond that, we also think there could be a positive communications campaign, a bit like Let’s Do London. We’re world-class at live music, so let’s bang the drum about it.
“We’re looking to do is build out a Green Information Hub which will have the information there in an understandable way”
Sustainability
Live Green chair John Langford has done a brilliant job of corralling everybody around that net zero by 2030 commitment. There’s a whole workstream that flows out of that about how can LIVE support the organisations on our board to then support their members to be able to hit that target – which is not that far away.
There are lots of passionate, informed expert actors in this space – such as Earthpercent, Julie’s Bicycle, Music Declares Emergency etc – and we’re not going to claim to have the same level of knowledge and understanding – but what we do have is an ability to broadcast to the live music industry in an effective way through our structures. So what we’re looking to do is build out a Green Information Hub which will have the information there in an understandable way, sometimes drawn from our own auspices but often we will just be signposting to those brilliant organisations.
I feel very encouraged by how serious LIVE, and the organisations within LIVE, are taking this issue and also by the practical steps that they are taking to really reshape how the industry operates for things like green riders – which is an addendum to an artist’s contract. We’re looking at putting something around sustainability into the contract itself because once both parties have signed that, there’s no wiggle room.
“There’s a risk that diversity, equity and inclusion become a talking shop… we’re pivoting to focus on actions”
Diversity
There’s a risk that diversity, equity and inclusion become a talking shop. It’s so broad that you can be paralysed. We’re pivoting away from talking about the issues to focusing on actions. The first step is looking at how we diversify the entrance into our industry. We know that there’s huge vacancy across all parts of live music, across broader hospitality, so actually, there’s sound commercial and economic logic to asking: are you looking at the most diverse talent pool possible? By doing that we foster a more diverse, inclusive workforce. You have to supplement that with action taken for people mid-career too and action taken for people who have stepped away from the industry but want to come back. So as ever, these things are multi-dimensional.
Drink spiking
We’re doing an immediate piece of work right now with the home office around spiking and tackling that threat within the wider context of delivering safe spaces. It’s such an opaque issue and the evidence base is very difficult to get to. Some people say it’s being underreported and other parties say it’s been overreported. What we care about ultimately, is the safety of our customers. So what we want is to make sure is that we tackle spiking in a way that doesn’t suck resources away from spotting vulnerable people in other circumstances.
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UK live sector commits to reaching net zero by 2030
The UK’s live sector has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by the year 2030, as part of a new campaign to deliver climate action.
The campaign, spearheaded by LIVE Green – the sustainability arm of live music umbrella trade body LIVE, will set out a roadmap for how live music businesses can accelerate their transition to a low carbon future in line with the Paris Agreement.
The initiative will also provide research, expertise and cross-industry innovation in order to support the sector’s transition to a regenerative future, and will aim to ensure meaningful climate investments are made to achieve the sector’s collective targets.
All 13 association members of LIVE – including AIF, MVT, NAA and CPA – have ratified a voluntary sector-specific commitment to deliver measurable and targeted action on climate change.
“We are now at a tipping point for our climate: this is not a rehearsal”
Signatories of the ‘Beyond Zero Declaration’ agree to:
· Work with LIVE Green to set reduction targets and reduce operational and business travel Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, reporting on progress annually.
· Develop a net-zero roadmap and action plan – taking responsibility for actions in energy, waste, procurement, transport, food and governance.
· Understand and define emissions within value chains, follow best practice to affect change in areas outside of direct control and collaborate with suppliers and clients to reduce them.
· Ensure staff undertake climate education and have an ongoing commitment to knowledge sharing within the live music sector and beyond.
Members of Live Green’s working group include Julie’s Bicycle, AGreenerFestival, Powerful Thinking, Vision: 2025 and The Tour Production Group.
John Langford, AEG Europe COO and chair of LIVE Green, says: “We are now at a tipping point for our climate: this is not a rehearsal.
“Although there has been significant progress across the live music sector, now is the time to accelerate our efforts”
“We want to tap into the power of music to help deliver a step-change in the environmental impact of our sector – from carbon emissions through to plastic waste – helping us demonstrate that moving faster towards decarbonisation is a route to a competitive advantage.”
Tom Schroeder, Partner at Paradigm Talent Agency, added: “There can be no shying away from the environmental impact of our global business, and although there has been significant progress across the live music sector, now is the time to accelerate our efforts.
“By bringing together the active specialists and initiatives under one banner, LIVE Green is pioneering a means to fast-track decarbonisation across the sector through education, awareness and tangible action. We look forward to building on the sector’s progress so far, to make our low carbon future a reality.”
LIVE builds on significant efforts across the sector to boost sustainability, ranging from the end of single-use plastic at festivals to sector-wide efforts to reduce the environmental impact of touring.
The Beyond Zero Declaration was revealed at today’s (16 September) Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI), followed by a discussion between Langford, Stuart Galbraith (Kilimanjaro Live), Clementine Bunel (Paradigm), artist Sam Lee and Chiara Badiali (Julie’s Bicycle).
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Natural Resources to help you go greener
Whether you’re looking for environmental consultation to make your event greener or accreditation to show off your sustainability, below are a slate of organisations around the world dedicated to improving and verifying the sustainability of the events sector.
These organisations provide knowledge, resources, and best practice for event organisers, artists, suppliers and vendors – meaning that the first step towards a more sustainable sector doesn’t have to be the hardest.
Australia
Sustainable Event Alliance
Based in New South Wales but with partners all over the globe, the Sustainable Event Alliance (SEA) unites live events professionals who are focused on improving the sustainability of the sector. In addition to its online knowledge bank, the SEA’s activities include accrediting sustainability professionals, helping events become greener, and providing spaces for networking and discussion.
Germany
GO Group
Green Operations Europe, known as GO Group, is a pan-European think tank that aims to inspire industry professionals to make their operations greener, smarter, and more sustainable. Initiated at the first International Green Events Conference in Bonn in November 2010, as a joint initiative of Yourope (the European Festival Association), Bucks New University in the UK, and Jacob Bilabel and Holger Jan Schmidt’s Green Music Initiative, the organisation connects festivals with scientists and environmental initiatives; delivers workshops and contributes to panel discussions; organises festival field trips; and helps certify Yourope’s member festivals as Clean’n’Green, among other activities.
The Netherlands
Green Events International
Formed in 2014, Green Events works with Dutch and international partners to share knowledge, resources, and best practice for event organisers, artists, suppliers, vendors and more. Its areas of focus include water, energy, transport, and waste, with past projects having included the Plastic Promise, which saw leading festivals commit to eliminating single-use plastics, and ADE Green, a ‘green deal’ for European festivals launched at Amsterdam Dance Event 2019.
Norway
Greener Events
Greener Events, in full the Greener Events Foundation, was established in 2009 by international snowboarding ace Terje Håkonsen, and businessman and philanthropist Jan Christian Sundt. Offering environmental consultation and expertise in making events sustainable, Greener Events has worked with events including Tons of Rock, Øya Festival, Hove Festival, and Way Out West in Sweden, and consulted for Yourope and the European Festival Association.
United Kingdom
A Greener Festival
A Greener Festival (AGF) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the sustainability of the events sector. In addition to its annual Green Events and Innovations Conference – which returns for a special summer edition on 16 September – AGF provides certification, training, CO2 analysis, and consultation for organisers, venues, tours, artists, festivals, sports, suppliers, and local authorities for all event types internationally, and also presents the annual International AGF Awards.
LIVE Green
Chaired by John Langford, COO of AEG Europe, LIVE Green is one of four newly formed specialist subcommittees for Live music Industry Venues and Entertainment (LIVE), the umbrella organisation representing 13 UK live music industry associations. Bringing together the leading sustainability practitioners across the sector to produce a single environmental vision for live music, it sits alongside LIVE Touring, LIVE Venues, and an as-yet unnamed group focusing on diversity and inclusion.
SiPA
Sustainability in Production Alliance (SiPA) is a global association of individuals and organisations across the production sector, including stage managers, manufacturers, tour & production managers, venues, producers, engineers, and technicians, who are working towards creating a sustainable future for the industry and a ‘triple bottom line’ of people, planet, and profit. It offers a range of resources free of charge to industry professionals, including ‘ten easy wins’ that can be implemented as a starting point today.
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