Green Guardians 2024: Coldplay, Pixmob, Showpower & more
Welcome to the first part of IQ Magazine’s 2024 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
This year’s list includes 22 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, and solutions providers, all of whom are working tirelessly to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business.
IQ will publish entries across all categories over the coming days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of IQ here.
In 2019, Coldplay said they would not tour again unless they could do so in a sustainable way. Having set ambitious targets to cut carbon emissions, the band confirmed this year that they had exceeded expectations as their Music of the Spheres World Tour continues to raise the bar.
When the tour was announced in late 2021, the band revealed a 12-point plan for cutting their carbon footprint, including a pledge to reduce emissions from production, freight, and travel by at least 50% compared with their previous A Head Full of Dreams stadium tour.
In June, the group announced they had smashed their target: “We’re happy to report that direct CO2e emissions from the first two years of this tour are 59% less than our previous stadium tour, on a show-by-show comparison,” the band said in a statement. “These figures have been verified by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.”
The ongoing trek has seen an 86% average return and reuse rate of LED wristbands, with 33 European shows powered entirely by a tour-able, recycled battery system. Additionally, over 20 partnerships with green travel providers have helped fans get to the shows via carbon-low transport, making an impact onstage and offstage.
Working with Coldplay and their ambitious green touring goals, PixMob developed the world’s first compostable wristband (the ultrabright 7-LED wristband) for the active Music of the Spheres World Tour.
The device is manufactured using a plant-based plastic derived from renewable sugarcane from Thailand. It is designed for refurbishing onsite using simple tools. Each wristband works for three shows, after which it requires a change of battery and sanitisation before being reused. At the end of the product’s life, the plastic casing is removed and decomposes in two months in an industrial composter or two years in regular compost. The electronics are sent to electronic recycling centres.
The company says that since launching its recycling programme, more than 3m wearables have been recycled, and PixMob’s touring crew has recovered over 86% of wristbands at each Coldplay show – a notable achievement as fans tend to keep them as souvenirs.
Coldplay, with the help of PixMob, reduced the carbon footprint of their Music of the Spheres Tour by 59% compared to their previous outing.
Netherlands-based Showpower Global has been working alongside ZAP Concerts to install and manage the SmartGrid battery power system on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour. The mobile touring system provides 100% of the band’s main stage with battery and renewable power, where available.
The team behind SmartGrid report that road-tested technology is greatly improving the reliability, efficiency, and performance of the machinery, which is being updated on a venue-to-venue basis.
For the recent European leg, Showpower first used SmartGrid in Athens before taking it to Bucharest, Budapest, Lyon, Düsseldorf, Rome, Helsinki, Munich, Vienna, and Dublin. The company says that consistently powering a major global tour with the same battery system while crisscrossing different countries is a world first for touring artists and stadium shows.
By the end of the European leg, the system had been deployed at all 33 stadium shows, proving its effectiveness for entire tour legs and making it a viable option for other sustainability-conscious touring acts. In addition, 10m tickets have been sold and 10m trees committed to being planted.
As one of a rising crop of young acts who are placing sustainability at the heart of their careers, Lime Cordiale are looking at every aspect of their activities to ensure they are minimising their carbon footprint. Working with Suitcase Records, they became the first Australian band to release an album, Enough of the Sweet Talk, on vinyl using EcoVin, a new low-carbon PVC that reduces the CO2 output of standard vinyl by 92.5%. The band is also working with US-based thrift store retailer Savers to produce merch on upcycled tees.
In partnership with FEAT.Live, a $1 Solar Slice from every ticket sold across the Enough of the Sweet Talk Tour will go towards decarbonisation and action on climate change, while on their upcoming UK and Europe tour, the band will travel on a bus running on fuel produced from HVO, reducing fuel emissions by up to 90%. To achieve this, the band’s tour bus supplier, UK-based Vans for Bands worked with their engineering team to ensure that the busses would run efficiently on HVO.
Vans for Bands also worked with their wholesale fuel supplier to ensure that the entire tour could be run on HVO, due to its limited distribution across Europe. It’s one of the very first times a tour has been run end to end on the emissions-reducing fuel.
FEAT.Live is an Australia-based, artist-led agency working to address climate change by using the music industry’s influence. The organisation aims to improve the environmental impact of festivals and tours by supporting sustainable practices through its Solar Slice ticket surcharge.
To date, FEAT.Live has promoted renewable energy by encouraging investments in large solar farms; solar and battery setups for backstage areas; hybrid lighting towers; and electric tour vehicles. Their Solar Slice projects have also supported bush regeneration, rainforest plant- ing, and ocean conservation efforts. Between 2024 and 2026, FEAT.Live plans to dial in on rewilding and restoration.
The agency is partnering with conservation groups to help meet the United Nations’ goal of restoring 30% of the world’s land and seas by 2030. They will help artists invest in First Nations-led projects to restore degraded landscapes and manage these areas long-term. Additionally, FEAT.Live is developing a project to help the live entertainment industry cope with the risks of extreme weather events.
EarthPercent is the music industry’s climate-focused foundation. It aims to make the planet a stakeholder in music by working with artists and industry groups who donate a small share of their revenue. This money is then used to support climate justice and environmental organisations.
To date, the foundation has distributed over $1m to its grant partners, guided by an advisory panel of climate experts, scientists, and youth activists. Artists like Moby and Swedish House Mafia have recently joined in, pledging a percentage of their earnings to the planet.
This year, EarthPercent launched Sounds Right, a multi-partner initiative that recognises nature as an official artist on streaming platforms. Artists including Brian Eno and David Bowie, Ellie Goulding, and Umi, V from BTS released tracks featuring the sounds of nature, whose streaming royalties fund her conservation via EarthPercent.
With more tracks being released later this year, this initiative is projected to raise $40m by 2030. The organisation is also expanding its Earth As Your Cowriter initiative, through which artists can credit the Earth as a collaborating songwriter, raising funds through publishing royalties.
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LGBTIQ+ List 2023: Hila Aviran, PixMob
The LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – IQ Magazine’s third annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.
The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s third Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.
To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.
Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Check out yesterday’s profile of Christina Austin (she/her), a music agent at UTA in the UK. The series continues with Hila Aviran (she/her), director of entertainment & tours at PixMob in the US.
Hila Aviran manages tours and concert experiences at PixMob and collaborates with artists and their teams to integrate the PixMob fan experience into their shows. PixMob engineers advanced visual effect LED wearables and designs immersive light shows that can be seen on shows with Bad Bunny, Elton John, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Karol G, Coldplay, and others. “I love the work I do, the creatives I work with, and the rush that comes with it all. If you’ve ever been in a Zoom meeting with me, you know I have an unhealthy sneaker obsession that I’m very proud of.”
Tell us about the professional feat you’re most PROUD of in 2023 so far.
With my amazing team at PixMob, my division alone has lit up nearly five million fans around the world this year. That’s five million memories that we’ve helped create through our technology and with the collaboration of the artists we work with. It’s hard to conceptualise until you stand at front of house and see it all come to life around you.
Name one queer act you’re itching to see live this year.
Kaytranada. We’re both from Montreal, and I remember seeing him perform at events in town nearly ten years ago. He’s supporting The Weeknd on his stadium tour that PixMob is a part of this summer. Seeing him go from venues in Montreal a decade ago to stadiums across Europe is going to be a trip.
What advice could you give to young queer professionals?
Once you show the world your true self, you open yourself up to endless possibilities because you can attract opportunities and people who value the real you. It takes a lot of strength to walk out into a world that often tells you that you don’t belong, but that strength is what can turn you into an unstoppable force in your pursuit of things that fulfil you.
“I wanted to play games with friends, so I signed up for it with the name “Furrygirl69” because the world was ending”
What’s the best mistake you’ve ever made?
Remember the app HouseParty that got super popular during the pandemic? While in isolation, I wanted to play games with friends, so I signed up for it with the name “Furrygirl69” because the world was ending, and who even cared at that point? Little did I know that it had sent out a mass invite to my contacts telling them “Furrygirl69 is inviting you to HouseParty.” This hilariously horrific mistake led to ice-breaker conversations with colleagues in the industry that I only knew on a very professional level, which (luckily) ended up developing into meaningful friendships that helped me stay sane through the pandemic.
In terms of challenges in the industry, what’s currently keeping you up at night?
There have been more open conversations around mental health, especially coming out of the pandemic, when our industry shut down, and people were forced to take a step back and take inventory of their personal and professional lives. I’m so happy that people are finally sharing a vulnerable part of themselves that most of us working in this maximum-stress/minimum-sleep industry can relate to. But I’d love to see solution-based approaches more widely implemented across all levels of the touring industry.
How do you see the live music business developing in the next few years?
I see our business integrating more technologies that’ll enrich all aspects of the touring world. Technologies that will help production crews stay healthy, safe, and happy, and others that will deepen the fan experience at shows.
“I see our business integrating more technologies that’ll enrich all aspects of the touring world”
Name one thing you’d like to see the live music business change.
I’d love to see more women in lighting, design, audio, rigging, everything. Sooner Routhier is one of the most brilliant lighting and production designers of our generation. Besides her unreal talent, seeing her manoeuvre this male-driven industry is inspiring. She commands every room she walks in but is collaborative and generous with her time and knowledge. She really embodies exactly the type of change we need in our industry – I’d love to see more people like Sooner backstage, in the front of house, on catwalks, and in the boardrooms.
Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
There should be room at the table for anyone who is willing to put in the work and go the extra mile. Anyone who sits at the table and pulls chairs away from other people based on sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity, or appearance, doesn’t belong at the table. It’s okay (and necessary) to call that out when we see it.
Shout out to your biggest ally in the live music industry.
PixMob. I came out seven years ago – just three weeks before my first day of work at PixMob. From day one, I was surrounded by so much support, love, and acceptance. The space they’ve created isn’t just safe – it’s empowering.
Do you support any LGBTIQ+ cause(s)?
The LOVELOUD Foundation, The Oasis Center in Nashville, and The Trevor Project.
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LGBTIQ+ List 2023: Meet this year’s queer pioneers
IQ Magazine has revealed the LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – the third annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business.
The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s third Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.
The 20 individuals comprising the LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee – are individuals that have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for an industry that we can all be proud of.
The third instalment comprises agents, promoters, tour managers, marketing executives, consultants, founders and more – all of whom identify as LGBTIQ+ and, in the face of adversity, have made enormous contributions to their respective sectors.
In alphabetical order, the LGBTIQ+ List 2023 is:
Christina Austin, music agent, United Talent Agency (UK)
Hila Aviran, director of entertainment & tours, PixMob (US)
Johanna Beckman, senior creative curator and promoter, FKP Scorpio Sweden (SE)
Amy Greig, booking agent, Runway Artists (UK)
Adem Holness, head of contemporary music, Southbank Centre (UK)
Kane Kete, client development manager, Ticketmaster (AU)
Ippei Kimura, booking/marketing/tour manager, Creativeman Productions (JP)
Katherine Koranteng, marketing & campaigns manager, Festival Republic (UK)
Stefan Lehmkuhl, freelance curator & live entertainment consultant, BMG/Ruined My Rainbow (DE)
Lucy Mackenzie McNae, tour manager (Josef, Twin Atlantic), Two and a Half TMs (UK)
Saskhia Menendez, innovator at Keychange, board of directors at F-List Music (UK)
Dev Mistry, global internal comms manager, DICE (UK)
Frederik Diness Ove, founder, Queer Music Agency (DK)
Boyan Pinter (Boiadjiev), founder/director, SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase (BG)
Scott Robson, event manager, ASM Global (UK)
Roman Samotný, director, Queer Slovakia (SK)
Marie-Christine Scheffold, senior booking agent manager, Selective Artists (DE)
Karim Siddiqui, senior booking manager, Live Nation (US)
Areti Tziorta, marketing manager, TEG Europe (UK)
João Pedro Viana, music agent, WME (UK)
Throughout the next month, IQ will be publishing full-length interviews with each person on the LGBTIQ+ List 2023.
Subscribers can read the full Pride edition now. Click here to subscribe to IQ from less than £8 a month – or see what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below.
Check out 2022’s cohort of queer pioneers here, and 2021’s cohort here.