Musicians credit planet Earth as a collaborator to raise funds for the environment

Climate change and environmental hazards are two key concerns in today’s world. With that in mind, the likes of legendary British musician Brian Eno have named the planet Earth as a contributor in their music making. The goal? To raise funds for the environment and divert a part of their royalties for a similar cause, i.e., to raise environmental awareness.  

Deemed as “a poetic construct…a beautiful idea” by Eno himself, the initiative is also backed by other notable English musical artists such as Dave & Stormzy, composer Fraser T Smith, solo artist Rostam Batmanglij, songwriter Anna Calvi, electronic duo Mount Kimbie, composer Gawain Erland Cooper, and multiple Grammy awards winner Jacob Collier. It is also supported by AURORA, the Norwegian singer-songwriter. In fact, all of them will continue crediting the planet in all of their upcoming composition and releases.   

For those curious, the initiative is the doing of EarthPercent, a non-profit founded and run by Eno with the sole intention of raising money through the music industry to fund environmental advocacy. In fact, the charity aims to raise at least 100 million dollars by 2030. They have also pledged to use this money to reduce environmental impact of the music industry, to restore nature, advance policy change and secure “climate justice and fair environmental stewardship” as stated by several media sources.  

While Smith hailed it as “a brilliant initiative…adding the Earth as a beneficiary on projects is not only a choice but a necessity”, Batmanglij hailed it as “an intelligent use of the income our intellectual property generates”. AURORA on the other hand, who is currently working on her next album on “interconnectedness and the art of coexistence” said that there’s no greater teacher than the Mother Earth. She even added, “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 would not be any such thing as music.” Bands like folk-rockers Big Thief has also promised to donate 1 percent of their tour profits to the foundation.  

For those wondering how music industry harms the environment, transportation of artists and their bands and heavy staging end up producing thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Then there’s of course the manufacturing of vinyl and other merchandise that has its own impact. In fact, with all these in mind, back in December 2021, three big labels as well as several independent artists had signed the Music Climate Accord vowing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 and 50 percent by 2030.