Just six months since its release, “Feat. Nature' artist page on Spotify has generated significant funding for conservation organizations.
On Thursday (October 24) at the COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, organizers of the Sounds Right project — which launched the page on Earth Day in April — announced that $225,000 generated by the project will be given to agencies working to protect the Tropical Andes of Colombia, a region that boasts one of the highest rates of biodiversity and native species in the world.
Of this amount, $100,000 will go to Reserva Natural La Planada, which oversees 3,200 hectares of land protected and managed by indigenous communities. Elsewhere, Fundación Projeto Titi, which protects Colombia's cotton tamarin monkeys in a 900-hectare reserve, will receive $80,000 over two years. FundaExpresion will receive $35,000 over two years, with the money going to community-led initiatives securing 450 hectares of Andean forest, along with other local efforts. And Jacana Jacana, an initiative focused on music, education and ecological awareness for children, will receive $10,000 over a year.
The recipients were selected by the Sounds Right expert advisory group, which is made up of conservationists and indigenous rights activists. Says a representative of the project Bulletin board that the committee evaluated projects based on their proven models of ecological and community impact, with a “strong intent to honor communities whose lifestyles nurture vital biodiversity strongholds, but are often underfunded or overlooked.”
The promoters of Sounds Right also announced the addition of seven new tracks to the 'Feat. The NATURE Artist Page,” featuring contributions from artists such as Lykke Li, Ela Minus, AySay, Sam Lee, Alexis Taylor and Louis VI. The songs join a playlist that includes music by David Bowie with Brian Eno, Ellie Goulding, UK electronic outfit London Grammar, neo-soul and folk artist UMI with V of BTS, Indian artist Anuv Jain, Norwegian singer Aurora and more but. The total number of songs in the playlist is 24.
As announced in April, songs on Spotify “Feat. Nature' artist page incorporates sounds of the earth, fused ocean waves, wind, birdsong and other sounds of nature into original tracks and remixes. As of April, the playlist has generated more than 65 million streams from 7.5 million listeners in more than 180 countries, a project spokesperson said.
“Achievement. Nature” shares royalties with participating artists, with streaming revenue matched by other artists' payments for music and ambient nature sounds on digital streaming platforms.
“We strive to leverage our platform for good and inspire, engage and educate listeners and the wider community to take climate action,” Spotify's head of sustainability Hannah Gran he said in a statement. “Sounds Right is a fantastic initiative, harnessing the power of creativity and music to support nature. We are proud to be part of such important organizations and creators and that nature is finally getting the praise it deserves.”
Sounds Right's spokesperson says that since its release, 'Feat. Nature” project has raised approximately $300,000 through royalties and institutional and individual donations, which are separate from the philanthropic funding raised to cover program costs. The organization will publish an annual impact report to show how the revenue generated by the project through royalties and donations is being used.
Sounds Right was developed by the Museum for the United Nations — UN Live, a Copenhagen-based organization that uses culture to create local action and global change in collaboration with a variety of climate-focused partners.
