What will it take for the music industry to do? Live veteran Amy Morrison has ideas

On February 5, 300 North American music industry workers gathered at the inaugural Music Sustainability Summit to discuss the impact of climate change on their business. “People have always asked where to start, what to do and how to do it,” he says Amy Morrison, co-founder and president of the Music Sustainability Alliance, which organized the symposium. “We saw the need to bring people together so we don't duplicate work, share best practices and highlight the good work everyone is doing.”

Morrison formed the MSA 501(c)(3) nonprofit with co-founder Mike Martin during the pandemic and nearing the end of her 23-year tenure as senior vice president of marketing at Concerts West/AEG. While semi-retired, he still consults with the company and continues to organize tour marketing for the Rolling Stones, including their North American tour at Hackney Diamonds this summer. Closing the tour allowed her to complete a certificate program in sustainability at the Presidio Graduate School, and she now devotes most of her work hours to MSA. (The alliance is currently working with a nonprofit fundraising consultant to raise money to pay staff.)

MSA's mandate is to create “climate-focused professional and community resources,” Morrison explains. “It's a relatively simple idea, but nobody ever saw the need for it. The downtime we had to think during COVID was helpful and the timing now couldn't be better to step up and get everyone together to do this.”

The Music Sustainability Summit will be an annual gathering taking place in Los Angeles – where MSA, like Morrison, is based – the day after the Grammy Awards, and MSA will host a series of initiatives throughout the year and monitor environmental regulations that will affect the industry, the two most relevant being truck emissions and the phasing out of single-use plastics. It also offers a music industry resource guide.

By mid-April, MSA plans to have three to five working groups dedicated to promoting sustainability practices in the industry. Each will share actionable solutions and suggestions. In collaboration with the Eller College of Management, MSA is also conducting an analysis of the economic impact of extreme weather on the live industry and how environmental regulations will affect tour practices. Morrison is also a member of the Sustainable Production in Entertainment Certification Advisory Group, which is being developed by the US Green Building Council-Los Angeles in partnership with experts to develop SPEC's green certification program for workers throughout the entertainment industry.

Beginning in May, MSA will hold a series of webinars focusing on merchandise, the impact of food choices, easy ways to go green, regulations and incentives, among other topics. Also, plans are underway to launch quarterly member happy hours in Los Angeles and New York.

“I oversimplify things, which I think is a gift and a curse,” Morrison says, “but it makes me fearless and motivates me to try things because it's like, 'We can do this.'

It is often said that despite the fact that the music industry has very little impact on climate change, it has a large influence on culture that can be harnessed. What are your thoughts on this?

I agree as a general statement. I feel it's very important, however, that we get our house in order and that the industry can walk the walk, talk the talk with confidence, and be legitimate and authentic in getting that message out. I think this supports artists who want to speak out as well because they have the confidence that the industry is behind them.

MSA wants to build that trust. The mission is to have a zero music industry by 2050 [with] many milestones along the way.

What initiatives does MSA work with?

We are working on a Get Out the Vote task force. There is a lot of interest and it includes everything from message targeting, purchase decision and intent to activate young people to vote [with consideration for] climate. We also talk about how to use the channels we have: What can a venue do to get the word out? What can a promoter do? Then the campaign needs to be created so they actually have something to share. It could even be choosing a city that needs the impact and finding a local artist there [to get involved] which could make as much sense as getting a superstar to do it. We work with people who create campaigns, along with political experts.

You work in the tourism industry. What initiatives do you have in this area?

Over the next two months, we are launching a campaign to [tours] to have one less truck. It is about subverting the narrative that [the goal] no longer does the biggest tours with the most trucks — it's still a beautiful show, but with fewer trucks. This is something we can measure over time. It's a road from launch. We are also working on courses to train employees on how to be green, such as a certification you get on how to do your job in a green way. We need functional change, and it only comes from education.

What would such a curriculum teach?

It could be how to set up composting behind the scenes, or how to reduce supply chain and source items, or how to measure energy use. Really basic stuff, starting with the production side.

Because production has the biggest impact?

Yes, and it's easier to adopt. It is important for systemic change that the people who do the work, who really make the business hum, understand the work. And if their bosses or management see value in funding these types of programs, then it also comes from the top.

How do you see the music industry becoming greener in general?

I see it in the expansion of departments, with more people being hired and more resources being put behind it. [Live Nation’s touring program] Green Nation is starting to really empower its production teams to lead in the green space and put green coordinators on the road. It's not like, 'The runner or the [production assistant] I can do it.” There has been a shift in recognizing that this is actually a job.

MSA works with large companies that compete with each other. How was that?

We've found that in the world of production salespeople, it's a no-brainer. They are all game to be on the same calls and do things together. At the summit, the panel with the [sustainability leads from AEG, Live Nation, ASM Global and Oak View Group] it was a good start. A secret mission of mine is to find a project for the four of them to work on. Maybe find a town where everyone has real estate—I'm sure there's more than one—and work [climate-minded] infrastructure together. It can be a small thing to do as a proof of concept. I think the task forces will bring some of that because a lot of our role is to facilitate and convene and set the table for people.

I think part of the road map for us is to come up with some peer-reviewed scientific recommendation that we should take to the C suite and say, “Here are some projects where maybe, if all the venues work together, this is the impact it could have and all it's going to cost you is X, Y or Z.”

I can see how having options like this would be helpful for busy people who don't know where to start.

Maybe I'm dreaming, but they really have to work together on this, and I think they will, with the right projects and the right impact.

Climate change can be so overwhelming. How do you avoid existential dread and stay in a place of progress and optimism?

I'm a half full girl. I am an optimist and thrive on support, good work and success. The summit was amazing. I couldn't have dreamed of it being better. And they all still showed up during a crazy storm. There were many years of banging our heads against the wall around all of this, but change is happening. So I'm not driven by fear — I'm driven to make a difference.

This story will appear in the March 30, 2024 issue Advertising sign.