Coldplay, Live Nation and Hope Solutions among industry leaders ...

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Environmental Solutions Initiative (MIT ESI), with the support of Coldplay, Warner Music Group, Live Nation and Hope Solutions, has announced the assembly of an advisory committee made up of more than 50 members with expertise in live music and the broader events industry.

Among the committee members are TAIT president projects Brian Levine, Coldplay co-manager Arlene Moon, OVG international president Jessica Koravos, Live Nation president & CEO Michael Rapino, Depeche Mode manager Jonathan Kessler and ASM Global chief sustainability officer Lindsay Arell.

The committee has been formed as the group prepares to enter the next phase of its Assessment Report of Live Music and Climate Change in the US and the UK.

Artist Ellie Goulding, who is also on the committee, said, “As I’ve been saying for many years, we urgently need data-driven action on climate and nature breakdown in every area. This is the first time a study like this has taken place at this scale, including all the different parts of the industry ecosystem, from artists and promoters to management and labels and I’m really pleased to support that level of collaboration.”

Members of the committee were selected based on their areas of expertise across core sectors including venue management, tour management and production, artist relations, and sustainability. Their insights, data and expert perspectives will bed fed into the report with the aim of ensuring that the proposed strategies are relevant and practical in implementation,

“With the participation of the advisory committee and contributions of data from various sources, we are well on our way to producing a significant contribution to knowledge that can support meaningful actions to address climate change,” said MIT ESI director prof. John E. Fernandez.

Additional contributions will come from organisations, NGOs and charities that work within the live music ecosystem including REVERB, Support+Feed, Julie’s Bicycle, Global Citizen and Client Earth.

The report, which was initially anticipated to be complete in July 2024, has been extended to allow for more comprehensive data collection and analysis. It is now expected to be released in the autumn of 2024.

The group said the aim of the report is to:

Develop a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between live music and climate change. Identify key areas where the industry and concert goers can make tangible improvements to reduce emissions and drive planet-positive outcomes. Provide a detailed analysis of the latest developments in technology and practices that industry players can tap into.

The report will seek open contributions of data from those with field-specific knowledge that will ultimately be used to suggest sector-specific and industry-wide decarbonisation solutions. Those looking to contribute data to the report should email [email protected].

Advisory committee members include:

Adam Hatton, Founder and Managing Director of Global Motion Ltd. Adam Met, Executive Director, Planet Reimagined, Member of AJR Alex Pollock, Artist Manager & Touring Consultant, Baron Global Ali Viles, RF Engineer, Coldplay Andrew Thornton, Production Manager, Harry Styles / Shawn Mendes Arlene Moon, Co-Manager, Coldplay Baz Halpin, Production Director, Silent House Brian Levine, President, Projects TAIT Caius Pawson, Founder of YOUNG and Murmur Chris Kansy, Production Manager / Concert Touring Industry Ciaran Flaherty, Tour Director Global Touring, Live Nation Clyde Lawrence, Bandleader/Producer/Songwriter for Lawrence, Co-Founder of SB Sound Solutions Inc. Danielle Magalhaes, Global Climate Action Team Lead, UNFCCC Danny Rukasin, Manager, Billie Eilish Dick Massey, Production Coordinator, Billie Eilish | Tour Manager, Finneas Craig Jones, Director, Circular Ecology Ellie Goulding, Artist Frederic Opsomer, Vice President PRG Global Scenic, MD PRG Projects | Member of the “Major Tom” sustainability initiative Glenda Yoder, Associate Director, FARM AID Harlan Frey, EVP of Touring and Artist Development, Atlantic Records Jaime Nack, President, Three Squares Inc. Jared Braverman, SVP Touring, Live Nation Jason Bailer Losh, Director of Environmental, GCL/ Rock-it Cargo Jean-Oliver Dalphond, Partner & CCO, PixMob, formerly ICLEI Jessica Koravos, Co-chair, President OVG Joel Eriksson, Tour Manager, Fred Again.. Jonathan Kessler, Manager, Depeche Mode (Baron Management) Jordan Cohen,Tour Manager, Producer, Musician in Lawrence | Co-Owner of SB Sound Solutions Jordan Wolosky, COO & General Manager, AG Artists, LLC Jules Davis, Operations and A&R Manager, AG Artists, LLC Josh Javor, Partner & Co-Head of London Music Department, WME Kristen Fulmer, Head of Sustainability, OVG, Director, GOAL Kyle Devine, Professor and Head of Research Training, Department of Musicology. University of Oslo Lesley Olenik, SVP, Global Touring Live Nation Lindsay Arell, Chief Sustainability Officer, ASM Global Lucy August-Perna, Head of Sustainability, Live Nation Luke Howell, Founder & Director, Hope Solutions Madeleine Smith, Director ESG, Warner Music Group Mandi Frost, Co-Manager, Coldplay Mark Wong, Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow Matt Brennan, Professor of Popular Music, University of Glasgow Matthias Christner, Head of Innovation, D&B Audiotechnik Max Tischler, Sustainability Manager, Jack Johnson Music Meghan Tierney, Senior Manager, Live Events, Sustainability, AEG Michael Rapino, President & CEO, Live Nation Molly Hawkins, Creative Director, Harry Styles Prof Neil Thomas MBE, Founder & Director of Atelier One Nicole Massey, Production Manager for Billie Eilish and FINNEAS Paul Johnson, Creative Design Director, NeonBlack Design Paul Schurink MBE, Co-founder, CEO Showpower Paul Traynor, Stage Manager / Head Electrician, Coldplay Phil Harvey, Manager, Coldplay Rebecca Travis, Tour Manager, RT Tour Management Limited (Florence + The Machine, Gorillaz, various others) Professor Richard Betts MBE, Head of Climate Impacts Research, University of Exeter Rob Scully, Director, ZAP Concepts Robert Hewett, MD, Stagetruck Robert Kyncl, CEO, Warner Music Group Robin Shaw, Co-Founder, Upstaging, Inc Rosemary Enobakhare, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Policy, and Strategic Engagement, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Sooner Routhier, Production Designer and Creative Producer, The Playground Steve Heaver, CEO, Involved Group Tadia “T” Taylor, Live Event Producer, Talent Buyer, Music Equality Activist, W.O.Q.E.- Women of Qolor Entertainment Tina Farris, Tour Director/Programmer/Producer, Goodtime Girl Media Tom Chauncey, Partisan Arts, Agent / CEO Tom Schroeder, Executive Vice President, Wasserman Music Tom See, President, Live Nation Venues Tony Smith, Sound Designer, Audio Director for Coldplay