HOW IT WORKS
EarthPercent gives opportunities for those across the music industry to raise vital funds for the planet.
We invite the industry to pledge ongoing donations or to raise funds through the existing mechanisms within music and through innovative fundraising campaigns. We use 100% of funds raised from artists and brands to power our Grant Giving programme, ensuring that impactful organizations receive the necessary resources to drive positive change.
THE Core % MODEL
EARTHPERCENT HELPS ARTISTS AND MUSIC-RELATED ORGANISATIONS TO PLEDGE A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THEIR INCOME TO CLIMATE CAUSES
Funds collected are distributed to the most impactful organisations addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency.
We’ve also made it really easy for anyone in music to make a difference through a number of simple but impactful solutions across the five key sources of revenue; live, recording, songwriting/publishing, merchandising and brand sponsorship.
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We work directly with touring artists so they can contribute a percentage of their live revenue automated via their booking agent or accountant. Artists like James, Ricardo Villalobos, Peach, Nick Mulvey, Aurora, Franc Moody, Shanti Celeste, Jack Johnson, Sam Lee and Louis VI work with us in this way. Others, such as Sam Ryder or Hot Chip, have generously offered a one-off live show with the planet as beneficiary.
Festivals, agents and promoters are also playing their part. AVA, Love International, We Out Here, Lost Village, MUTEK, Amigas, Bird on the Wire, PURE Represents, Poly Agency and many others have all joined EarthPercent to fund climate action via their shows and events.
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We are supported by distributors who contribute a % of their income, inviting artists and labels to join them.
Our work to generate royalties that can help invest in the future of our planet have also led us to innovate new campaigns. In honour of Earth Day ‘22 and ‘23, we collaborated with renowned artists to release exclusive music on a digital compilation via Bandcamp and on a new form of bioplastic Evovinyl available on our store.
On Earth Day 2024, we’re proud to be part of the Sounds Right campaign making NATURE an official artist for the first time.
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Launched in 2023, ‘The Earth As Your Co-Writer’ allows artists to directly credit The Earth in their new compositions. From lifting birdsong to a soothing river flow, our planet is perhaps our most sampled resource. ‘The Earth As Your Co-Writer’ acknowledges our planet’s natural influences, crediting it with copyright royalties. Our pilot scheme includes artists Aurora, Fraser T Smith, Laura Misch, Cosmo Sheldrake, Donna Grantis, Erland Cooper and others.
Songwriters can also support ‘The Earth As Your Co-Writer’ from their existing back catalogue, either via a letter of direction or direct donation. Get in touch with us to find out more.
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Merchandise is a vital income stream for artists, but creating sought-after items can also prove to be a challenge for sustainability.. We’re working with the industry’s merch partners to support essential innovation, strengthening the relationship of artists between both their fans and the planet.
Artists including Jacob Collier and The National have already incorporated a share for the Earth out of their merchandise revenue. We’re collaborating with BSI Merchandise, Everpress and Hawkr to explore what a more planet-positive approach to merchandise could look like.
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Auctions
EarthPercent has partnered with historic auction house Bonhams London to harness the generous donations of artists passionate about the planet. This includes The Cure’s Robert Smith and Gorillaz donation of a unique, customised guitar, raising over £35,000, and the sale of ‘Quiet Box’ by Hannah Marshall.
Corporate Fundraising
Organisations and individuals can easily choose EarthPercent as their chosen charity for fundraising. Warner Music UK selected EarthPercent as their charity of the year in 2023. Hylo Athletics challenged themselves with four ultra-marathons to raise funds.
One-off or Direct Debit Donations
Any musicians, organisations or members of the public can choose to make one-off or regular donations to EarthPercent at any time. Just click here.
Founding Donors
Becoming a ‘Founding Donor’ means you can support EarthPercent’s operations and help us invest organisations tackling the climate emergency. More info here.
WE WORK WITH EXPERTS
100% of donations from artists go into our Grant Giving Fund, ready to be redistributed to the most impactful organisations addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis. Every grant we make is vetted by our Expert Advisory Panels: an international, multidisciplinary, multi-generational, and diverse group of scientists, academic researchers, economists, climate communicators, youth activists, community organisers and policy makers.
TO fund 5 key action areas
1. Greening the music industrY
2. Just Energy Transition
3. Climate justice
4. Legal and policy change
5. Protecting nature
Our Campaigns
EARTH DAY
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In 2022, we launched our first global fundraising campaign on Earth Day with 123 musicians donating an exclusive or unreleased track for a digital compilation on Bandcamp.
In 2023, we hosted another EarthPercent x Earth Day campaign, this time including 3 limited edition releases on Evovinyl alongside the digital compilation.
THE EARTH AS YOUR COWRITER
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In Feb 2023, we announced the pilot of a groundbreaking initiative to adopt the construct of the Earth as a songwriter and legal beneficiary of music royalties. 'The Earth As Your Co-writer' enables songwriters to identify our planet as a co-writer and in doing so help raise funds for climate justice and environmental organisations.
SOUNDS RIGHT
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Sounds Right is a global music initiative from the Museum for the UN – UN Live, developed and delivered in close partnership with EarthPercent and musicians, creatives, nature sound recordists, conservationists, and organisations from across the globe. Read how EarthPercent help govern the Sounds Right Conservation fund here.