OUR vision
We want a healthy, equitable and liveable planet for generations to come
to achieve this, OUR MISSION IS
to unleash the power of music in service of the planet
the story so far
PART ONE: The seeds
EarthPercent first emerged in 2019, fresh from the minds of co-founders Adam Callan and Hiroki Shirasuka, two music managers on a mission to combat the climate crisis. Representing multiple artists touring globally, together they pondered the environmental toll of their industry. Seeking more than conventional carbon offsetting, they attended a ClientEarth event, discovering that preventing a coal plant's construction equated to planting thousands of trees, but at a fraction of the cost.
Teaming up with Brian Eno, they envisioned diverting a percentage of music industry earnings to impactful causes, initially considering a sole contribution to ClientEarth. Inspired to envision a broader impact, they imagined and agreed on distributing funds among a range of impactful, solution-based charities and organisations. Recognising the need for expert guidance, they enlisted grant manager Sarah Ditty to establish what would become our world-leading Expert Advisory Panel including some of the most renowned names in academia, activism, and policy making. The seeds were planted.
PART TWO: The roots
As the idea and mission of EarthPercent took root, the global pandemic pressed pause on the live industry, challenging our plan to build a grant-giving fund from 1% of touring income. Undeterred, we spent the following year tirelessly exploring alternative avenues within the music realm to raise funds, meeting and collaborating with organisations and individuals.
We rallied passionate and influential individuals from the music industry to join forces, forming the Founding Music Committee. Together, they envisioned artists contributing a portion of their merchandise revenue, forging partnerships for brand deals, and reimagining ways to tap into recording and publishing royalties. EarthPercent then publicly launched in 2021 as part of the Turn Up The Volume campaign.
PART THREE: The SHOOTs
A significant turning point came in 2022 when EarthPercent unveiled its inaugural Earth Day initiative. Over 150 established and upcoming artists were invited to donate previously unreleased or original tracks. Spanning genres and generations, these exclusive offerings were released on Bandcamp, generating initial funds for the first stages of our Grant Giving work, underscoring our dual commitment to both music and the planet.
In 2023 we launched The Earth As Your Co-Writer initiative, a ground-breaking campaign offering songwriters the opportunity to co-credit The Earth in a new composition, raising funds through songwriting royalties.
PART four
2023 proved to be the most effective and far-reaching year at EarthPercent so far, proving what a vital difference artists and businesses can make by recognising the Earth as a stakeholder. The smallest percentages can have an enormous impact on the planet. In 2024, we will push much further. Here is what’s to come:
Scaling up our work and growing our network of participating music organisations and artists. This is music’s moment. Let’s act!
We plan to double our income, continuing to support our existing grant partners as well as expanding to integrate up to five new organisations.
Moving ‘The Earth As Your Co-writer’ from pilot phase to full launch, opening up the opportunity for further songwriters and collaborators around the world to include the Earth as a beneficiary of their work.
Collaborating with UN Live, Spotify, Music Declares Emergency and a collective of partners to launch of Sounds Right: a new music movement to recognize the value of nature and inspire millions of fans to take action.
Our People
OUR EXPERTS
Our internationally recognised global experts help us to achieve our mission, ensuring vital funds lands with the most impactful organisations across the world.
OUR Team
Our team is small, but mighty. A group of music professionals and climate entrepreneurs, we are energised by our collective experience across both the music and environmental sectors.