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MAKING TOURING SUSTAINABLE Paradigm director and agent Tom Schroeder is one of the key executives driving the sustainability agenda in the UK’s live music business. He outlines why the broader business must buy in....
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e all need a break. I really need a break. The last 12 months have been testing in every facet of our lives and I cannot wait to be on holiday, in the sunshine and warmth, and later in the year, in the snow. I can’t wait to escape London and the UK. I deserve it and I am sure you do too. And I am not going to feel guilty about that either. I know air travel is bad for the environment, but I need to escape from time to time. Covid-19 has shown us all that we need to live our lives, as we just don’t know what is around the corner. So, why am I starting an article about sustainability and climate change by saying this? Because there remains a preconception that unless you live a perfect carbon neutral life, you can’t be part of the climate change debate, least of all part of the solution. And that just isn’t true. And I need you onboard. Live touring and the movement of production and people around the globe – which is absolutely what I do for a living – is horribly damaging for the planet. We, as an industry (and I am talking the entire industry from touring to labels to broadcast, etc) are so far behind the rest of the world. We are
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about to start looking incredibly stupid – that is, unless we do something about it. Saving the planet for our children and theirs should be adequate motivation for us all to get on with this – but if it isn’t, and I really am not judgemental on this, then get motivated by the fact that live touring, in particular, is not ‘sustainable’ in its present form. We cannot continue touring as we have been pre-Covid. Here are some of the reasons why. All of them will turn our business upside down, much in the way that Covid has. The artists. They are the bosses, and it is their decision how and when they tour. But their fanbases will not tolerate huge carbon consumption with complete disregard for the consequences. Personally, I believe that this applies to both young people as well as the older generation, who are now thinking about their grandkids and their legacy. As we all know, this will be directed at the acts themselves. Unless we address this, it will impact sales. To give you a perspective on the power of the public on these matters – Greta Thunberg’s profile has risen from nothing to literally mobilising millions of kids with a tweet, over the course of just two years. So the length of a normal first album cycle…
