The Story Behind Evolution Music

Evolution or Revolution – The story behind Evolution Music

In a world where the global climate crisis demands urgent action, innovative initiatives are emerging across industries to minimise their environmental footprints. The music industry, with its history of producing physical records and contributing to waste generation, is no exception. Amid this challenge, the origins of a groundbreaking environmental venture lie with Roulette Media, a small record label and media company driven by the principles of permaculture ethics: Earth care, People care, and Fair share. Roulette is part of the Aspen Waite broader media world and sits proudly alongside its sister companies at Aspen Waite Music.

The inception of a Roulette ‘Earth Care Project’ can be traced back to co-founders Marc Carey, Steve Charter and Adrian Clarke. Inspired by the idea of harmonious coexistence with nature and society, Marc and Adrian brought permaculture ethics into the business utilising skills and expertise developed from earlier work with Steve.

While the label had been successful in adhering to the principles of ‘people care’ and ‘fair share’, the team realised they had yet to address the crucial aspect of ‘earth care’.

The pivotal moment arose when one of the artists under the Roulette roster began achieving breakthroughs, prompting the team to plan for an album release.

Adrian posed a crucial question that would change the trajectory of their business: “What about the ‘earth care’ element?” It was this inquiry that sparked the birth of the ‘Roulette Earth Care

Project,’ and led to the formation of a brand new entity – ‘Evolution Music’ - an ambitious endeavour to introduce sustainability into the heart of the music industry.

Recognising the urgency of environmental issues and driven by a desire to reduce their ecological impact, the team embarked on a journey to find solutions. The initial focus was on exploring alternatives to conventional plastic used in record production. After considering recycled plastics and bioplastics, they decided to place their bets on bioplastics due to their potential to address multiple environmental concerns and open up exciting possibilities for the industry.

With no other entities found to be exclusively dedicated to environmental solutions in the music industry, the Evolution Music (EM) team realised that a new company would be needed to single-mindedly pursue this noble cause. Thus, a new path was forged, and an arduous Research and Development (R&D) journey commenced. This involved finding the right partners and collaborators who shared their vision and objectives, as well as securing early-stage investments to propel their mission forward. The road to success was anything but smooth. The additional challenges posed by Brexit and the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic tested their resilience. This was exemplified when an incident with a courier company (during the pandemic era), where multiple packages were sent to different (incorrect) places simultaneously, symbolised the hurdles they had to overcome. However, with determination and the support of pressing plant partners, and industry changing organisations such as Music Declares

Emergency, and Brian Eno’s Earth Percent team, they persisted in their mission.

Bootstrapping their progress, the business relied on initial finances from supportive friends and ethical business contacts, coupled with grants and collaboration with like-minded partners. Sweat equity from the founders played a pivotal role in propelling the project forward, reflecting their unwavering commitment to this urgent project.

Throughout their journey, the EM Team have collaborated with numerous prominent entities in the music industry, including GZ Media, Vinyl Factory, Deepgrooves, Vinyl Presents, Press on Vinyl, Viryl Tech, Abbey Road studio engineers, Beggars Group, Ninja Tune, BMG/Bertelsmann/ Sonopress, HMV, AIM Climate Action Group, Music Declares Emergency, Earth Percent, BPI. They have also worked with some of the world’s greatest artists including Michael Stipe, Coldplay, Nile Rogers, Hot Chip, Robert Smith, Jacob Collier, Beatie Wolfe and many more

As the project continues to evolve, the music industry is taking a vital step towards a more sustainable future. EM’s dedication to earth care, people care, and fair share not only sets an example for others in the industry but also demonstrates how creativity and innovation can drive meaningful change in the face of environmental challenges. With their harmonious blend of art, ethics, and enterprise, they are amplifying the music industry’s role in caring for our planet, one bioplastic LP at a time.

So what is this ‘Bioplastic LP’?

Evolution Music has now emerged as a trailblazer, spearheading a groundbreaking initiative with their Evovinyl™ bioplastic LPs. Through meticulous research and strategic supply chain relationships, the company has unlocked the potential for a more eco-friendly future without compromising on quality or production efficiency.

The Evolution Music team recognised that traditional PVC LPs had a significant impact on the environment due to their non-renewable raw materials and lack of biodegradability. To address this, they focused on evolving the production process, making a pivotal shift by adopting bioplastics as a replacement for PVC. Unlike PVC LPs, the manufacturing process for Evovinyl™ bioplastic LPs remains fundamentally the same, with only the raw materials undergoing a sustainable transformation. With their commitment to sustainability, Evolution Music embraced complementary people and planet-friendly packaging for the Evovinyl™ LPs. This further reinforced their dedication to minimising the ecological footprint of their products from inception to delivery.

The Evolution team worked diligently with various pressing plants to ensure that the switch to Evovinyl™ was seamless and efficient. Extensive trials were conducted using different types of pressing machines to validate the viability of Evovinyl™ for commercialscale production runs. These efforts ensured that the transition to bioplastic LPs did not compromise the quality or productivity of the pressing process.

One of the remarkable features of Evovinyl™ is its ability to reduce energy consumption during production. Through lower production temperatures required for processing the Evovinyl™ material, the initial projects have demonstrated approximately 15% energy savings. In some cases, this energy-efficient advantage has translated to a substantial increase in output per hour during commercial-scale production runs, reaching up to an impressive 50% higher output.

Beyond the environmental benefits, Evovinyl™ sets a new standard for sustainability by creating virtually zero waste. Any leftover materials or trimmings from the manufacturing process are repurposed to create ‘Evovinyl regrind’ LPs. These regrind LPs maintain the same level of quality as their virgin Evovinyl™ counterparts, eliminating waste and contributing to a circular and sustainable production model. The product’s nontoxic nature, coupled with its industrially compostable attributes, further solidify Evovinyl™ as a true champion of eco-friendliness.

With the Evovinyl™ bioplastic LPs, Evolution Music Ltd has succeeded in delivering an all-encompassing solution to multiple environmental challenges. By addressing the issues of non-renewable raw materials, high energy consumption, and waste generation, Evolution Music is reshaping the music industry’s ecological impact for the better.

Their commitment to providing people and planet-friendly products and manufacturing options showcases a forward-thinking approach to sustainability. Through Evovinyl™, they have demonstrated that it is possible to strike a harmonious balance between artistic expression and environmental responsibility.

As Evolution Music Ltd continues to lead the way, it sends a powerful message to the music industry and beyond: the path to a more sustainable future lies in the hands of those willing to innovate, evolve, and take action for the wellbeing of our planet and its inhabitants.

RHONA HOPE • HEAD OF PEOPLE