IMPACT REPORT 2024
This report celebrates the transformative impact of our grantgiving initiatives, showcasing how our support is driving meaningful change for the planet through music and climate action.
A MESSAGE FROM BRIAN ENO
At EarthPercent, we want to help everyone in music who cares for our planet – and for all our futures on it – to find each other. Although the climate movement is the biggest movement in human history, its size and energy is not yet obvious because we're disconnected and don't all know about each other.
We do know, however, that all the things we value - including our ideas and our talents - grow out of a whole ecology of communities and places and the mother of everything is our planet and the nature that’s part of it.
So we invite you to celebrate the planet as an artist, a co-worker and a colleague. Through initiatives such as The Earth As Your Co-writer or Sounds Right – which recognises nature as a recording artist – we have poetic ways of reminding ourselves where it all comes from, and beautiful ways to give back.
It’s time to say thank you to the planet. Together we can create a secure and long-term income stream for the people and organisations defending nature, preventing environmental harm and fighting for climate justice.
Thank you,
Brian Eno Patron & Co-Founder
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We are the music industry’s climate foundation – and our mission is to unleash the power of music in service of the planet.
What does that mean in practice? Since 2021 we have worked with artists and music businesses to develop innovative and creative ways of embedding the planet as a stakeholder in music.
As a result of these efforts, in 2024 we raised and distributed $725,000 to 18 organisations working to tackle the ecological emergency.
Furthermore, there is now planet-positive work taking place across the industry, resulting in:
NATURE being recognised and rewarded as a recording artist
Songs being composed with the Earth credited as a co-writer
Festivals baking in ways to give back to the planet
Artists leading action for the Earth alongside their labels and publishers
Extensive programming on nature and climate issues at events across the sector
And, critically, music doing what it is so uniquely placed to do: contributing to imagining and creating healthier and more equitable futures.
Through collaborating with musicians, music businesses and music-related organisations we fund impactful conservation and climate justice organisations, help supercharge environmental innovation in the music sector and support artists in the advocacy they are passionate about.
We believe that by including the Earth in everything from the artistic output to the business structures, we can contribute to building a responsible, resilient and regenerative music sector –that is truly sustainable in the widest sense, for generations to come.
CARING FOR OUR PLANET IS A COLLECTIVE ENDEAVOUR
We believe passionately in collective action –providing spaces for meeting others and sharing ideas, growing the movement alongside our partners, and finding joy in this work together.
The EarthPercent team is privileged to collaborate with many wise and wonderful folks across music, ecology and business.
MUSIC COMMITTEE
The heart of a network of brilliant people inviting others to join this movement and helping to develop creative structures for people to take their first steps in support of the planet.
PUBLISHING ADVISORY BOARD
Co-created The Earth As Your Co-writer and continues to advise on the challenges and opportunities for The Earth to be a beneficiary within publishing, songwriting and sync.
EXPERT ADVISORY PANELS
“Joining EarthPercent both as a committee member and as a donating artist has been one of the most important decisions of my career. The work they do is vital, and being part of it gives my work greater meaning. This is an organization that can make a genuine difference in the fight to protect our planet and keep our industry moving in a sustainable direction.
Danny Trachtenberg
Grant giving under each of our Action Areas and for the Sounds Right Conservation Fund is stewarded by a diverse group of climate and conservation scientists, researchers, activists, communicators and policy-makers. This ensures that the funds we raise go toward efforts that provide tangible, longterm benefits to nature and people’s lives.
SUPPORTER NETWORK
From Founding Donors who support EarthPercent’s operations to artists and music business stakeholders giving back to the Earth, our supporters are a vibrant, welcoming, inspiring group of individuals and organizations determined to make a difference. They get involved by donating a small percentage of income, gifting a song or share of royalties, including a pledge for the planet in ticket sales, playing a one-off special show or contributing items for auction.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Our Board oversees EarthPercent’s strategic direction and governance and promotes EarthPercent’s mission in the music industry and beyond.
GRANT PARTNERS
We aspire to deep partnerships with our grant partners, helping to advocate for their vital work as well as providing financial support –and in turn learning from them and sharing stories of their impact with the widest possible audiences.
OUR STORY AT A GLANCE
THE SEEDS
Adam Callan and Hiroki Shirasuka team up with Brian Eno to create an organization that could divert a percentage of music industry revenues to impactful, solution-based climate and environmental organizations.
THE ROOTS: OUR LAUNCH
EarthPercent launches in April 2021 with a vision of artists contributing a percentage of their revenues, created with the help of our Founding Music Committee.
THE SHOOTS: EARTH DAY
On Earth Day 2022, EarthPercent unveil our inaugural Earth Day initiative: over 150 artists donate 100% of funds from previously unreleased or original tracks, raising money for the first stages of our grant-giving.
OUR FIRST GRANTS ROUND
EarthPercent launches in April 2021 with a vision of artists contributing a percentage of their revenues, created with the help of our Founding Music Committee.
EVOVINYL
In September 2022, EarthPercent and Evolution Music release the world’s first commercially available bioplastic 12" LP, featuring Michael Stipe and Beatie Wolfe.
THE EARTH AS YOUR CO-WRITER
On Earth Day 2023 we launch a groundbreaking initiative offering artist the opportunity to co-credit The Earth as a songwriter in a new composition, raising funds for our grant partners through publishing royalties.
$1 MILLION IN GRANTS
Our grant-giving distribution reached the huge milestone of $1 million granted in early 2024.
SOUNDS RIGHT
2022 2020 2021 2022 2022 2023 2024 2024
In April 2024 the Sounds Right initiative, a collaboration between the Museum for the UN - Live, EarthPercent and other global partners, launched NATURE as an official artist on streaming platforms, whose royalties fund her conservation.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024
2020 THE SEEDS
Adam Callan and Hiroki Shirasuka team up with Brian Eno to create an organization that could divert a percentage of music industry revenues to impactful, solution-based climate and environmental orgganizations.
2022 OUR FIRST GRANTS ROUND
EarthPercent launches in April 2021 with a vision of artists contributing a percentage of their revenues, created with the help of our Founding Music Committee.
2022 THE SHOOTS: EARTH DAY
On Earth Day 2022, EarthPercent unveil our inaugural Earth Day initiative: over 150 artists donate 100% of funds from previously unreleased or original tracks, raising money for the first stages of our grant-giving.
2021 THE ROOTS: OUR LAUNCH
EarthPercent launches in April 2021 with a vision of artists contributing a percentage of their revenues, created with the help of our Founding Music Committee.
2022 EVOVINYL
In September 2022, EarthPercent and Evolution Music release the world’s first commercially available bioplastic 12" LP, featuring Michael Stipe and Beatie Wolfe.
2023 THE EARTH AS YOUR CO-WRITER
On Earth Day 2023 we launch a groundbreaking initiative offering artist the opportunity to co-credit The Earth as a songwriter in a new composition, raising funds for our grant partners through publishing royalties.
2024 SOUNDS RIGHT
In April 2024 the Sounds Right initiative, a collaboration between the Museum for the UN - Live, EarthPercent and other global partners, launched NATURE as an official artist on streaming platforms, whose royalties fund her conservation.
2024
$1 MILLION IN GRANTS
Our grant-giving distribution reached the huge milestone of $1 million granted in early 2024.
OUR GRANT GIVING
GRANT GIVING STRATEGY EXPLAINED
HOW WE FUND
Flexible, strategic, and long-term funding lies at the heart of E/P's mission and defines our relationships with the organizations we support. Our trustbased approach empowers our grant partners with the freedom to adapt swiftly to emerging needs, capitalize on opportunities, and maintain essential operations We’re pleased that our grants can cover vital expenses such as salaries and office costs that are essential for sustainable impact yet often challenging to raise funds towards EarthPercent is committed to supporting both grassroots and established organizations, enabling them to drive substantial, lasting change in the fight i li hange
OUR 4-STEP GRANT PROCESS
Our four-step grant-making process is simple, yet rigorous. By staying in close contact with the sector and a network of organizations working in our key action areas, we identify those that would be a good fit, invite them to apply, conduct due dilligence, and then finally work with our Expert Advisory Panels to approve and onboard. Once all four steps are completed, funding is granted to the approved organizations to put to work for our planet.
“The issue of climate change sadly isn’t going away, and so as creatives, to feel as though we’re able to give back, by adding Earth as a beneficiary on projects is not only a choice, but a necessity”
Fraser T Smith
WHAT WE FUND
JUST ENERGY TRANSITION
We fund efforts to end the use of fossil fuels, prevent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and support renewable and citizenpowered energy in order to limit global warming.
PROTECT & RESTORE NATURE
We fund projects that prevent and reverse deforestation, pollution, desertification, habitat destruction, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss. We support efforts to restore wilderness and agricultural practices that remove carbon from the atmosphere and lead to healthier food.
We recognize that addressing the climate crisis requires diverse solutions. To maximize impact, our strategy focuses on 5 Action Areas:
CLIMATE JUSTICE
We fund approaches that bridge the gap between social justice, gender equity, and climate change. We fund organizations that support grassroots led efforts to build resilience in communities that are most affected by the climate crisis.
GREENING MUSIC
We fund organizations that create tools and guidance to help those within the music industry reduce their climate & environmental impacts.
LEGAL & POLICY ACTION
We fund efforts to change the laws, economic drivers and systems that have created and contribute to the climate crisis.
OUR NEW ADVISORY PANEL STRUCTURE
“This year, EarthPercent has restructured its Expert Advisory Panels, moving from a US- and UKbased model to a global approach with dedicated panels for each of our five Action Areas.
This new structure enables each Action Area to benefit from expert panel members with deep, specialized knowledge on that focus. With members including leading scientists, academic researchers, economists, climate communicators, youth activists, community organisers and policy makers, the intention of EarthPercent is to place knowledge at the centre of it’s ambitions. We remain committed to ensuring that each panel is diverse across generations, disciplines, regions, identities, faiths, and perspectives, embracing an intersectional and inclusive approach. The breadth and depth of expertise within our panels reinforce E/P’s credibility and signal to our donors that our funded partners are trusted, impactful, and engaged in transformative work.
In late 2024, we initiated consultations with each of our expert advisory panels to further define and develop our grant-making strategy for 2025 and beyond.
“EarthPercent is part of an essential movement to direct critical funding towards climate action that achieves just and sustainable outcomes, emphasising supporting new and different initiatives. We are not going to navigate this planetary scale crisis without novelty and experimentation, whether social, political, economic or technological. I am excited to be working with an organisation that understands that.”
Lauren Hermanus - Co-founding Director, Southern Transitions
OUR 2024 GRANT PARTNERS
£30,000, towards helping events, festivals and venues become more sustainable.
COOLEARTH ACTION
“E/P funding has supported: the delivery of multiple sustainability courses in the UK and abroad; the launch of a new “Green Guide”; Collaboration with Act1.5, Liverpool City and UNFCCC at the Expedition1 industry summit; as well as ongoing sustainability assessments and Co2 analysis for over 80 events and venues.”
£60,000 towards using the law to hold polluters accountable for the climate and nature crises.
“This year began with a £2m funding gap, but thanks in part to EarthPercent’s funding, we closed the gap and launched new cases, including a greenwashing lawsuit against BlackRock and action against Germany for breaching EU pesticide rules. We also had wins including saving Portugal’s Tagus Estuary from a new Lisbon airport and safeguarding Lake Vico from toxic hazelnut fertiliser.”
£30,000 towards the Rainforest Lab project.
“Earth Percent’s funding has helped to enable the implementation and continuation of rainforest labs in Peru and Papua New Guinea. These labs are essential in providing access to critical satellite data and alerts about rainforest and the threats they face, preventing deforestation. This project directly contributes to Cool Earth’s mission to back people, protect rainforest and fight the climate crisis.”
CRITICAL FREQUENCY NETWORK
Needs redesigning
£36,500 towards a women-run podcast network holding the oil industry accountable.
“E/P funding has contributed to our Information Pollution project, which has focused over the past several months on a series called Denial to Delay, focused on false solutions and corporate capture of international climate negotiations.”
GLOBAL GREENGRANTS FUND UK
£40,000 towards grants for grassroots-led efforts to protect the planet and the rights of people.
“E/P funding has supported our mission to channel resources to comm on the frontlines of climate change and environmental degradation to p
CLIENTEARTH
WHO ARE CLIENTEARTH?
Use the power of law to bring about systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants by informing, implementing and enforcing the law, advising decision-makers on policy and training legal and judicial professionals.
EARTHPERCENT’S SUPPORT
Supporting since: 2022
2024 grant: £???
The partnership and funding from EarthPercent have been crucial in enabling this new strand of work to happen. Forest Work
Total grant to date: £130,000
What this funds: Grants pool and core costs - unrestricted support.
ACTION AREA
CLIENTEARTH’S IMPACT
A highlight for this year is a second court victory against the UK government for its inadequate climate strategy, after a first win in July 2022. In May 2024, the High Court ruled that the government’s revised Net Zero strategy still failed to meet the legal requirements of the UK Climate Change Act, relying heavily on unproven technologies and vague proposals. Both rulings required the UK government to draw up a revised plan, ensuring that the government legally must take real, credible action to address the climate crisis.
Recently, EarthPercent and Jacob Collier have funded
ClientEarth’s forest work in the US to explore groundbreaking legal intervention targeting industrial animal agriculture companies and their financiers for their role in climate, environmental, and human rights violations in Latin America.
£25,000 towards the expansion of the LIVE Green coordinator role.
“E/P funding allows LIVE to employ a dedicated LIVE Green Impact Consultant who is able to accelerate and expand our work as a forum for the live music sustainability sector, support the work of our members and partners and drive forward our own priorities (as defined by the LIVE board and members of LIVE Green).”
MUSIC DECLARES EMERGENCY
£40,000 towards making cultural and operational changes needed across the music industry.
“The funding has been a key pillar in supporting our ongoing NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET campaign and in establishing the fan facing element of that campaign, the NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET Movement. With the campaign slogan having now been seen by over 553 million music fans worldwide, we have used the power of our headline to develop the Movement, a climate aware community of music fans committed to taking action.”
Needs redesigning
£40,000 towards work to catalyse a just transition away from UK oil and gas production.
“The support we’ve received from E/P has helped us to achieve our objectives as it has allowed us to respond quickly to emerging opportunities in a volatile political context. It has enabled us to amplify the powerful movement we’ve built across the UK opposing new oil and gas, creating political space for the new government to commit to ending new oil and gas licensing in its party manifesto. This movement is also bringing attention to our legal challenges against Rosebank.”
£20,000 towards supporting the outdoor events industry’s journey toward net zero.
“E/P funds in 2024 have enabled Vision:2025 to lead on sector-changing research, collaboration and action in the UK outdoor live events space: The successful Green Events Code of Practice (GECoP) pilot with 10 local authorities and 60 events has resulted in a work-able blueprint for national minimum environmental standards, and pathway to national adoption. The Show Must Go On report#3 has brought the sector together to develop a Climate Transition Plan 2030, helping shape future climate action.”
£40,000 towards advocacy work across a range of pertinent ocean issues.
“In 2024 we have: grown our team and brand (we now have 2 staff and a growing team of dedicated volunteers); leveraged funding from new sources; undertaken key activities in support of a moratorium on deepsea mining; and completed the first leg of The Ocean Hope Expedition in Mexico. E/Ps funding has made ALL the difference to our work.”
YOUTH CLIMATE JUSTICE FUND
£50,000 towards grants and capacity development for young climate justice leaders.
“EarthPercent's strategic partnership has strengthened YCJF’s staff, refined our MEL processes, and improved operational efficiency, enabling faster funding delivery. We’ve scaled donor advising to support youth climate justice initiatives globally. This year, we funded 60+ partners across 40+ countries with $1.7M, advancing our goal to allocate $100M to youth-led climate initiatives by 2030.”
WE ALSO MADE THE FOLLOWING GRANTS AT THE END OF 2024, AND WILL BE PLEASED TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THEIR IMPACT IN NEXT YEAR’S REPORT:
FUNDAEXPRESION
Towards community-led initiatives securing 450 hectares of self declared nature reserves with local farmer communities in the Andean forest.
SACRED HEADWATERS ALLIANCE
Towards the Alliance of 30 Indigenous nations in Ecuador and Peru with a shared vision to permanently protect 86 million acres of tropical rainforests.
Towards work with youth impacted by incarceration in Yanaguana/ San Antonio, Texas, advocating for the right to a healthy and clean environment. CHARLES ROUNDTREE BLOOM
Towards supporting farmers to scale the planting of regenerative ocean crops.
Towards an initiative blending music, community knowledge and scientific insights to nurture ecological awareness among children and youth.
Towards the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, providing the global roadmap needed to halt the expansion of fossil fuel.
Towards empowering the music business to leverage its platform to tackle the climate crisis.
Towards the protection of Colombia’s iconic cotton-top tamarin monkeys and 900 hectares of reclaimed forest reserve.
Towards promoting scientific tourism and protecting biocultural heritage within 3,200 ha Awá Pialapí Pueblo Indigenous Reserve.
MUSIC DECLARES EMERGENCY
WHO ARE MDE?
MDE brings together artists, music industry professionals and music fans to call for an immediate governmental response to the climate change emergency to protect all life on Earth.
EARTHPERCENT’S SUPPORT
MDE’S IMPACT
This year the NMOADP Movement has grown its membership to reach a total of 12,000 music fans committed to climate action, thanks to involvement with six UK festivals and collaborations with key partners like the BRITs, which saw the NMOADP message and movement front and centre for attendees in the room and followers online.
The key advantage of your funding is its nonrestrictive nature. By allowing us to make the decisions on how the money is spent within an agreed framework you create the freedom to make the right decisions at the right time and remove the bureaucracy that restrictive funding creates.
Supporting since: 2022
2024 grant: £???
Total grant to date: £95,000
What this funds: Core costs and the expansion of the No Music On A Dead Planet (NMOADP) movement.
Lewis Jamieson, Chief Executive Officer, Music Declares Emergency
ACTION AREA
A climate conscious music community, the NMOADP membership programme gives voice to fans en masse in the climate debate through monthly climate action challenges and competitions, as well as offering the opportunity to be actively involved in growing the movement's membership by volunteering at festivals. Developing an ever-greater share for climate action in the music conversation, MDE believes that the campaign's advocacy power continues to influence practices and is helping to drive the innovation we're seeing in the music sector and beyond.
EarthPercent look forward to developing our collaboration with Music Declares Emergency in 2025 to strengthen our shared purpose.
MAKING THE EARTH A STAKEHOLDER IN MUSIC
SOUNDS RIGHT
Sounds Right, launched in Earth month, is a music initiative to recognise the value of NATURE and inspire millions of fans to take environmental action. EarthPercent are proud to have been a vital part of the team that, for the first time, made NATURE an official artist on streaming platforms. Now it's possible for people to help raise money for conservation by just listening to NATURE’s sounds and songs on streaming platforms. Royalties from streaming are redirected to our Conservation Fund, and our Expert Advisory panel chooses the recipients.
WHO IS INVOLVED IN SOUNDS RIGHT?
NATURE is featured on songs with the likes of David Bowie, Brian Eno, UMI & V of BTS, Anuv Jain, Ellie Goulding, Louis VI, Aterciopelados.
EarthPercent is a proud partner of Sounds Right led by Museum for the United Nations – UN Live and delivered in partnership with music, acoustic ecology, conservation, and campaigning organisations. Global partners include:
/LD Comms
/Limbo Music Music
Declares Emergency
/earthrise
/nº 29
/AKQA VozTerra
/The Listening Planet
/Biophonica
/AXUM
/Hempel Foundation
/EG
/CAN
/Rare
/Count Us In
183
Countries
100 Songs ft. nature sounds
25 Songs ft. NATURE the artist
37K
Followers of NATURE
74M+
Spotify streams
513K
Playlist adds
8.18M+
Listeners
AWARENESS
Coverage in 458 media outlets with a potential audience of 3.6 billion
Millions of SoMe impressions from artists and Sounds Right
THE SOUNDS RIGHT CONSERVATION FUND
With royalties raised via NATURE the artist, grants will be made through the Sounds Right Conservation Fund in support of nature's conservation and restoration.
Efforts of the fund are focused on key landscapes, chosen for their exceptional biodiversity. The landscape chosen for the project’s pilot grants round was the Tropical Andes, aligning both with the global spotlight on Colombia during COP16 and the very roots of Sounds Right, conceived in Colombia by UN Live and VozTerra.
The Sounds Right Conservation Fund will distribute funds raised towards the world’s precious and precarious ecosystems
Amplifying proven models of ecological and community impact:
The fund will award grants to biodiversity conservation and restoration initiatives that employ rights-based approaches. Projects will be selected based on:
(i) Proven models of ecological impact
(ii) Monitoring, learning and evaluation frameworks
(iii) Organisational capabilities
Targeting
precious and precarious ecosystems:
Initial regions of focus were identified based on a weighted prioritization of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots according to levels of biodiversity and endemism:
(i) Tropical Andes
(ii) The Atlantic Forest
(iii) Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands
(iv) Indo-Burma, India, and Myanmar
(v) Sundaland
(vi) Philippines. Though instructive, these are not exclusive - the Fund is exploring how artists may direct royalties to priority ecosystems.
Governed by conservation practitioners, scientists, and leaders:
The fund will be overseen by an independent Expert Advisory Panel, consisting primarily of Global South conservationists. The Panel collectively holds expertise in conservation science, rightsbased approaches (including advocacy for the rights of communities and Indigenous Peoples), as well as conservation focused program implementation, strategic advisory, and fund management.
DESIGN NOT COMPLETE
In under 6 months since the initiative launched, the first projects were identified, with a total of $225,000 directed to the Tropical Andes; a Key Biodiversity Area with some of the highest rates of biodiversity and endemism on the planet.
Reserva Natural La Planada
$100,000 OVER 2 YEARS
Towards promoting scientific tourism and protecting biocultural heritage. The reserve protects 3,200 ha of lands, nurtured, and governed by 10 indigenous communities within the Awá Pialapí Pueblo Indigenous Reserve.
Fundación Projecto Titi
$80,000 OVER 2 YEARS
Towards the protection of Colombia’s iconic cotton-top tamarin monkeys and 900 hectares of reclaimed forest reserve in partnership with local farmers strategically restoring forest corridors.
Fundaexpresión
$35,000 OVER 2 YEARS
Towards community-led initiatives securing 450 hectares of self declared nature reserves with local farmer communities in the Andean forest, community biomonitoring programs, and economic agro-biodiversity initiatives to diversify farmers’ incomes.
$10,000 OVER 1 YEAR
Towards an inspiring initiative blending music, community knowledge and scientific insights to nurture ecological awareness among children and youth.
Jacana Jacana
THE FFNPT
FOSSIL FUEL NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
A project of the Treaty, This Is Our Home is a group of indigenous Pacific islanders using music to tell stories and advocate for a fossil free future.
In June, we were stunned by their performance at an event we co-hosted with the Treaty. Following this, Brian Eno encouraged Coldplay to invite them on stage. They have now performed and shared their message at two of Coldplay’s stadium shows and written a verse for one of their songs, as well as performing at climate events globally.
WHO ARE FFNPT?
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative (FFNPT) is a global effort to foster international cooperation to accelerate a transition to renewable energy for everyone, end the expansion of coal, oil and gas, and equitably phase out existing production.
EARTHPERCENT’S SUPPORT
Supporting since: 2023
2024 grant: £???
Total grant to date: $12,500
IMPACT
During New York Climate Week 2023, they significantly scaled their communications strategy in the US, strengthening the effort to educate the public about the supply side of fossil fuel production and why a Fossil Fuel Treaty is the missing piece in climate governance.
The grant supported the production of two critical events to socialize the campaign and its aims among a mainstream climate movement audience and to bring together community organizers, Indigenous leaders, policy experts, and campaigners for an in-depth discussion about the strategies being deployed against the Fossil Fuel infrastructure. This work generated a spike in engagement across their website and social media.
This Is Our Home is a stellar example of the power of music to inspire cultural change and support for a just global transition by connecting deeply to our feelings.
ACTION AREA
What this funds: Scaling their communications strategy, event production Just Energy Transition
E/P has continued support into 2024, awarding a total of $12,500. Artists from the EarthPercent family are inspired by FFNPT’s work and we’re pleased to have been able to connect several musicians to their music projects as well as connect them to work with our other grant partners including Client Earth and the Drilled podcast team.
EARTH AS YOUR CO-WRITER
"The Earth As Your Co-Writer" (EACW) is a groundbreaking scheme to allow composers and writers to credit The Earth with publishing royalties.
This builds on our mission to help music recognize the planet’s influence as an inspiring force while directly benefiting it through royalties. Read more about Sounds Right on page 15.
With 10 pioneering artists helping launch the pilot scheme in March 2023, this number has since doubled and The Earth currently holds copyrights in over 70 songs. An industry first!
While navigating copyright laws and PRO regulations across regions has posed challenges, the initiative has progressed positively. The collected revenue in royalties, though modest, is a significant milestone and sets a precedent for the Earth’s role as a recognized creative partner within music publishing.
This project is another example of our aim to make climate action accessible at all levels, as artists help fund environmental efforts without needing to invest extra resources.
STARTING AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION
It has drawn attention from highprofile partners, including the IMPF Summit who’ve now hosted two songwriting camps specifically with The Earth.
In 2024 it was presented and discussed at European Songwriters & Composers Alliance, IAMA International Conference & Audio Classique and the Act In Synch summit.
In September we held a private industry-focused event at Brian Eno’s studio to introduce the initiative to more high profile industry professionals, opening up many new opportunities and directions for the campaign.
IBy the end of 2025, we plan to scale up EACW’s reach and impact and make The Earth the industry’s most prolific writer.
THE EARTH IN RECORDINGS SPOTLIGHT
IMOGEN HEAP
It’s only right for one of music’s greatest innovators and forward-thinking songwriters to embed The Earth into music’s greatest asset: the song. Imogen Heap has done just that having co-written with The Earth on the publishing side and having given 1% of the master royalties to The Earth on her latest EP ??????
SAM LEE'S ALBUM 'SONGDREAMING' CO-WRITTEN WITH THE EARTH
SING WILD SEEDS
“I found it surprising that it could be possible to do everything we did in an hour! But it can be done! It made me want to run more of these types of workshops in the future and work more with communities.
In March we were funded by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) as part of JRF’s 2024 UK-wide campaign, Things Don’t Have To Be This Way.
Inspired by the work of our supporting artists and co-founder Brian Eno, EarthPercent were commissioned to explore the potential of musicmaking and songwriting as tools for worldbuilding. ‘Sing Wild Seeds’ as it was named, aimed to engage public audiences and use collective music making as a way of fostering collective imagining.
THE EARTH IN LIVE SPOTLIGHT
MOBY
We partner with artists who are looking to include The Earth as a stakeholder in their shows by pledging a portion of their touring revenue to EarthPercent, ensuring some positive impact from every show.
An incredible example of support through live touring in 2024 was when Moby pledged 100% of profits from his Play 25th Anniversary tour to climate and animal rights charities, with EarthPercent being chosen as one of the recipients.
Heloise
THE EARTH IN LIVE SPOTLIGHT
TEAM LOVE
As well as artist tours we partner directly with festivals and promoters who want to embed the Earth as a stakeholder in their shows, and start an important conversation with attendees about sustainability / climate action.
A perfect example of this is our partnership with Team Love who signed up to give a 1% or £1 from ticket sales from their roster of renowned social-impact oriented music festivals including Love International, Waterworks and Love Saves The Day.
GOALS AND VISION
Building on JRF's brief, we sought to:
Develop a “methodology” for participatory music-making to enable worldbuilding
Iterate and refine this approach through real-world experiments in diverse settings, including festivals, community spaces and online
Shift cultural narratives & build relationships in cultural sector
Inspire new practices of collective imagination with the help of renowned futurist Stuart Candy
We partnered with musicians/performers to take Sing Wild Seeds to different audiences across the UK and engaged them in participatory songwriting and music-making, blending worldbuilding techniques with audience collaboration. The methodology was tested in six unique public experiences:
COOL EARTH
WHO ARE COOL EARTH?
Combats deforestation through giving support directly to Indigenous communities in order to protect endangered rainforests.
“The funding itself is key to Cool Earth's ability to continue to support people living in rainforest with the threats that they face.
Lauren Howard, Head of Fundraising and Engagement, Cool Earth
EARTHPERCENT’S SUPPORT COOL EARTH’S IMPACT
Supporting since: 2022
2024 grant: £???
Total grant to date: £60,000
What this funds: Implementation and continuation of the Rainforest Lab project in Peru and Papua New Guinea.
ACTION AREA
Cool Earth’s Rainforest Lab project provides the tools for forest conservation research in the form of infrastructure, access to power, IT hardware, communications technology and software to help local indigenous communities monitor and decide how best to protect their rainforest. They can identify and respond to emerging threats in real time, rather than learn of them from teams in the UK, often too late to protect them.
In Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay, Cool Earth co-designed and opened the country’s first Rainforest Lab in November 2024 with the community of Wabumari. Their work to develop sustainable livelihoods in the region also enabled the community of Gadaisu to reject offers from a logging company to buy their rainforest in December 2024.
More widely, Cool Earth supports indigenous rainforest communities with Basic Income, people-powered projects to support community sustainability, and climate adaptation. �� �� Climate Justice Protecting Nature
CULTURAL IMPACTS
OUR WIDER CULTURAL IMPACT AND COMMUNITY-BUILDING
At EarthPercent, we aim to develop cross-industry enthusiasm for music’s great potential to galvanize action and inspire deep cultural change for our planet.
Where we can, we appear on panels, hold talks and engage with music communities at conferences, summits and festivals, emphasising the need to embed the Earth into every corner of the industry. This has connected us with diverse audiences - including many spaces in which sustainability is not a core focus - fostered collaborations we’re really proud of, and inspired others to take action through the power of culture and community.
At our own events, we connect artists, industry professionals and our grant partners to create space for the cross-pollination of ideas and the ignition of collaborative action. We ensure that we do not hold industry work and climate work in isolation, bringing people together to harness the creative power of the arts with sustainability expertise.
EarthPercent was also pleased to invite Cool Earth to speak at one of our events, sharing their impact with experts and professionals from across the music publishing world, helping to showcase the impact of the money the music industry has helped us to raise so far.
Although primarily a B2B organization, our social media and public fundraising campaigns connect us to a wider audience. Campaigns such as Sounds Right and our end-of-year prize draw have involved fans in planet-positive action, and we’ve welcomed supporting artists to the E/P family through social media.
GLASTONBURY PANEL
PACIFIC ARTISTS FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE
The band This Is Our Home is a project of our grant partner the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and a group of indigenous Pacific islanders using the power of music to tell stories and advocate for a fossil free future.
EarthPercent co-hosted an event with the Treaty in June, where we were lucky enough to witness the group perform in the intimate setting of Brian Eno’s studio.
We were all stunned by their performance, their passion and hope for our planet, and Brian was so moved that he encouraged Chris Martin to invite them to perform at Coldplay’s next show. This Is Our Home have now performed at two of Coldplay’s stadium shows, to over 100,000 people, and written a verse for a new version of Coldplay’s ‘We Pray’.
This Is Our Home is a stellar example of the power of music to inspire cultural change and action by connecting deeply to our feelings and we’re proud to have been a part of their story.
MADAME GANDHI AT NEW YORK CLIMATE WEEK
GLOBAL GREENGRANTS FUND
WHO ARE GLOBAL GREENGRANTS?
GLOBAL GREENGRANTS’ IMPACT
EarthPercent’s flexibility as a funder is very valuable to Global Greengrants. Your valuable unrestricted support has enabled our advisory boards to deliver their grant-making strategies by filling harder-to-fund gaps in their budgets, and has contributed to the realisation of our Advisory Network Strengthening Initiative, which seeks to grow our absorptive capacity and reach more grassroots communities.
Rowena Teall, Global Greengrants Fund
Makes small grants to grassroots environmental causes around the world.
EARTHPERCENT’S SUPPORT
Supporting since: 2022
2024 grant: £???
Total grant to date: £95,000
What this funds: Grants pool and core costs - unrestricted support.
ACTION AREA
Global Greengrants holds the local knowledge and relationships necessary to support grassroots initiatives that EarthPercent and major environmental funders would otherwise be unable to reach.
A recent example of their Impact is in their provision of long-term support to several local groups who have successfully protected the Yasuní National Park from oil exploration. A critical biodiversity habitat and home to several Indigenous groups, the park holds an estimated 40% of Ecuador’s crude oil reserves.
Grassroots-led efforts towards a just energy transition often involve long-term campaigning and coalition-building in order to reach key tipping points for policy change. Groups supported by Global Greengrants used a range of tactics to successfully campaign for a referendum on oil extraction in Yasuní. The referendum led to a ban on oil exploration in the Park, making Ecuador one of the first countries in the world to set limits on resource extraction through a democratic vote, a testament to the potential of grassroots initiatives against powerful national and corporate interests.
& PRESS
We partnered with musicians/performers to take Sing Wild Seeds to different audiences across the UK and engaged them in participatory songwriting and music-making, blending worldbuilding techniques with audience collaboration. The methodology was tested in six unique public experiences:
5 Music festivals 100+ Participants
1 Community event
1 Online experience planned
OUR EMISSIONS
CO2E EMISSIONS
We have calculated an estimate of EarthPercent’s own CO2e* emissions.
As an organization aiming to reduce the impacts of the climate crisis, we acknowledge the need to take responsibility for our own negative impacts and use this to reflect and adapt our practices. This data is not comprehensive or exact because we have not been frequently tracking our emissions throughout the year, but with the help of Julie’s Bicycle’s Creative Climate Tools - which are free to use! - we have been able to estimate the total of our major emissions.
In line with our Environmental Policy, we have a reduction-first.... working to always cocnsider the impact of our work, reduce emissions where possible, re-use and recycle catering,plant-based
In some categories emissions are a best estimate for some things, estimates based on widely published averages. Julie’s Bicycle have suggested offsetting.
EQUIVALENT TO
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS!
A State of Flo
Ambient Flo
amigas
Andree Martis
AUNCE
AURORA
AVA
Awkward Moments
Bake
BALLSY
Belle Chen
Bird on the the Wire
Brian Eno
Caro
Ciaran Austin
Club Fitness
Coldplay
Cosmic Pineapple
Cosmo Sheldrake
Crack Magazine
David Gray
De Moi
Dolby
El Buho
Equinox Festival
Field Family Foundation
Forwards Festival
FTI and&
GEI conference
Get Physical Music
Giant Artist Management
HAAi
HAWKR
Hodge
House of Hackney
IMS
Jack Johnson
JAMES
Joe Adams / yeseggobject
Josey Rebelle
JoyCut
Kasra V
Michael Pawlyn, Exploration
Architects
Michał Milczarek
Michel Banabila
Moby
Mutek Mexico
Mutek Montreal
NAKED Record Club
Natural Symphony
None of our work could be achieved without the support of our donors and contributors.
Firstly thank you to our patron Brian Eno, who’s generosity of time, spirit and money cannot easily be expressed in words.
Thank you also to the following donors:
Natural Symphony
Nick Mulvey
Odyssee
Ok Williams
Olive Featherstone
Pachamama Alliance
Peach
Penguin Cafe
Percolate
Peverelist
PH
Pioneer
Poly Agency
Primal Gathering
PURE Represents
Randy Greif
Ricardo Villalobos
Runciman Charitable Trust
SAM LEE
Shanti Celeste
Swedish House Mafia
Symbiocene / Symbiotic Futures
The Cure / Robert Smith
The Drive Project
The O2
Transgressive
UN Live
Valette Ensemble
We Are Giant
Wide Awake Festival
Yo-Yo Ma
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