Climate Music Summit

Music Declares Emergency Canada has teamed up with the Canadian Live Music Association to launch the first edition of the Canadian Climate Music Summit. With support from Creative Green Tools Canada, Pop Montreal, Orchestras Canada, CIMA (Canadian Independent Music Association), Music Ontario, The Climate Emergency Unit and more to come, Music Declares is anticipating an incredible day of speakers, workshops, panels, presentations, and performances.

In the evening there will be a (separately ticketed) public event with a panel discussion and #NoMusicOnaDeadPlanet concert.

Ahead of COP-27 in Egypt this year, Music Declares Emergency Canada has organized a day of climate action, to share resources to help the music industry rebuild from COVID-19 with climate at the forefront. This will be a one day summit (conference) followed by an evening panel and concert. With David Suzuki as keynote speaker and a diverse range of performances, this will be an important event for the Music sector.

*Ticket price includes coffee, snacks and a vegetarian lunch.

For more information contact Kim at [email protected]

Panel 1: Green Touring & Live Performance: With initiatives like Julie’s Bicycle, A Greener Festival, Reverb and Green Music Australia, there are many groups being vocal and visionary in a collective effort to recognise environmental impacts and sustainability issues within the sector. From campaigns to ban plastic to tent recycling, green power to living walls and roofs, festivals, venues, agents and promoters are just starting to join the conversation in Canada. ACT in Quebec and the Hillside festival in Ontario has shown leadership but there is much more than can be and needs to be done. This panel considers the advances that have been made, the targets that have been announced and the strategies that are necessary to realize a zero carbon live music sector.

Panel 2: Music Labels, Merch & Sustainability (Sponsored by CIMA): Record labels are in a unique position in the music industry to help build a greener sector. With recent announcements from Beggars Group, Ninja Tune and The Secretly Group on zero carbon pathways, the reality of the zero-emissions record company is at hand. What opportunities and challenges are record labels facing in moving towards more sustainable practices? How can the label and recordings community work together whilst recognizing competition to create a zero-carbon sector?

Panel 3 (Lunch) Music and artists speak (Sponsored by Music Ontario): the role of the artist and music in the climate emergency: Music has always been a medium through which communities work through the most pressing issues of our time. This panel brings together some of the leading voices in music who are creating art that tackles the climate crisis head on. Intended to inspire industry and emerging artists to continue this vital work, this panel asks what does it look like to create art in a time of deep uncertainty about our collective climate future.

Panel 4: Diversity & Intersectionality: Climate change has already and will continue to disproportionately affect women, Indigenous peoples, people of colour, working class people, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people with disabilities. This is one of the reasons why a climate justice lens is critical in how we move forward. In Canada, Indigenous communities have been on the forefront of land defence and sounding the alarm to the climate emergency.

Panel 5: You are not alone: Supports, Funding and Opportunities to help move the music sector into a post carbon economy: The Music Industry was one of the hardest hit during Covid and has had many challenges in recovering. There will need to be support to help move the music industry into a post carbon future. That support can come from traditional arts/music funders (Canada Council, Factor, Ontario Creates) but also federal and provincial bodies that support transitioning to a low carbon/post carbon economy. There are lots of ways to make the transition for the industry and find ways to support artists to make art that addresses the climate emergency.

Sign up to the mailing list by contacting [email protected] to keep up to date with speaker announcements and registration information.

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