MICC

Photo Credit: Li-An Lim

Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and Warner Music Group have established the Music Industry Climate Collective (MICC). The aim is to address challenges in the industry that impact the global climate.

“This initiative demonstrates what can be achieved when music leaders come together with a shared vision and commitment to sustainability,” the MICC founding members said in a statement. “We are proud to collaborate to amplify environmental stewardship and offer practical recommendations and strategies tailored to the unique needs of music companies, regardless of their size or scale of operations.”

“Together, we must continue to make progress on this vital priority. We welcome all to join us in reducing our industry’s carbon footprint by working together to ensure an environmentally responsible future for music and our planet.”

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has also been named an advisor to MICC. MICC will look to A2IM to assist with a number of issues, including recommendations on how to include small-to-medium sized businesses by connecting the indies’ critical perspective to the initiative. MICC’s first initiative will be the deployment of comprehensive sectorial guidance for measuring scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. For the music sector, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions are in scope 3.

Scope 3 refers to indirect emissions that occur in the value chain, such as those from product manufacturing, distribution, and licensing. However, the Green Gas Protocol—the internationally accepted method for companies to account for value chain emissions—does not provide guidance for measuring the indirect emissions specific to the music industry’s nuanced and complex ecosystem.

MICC members have worked with scientific experts to complete their first draft of the guidance, which will be made available for industry participants’ consideration. MICC’s members have also initiated calls for wider industry input through an advisory council composed of independent record labels, value chain partners, and climate experts.

The establishment of an industry-specific approach to calculating scope 3 emissions will provide a science-based standard that will help catalyze climate resilience within the music sector, provide critical guidance to partner companies seeking to initiate measurement of their own emissions, and encourage consistency in how music companies develop and disclose GHG inventories.