Music Sustainability Summit Moves to Larger Venue Due to High Demand

The first-ever North American music industry climate summit is growing.

The inaugural Music Sustainability Summit has announced that due to high demand, it’s moving the event from the USC campus to the 2,300-capacity The Novo in downtown Los Angeles.

Set to take place on Feb. 4, the summit will feature a day’s worth of discussions on how the music industry is addressing, adapting to and finding solutions for the climate crisis.

In addition to the summit’s previously announced programming, the event has added a conversation with promoters and venues including Lindsay Arell, the chief sustainability officer of ASM Global; Lucy August-Perna, the head of global sustainability at Live Nation Entertainment; Erik Distler, the vp of sustainability at AEG; and Kristen Fulmer, the head of sustainability at Oak View Group and GOAL. The discussion will focus on challenges, bright spots and visions for the future.

Additionally, the summit has added a conversation between representatives from several major labels, including Olga LaBelle, the vp/head of ESG at Warner Music Group. Representatives from two other labels will be announced in the coming weeks.

Newly added speakers include Jonathan Foley, the executive director of Project Drawdown; Cassie Lee, the CEO of Sound Future; Adam Met of the band AJR, who also serves as the executive director of Planet Reimagined and a professor at Columbia University; artist Beattie Wolfe; artist AY Young; Jett Glozier, the global head of infrastructure at Sound Diplomacy; Jon Ozaksut, the digital director at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; and Rita Kampalath, the chief sustainability offer of L.A. County.

Tickets for the summit are on sale now and available on a sliding scale. The doors open at 8:30 a.m., with programming beginning promptly at 9 a.m. and running until 5:30 p.m.

The event is being organized by the Music Sustainability Alliance, which provides science-based solutions, business case analyses, best practices and tools for operational change across the music industry. The Alliance reports that a diverse group of attendees has already registered for the event, including big names in climate science and sustainability, along with music industry professionals from venues, promoters, agencies, production companies, artist management companies and more.

“Every job is a climate job,” the Music Sustainability Alliance’s Amy Morrison tells Billboard.

Billboard is the official media partner of the Music Sustainability Summit.