Backstage Pass to the Music Sustainability Alliance Summit
By Madeline Weir, Director of Impact, REVERB
Picture this: a clean energy nerd (hi, that’s me) walks into a music industry summit — and instead of being the odd one out, I found my people. Surrounded by technical wizards, creative minds, and tour pros, the conversations flowed from production and clean transportation to merch and food. Everyone was asking the same thing: How can we do this better — for the planet and for artists?
That was the vibe at the Music Sustainability Alliance Summit — a rare moment when everyone paused their day-to-day chaos to actually focus on sustainability. No competing priorities, just smart, curious people rolling up their sleeves and figuring it out together.
REVERB showed up in full force.
Concert Travel: The Biggest Emissions Opportunity in Live Music
I was stoked to share REVERB’s Concert Travel Study — the largest look at fan travel emissions in live music history, built from the voices of over 35,000 fans across 400+ shows.
Spoiler: Fan travel is the biggest emissions opportunity for most shows — larger than artist, crew, and production combined. And fans want to help. 89% told us they’d choose better travel options with better information, infrastructure, and incentives.
That’s where REVERB comes in. Our study highlights real, scalable ways to reduce emissions and improve the fan experience — like perks for carpools, public transit information and timely services, and EV charging. It’s not necessarily about inventing new tools — it’s about coordinating across the industry to use what’s already out there, with a well-placed artist nudge.
Beyond the Data: Building a More Sustainable Music Industry
The Concert Travel Study is just one part of REVERB’s bigger mission, and it was amazing to see that mission reflected throughout the Summit.
My brilliant colleague Lara Seaver, our Director of Sustainable Touring — who brings equal parts wisdom, warmth, and deep experience — led a session on food: everything from concessions to backstage catering. (Because yes, even your loaded nachos have a carbon footprint.)
Our Director of Partnerships, Tanner Watt (my colleague with the cool pants — IYKYK) crushed it on a panel about artist backlash and how to engage musicians as real partners in the solution.
And that leads to one of the most powerful threads of the week: the role of artists in driving cultural change.
Artists Spark the Shift — We all have to back them up
A quote from Reverend Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus, originally attributed to Toni Cade Bambara, stuck with me:
“The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.”
It captures the culture-shifting power of artists not just to raise awareness, but to inspire imagination and make people want to be part of the movement.
Maggie Baird — artist advocate, climate powerhouse, REVERB Advisory Board member, and founder of Support + Feed — said it just as clearly:
“This isn’t just on the artist. The rest of the industry has a role to play — not by expecting artists to have all the answers, but making sustainability part of how the industry operates.”
Those words point to the roadmap REVERB is helping deploy: artists spark the shift, but it’s on all of us to build the infrastructure behind it.
And honestly, that’s why I joined REVERB. For 21 years, this team has been building systems, partnerships, and on-the-ground programs that make real emissions reductions possible in music — while supporting powerful climate justice work along the way. Whether it’s calculating full tour emissions, helping festivals swap diesel for batteries, or nudging fans toward lower-carbon travel, we’re here to make the sustainable choice the easy one.
The Summit reminded me that this work doesn’t just live in backstage bins labeled “compost.” It lives in people — tour staff, venue crews, fans, artists — all showing up with urgency and heart. That’s where the momentum is.
So if you weren’t at the Summit, here’s your TL;DR:
Climate action in music isn’t just possible — it’s already happening.
And like any good show, it’s better with a full band.
Want to bring these strategies to your next tour or event? Let’s talk. We’re currently partnering with artists and venues for summer and fall tours—reach out if you want to be part of it.
