Sounds Right (International) music initiative: nature as an official artist

Summary

In April 2024, Nature became recognized as an official artist on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, allowing Nature to be officially credited for it’s sounds used in recorded music. For the first time, NATURE can generate royalties from its own sounds. Artists who use natural sounds in their recordings can choose to list “Nature” as a featured artist – and a share of their profits will be distributed to environmental causes. As of April 30, 2024, Nature as an artist already has 2.6 million monthly listeners.

The initiative was launched by the Sounds Right music initiative, a project of the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, which aims “to recognize the intrinsic value of Nature” and “inspire a sense of agency in our collective efforts to protect the planet.” Sounds Right anticipates it will engage 600 million people across the globe and raise $40 million dollars for conservation projects in its first 4 years. It hopes that the venture will spark further conversation about how Nature can, and should, be valued in our society and economic models.

Nature’s royalties and donations will be collected by EarthPercent, an NGO founded in 2021 by musician Brian Eno, that will distribute the money generated by the Sounds Right music initiative. “EarthPercent will distribute these funds to rights-based Nature conservation and restoration projects in the world’s most precious and precarious ecosystems under the guidance of the Sounds Right Expert Advisory Panel, a group of world-leading biologists, environmental activists, Indigenous People’s representatives, and experts in conservation funding. The Panel will consider projects with proven models of ecological and community impact, robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and delivered by organisations with the right capabilities. Projects in ecosystems with the highest levels of biodiversity and endemism will be prioritised, with initial analysis identifying Key Biodiversity Areas in the following regions: Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands; Indo-Burma, India, and Myanmar; Sundaland; Philippines; Tropical Andes; and, the Atlantic Forest.”

Artists who have contributed songs to the first wave of releases include London Grammar, MØ, Tom Walker and Ellie Goulding, who has updated her song Brightest Blue with the calls of speckled chachalacas and Amazonian oropendolas. Norwegian pop star Aurora released a track, A Soul With No King, featuring the sounds of lush, dense forests from her native Norway.

Involved Organizations