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Environmental Sustainability of Music Industries

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A chapter from the 2020 book "Cultural Industries and the Environmental Crisis: New Approaches for Policy" entitled "The Environmental Sustainability of the Music Industries." 

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A chapter from the 2020 book "Cultural Industries and the Environmental Crisis: New Approaches for Policy" entitled "The Environmental Sustainability of the Music Industries." 

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An Environmentally Sound Method of Making Records for the 21st Century

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A 2025 article a part of the ARSC Journal entitled "An Environmentally Sound Method of Making Records for the 21st Century."

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A 2025 article a part of the ARSC Journal entitled "An Environmentally Sound Method of Making Records for the 21st Century."

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Making Value: Music, Capital, and the Social

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A chapter from the 2024 book sharing the same name "Making Value: Music, Capital, and the Social."

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A chapter from the 2024 book sharing the same name "Making Value: Music, Capital, and the Social."

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What the digitalisation of music tells us about capitalism culture and the power of the information technology sector

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A 2017 article from the "Information, Communication & Society" journal entitled "What the digitalisation of music tells us about capitalism, culture and the power of the information technology sector."

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A 2017 article from the "Information, Communication & Society" journal entitled "What the digitalisation of music tells us about capitalism, culture and the power of the information technology sector."

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What the digitalisation of music tells us about capitalism  culture and the power of the information technology sector

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A 2024 article from the A&R Factory entitled "Capitalism and Cultural Stagnation: How Imitation Overshadowed Innovation."

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A 2024 article from the A&R Factory entitled "Capitalism and Cultural Stagnation: How Imitation Overshadowed Innovation."

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Capitalism and Cultural Stagnation: How Imitation Overshadowed Innovation

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Ever noticed that some of the most popular artists in this era are sickly stereotypical replicas of their idols? How some artists paint by numbers until they ha

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A 2025 article from the UK's Isis Magazine entitled "Music is dead (and capitalism killed it)." 

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A 2025 article from the UK's Isis Magazine entitled "Music is dead (and capitalism killed it)." 

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Music is dead (and capitalism killed it) – The Isis

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A 2025 article entitled "How Capitalism is Killing Culture" based on Andrew deWaard's book.

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A 2025 article entitled "How Capitalism is Killing Culture" based on Andrew deWaard's book.

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In his enlightening book, Andrew deWaard’s message is what we need to shift the focus on: even in the capitalistic crush, the human impulse to create endures.

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A 2012 article from Open Democracy entitled "Capitalism, creativity and the crisis in the music industry." 

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A 2012 article from Open Democracy entitled "Capitalism, creativity and the crisis in the music industry." 

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A 2023 article from CBC entitled, "The environmental impact of music streaming, explained."

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A 2023 article from CBC entitled, "The environmental impact of music streaming, explained."

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Almost everything we do has an environmental impact, and being a music lover poses a number of challenges - from travelling to a concert to the excessive use of plastic bottles at festivals.

Over the past several years, the music industry has been gradually learning how to become more sustainable in the face of global warming. Focus has been rightfully put on large-scale problems like touring and music festivals, but what about the act of listening to music from the comfort of our own homes? Or when we're commuting to work or blasting our favourite tunes at a friend's party?

Musical formats of the past, including vinyl records and CDs, came with more obvious environmental consequences because of the toxic, non-recyclable materials that are used to make them, such as plastics and crude oil. But streaming has emerged with its own invisible threats to the environment.

Below is a beginner's guide to the many problems and possible solutions we are currently facing regarding music streaming's environmental impact.

How does music streaming affect the environment?

When you stream a song, our devices access electronic files that are stored on active, cooled servers sitting inside data centres around the world. Beyond the large amounts of energy those centres use, the retrieval and transmission of that information, which is transferred via wifi or the internet, also requires energy. The device you're using to listen to music is another factor, and oftentimes streaming drains your battery at a higher rate.

According to sustainability lifestyle blog Brightly, streaming (of all types of media) is now responsible for three to four per cent of the global carbon footprint.

OK, but streaming is still not as harmful as CDs and vinyl records, right?

It depends. While music streaming has taken over as the primary method of music consumption - a 2020 Deloitte article confirmed that streaming "accounted for 80 per cent of U.S. recorded music revenues in 2019" - our overwhelming reliance on accessing millions of songs at our fingertips is adding up to environmental damage fast.

According to Energy Tracker Asia, an average individual streams approximately five hours of content daily, including non-music content such as film and TV via services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and more. "This results in releasing up to 1.57 million tonnes of CO2 emissions," the article states, "or 0.57 billion tonnes annually." Sharon George, a Keele University lecturer in the department of environmental sustainability, told New Statesman in November 2021 that five hours of streaming was the carbon equivalent of one plastic CD case; 17 hours of streaming equalled one vinyl record.

Those numbers may not sound bad at first when you're thinking about your individual output of carbon emissions, but that same article illustrates just how alarming it really is when you look at it from a collective, global standpoint. New Statesman's own calculated example: "Spotify streams of Olivia Rodrigo's hit single, 'Drivers License,' since January 2021 is greater than flying from London to New York and back 4,000 times, or the annual emissions of 500 people in the U.K."

Of course, these numbers are constantly evolving and rely on some variables. Kyle Devine, a Canadian professor of musicology and author of the 2019 book Decomposed: The Political Ecology of Music, tells CBC Music that "the internet infrastructure is always changing, which means figures today are out of date tomorrow."

What is the best way to consume music, then?

That's a personal preference, as every format has its own environmental impact, and every method offers different sound qualities. Vinyl's resurgence in recent years reignited concerns over its production, so buying secondhand or vintage vinyl could be a more sustainable option. (Companies like Evolution Music in the U.K. are starting to develop ways to create vinyl with renewable and non-fossil fuel materials; last year, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe released a 12" record made of bioplastic.) The same rule applies to CDs and cassette tapes, which have also made a comeback, though on a lesser scale. Streaming is material-free, but requires some mindfulness when it comes to how much, how often and which devices you're using to access streaming services.

So what can I personally do to reduce CO2 emissions when I'm streaming music?

Limiting the amount of music you stream is one thing to consider. Given the math above, a good goal is to try and limit the amount of music you stream to fewer than five hours a day. As Laura Marks, a professor at the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University and co-author of the paper "Streaming Media's Environmental Impact," told Brightly:

"Use fewer devices and keep them for as long as possible! Then, help to curb demand by moderating the time spent streaming, and decreasing resolution. So, basically, changing the habits that have been set in place in the past few years." She also added that streaming on smaller devices such as laptops and phones will emit less CO2 than streaming on a larger device like a TV.

Devine pushes back on the idea of limiting our music consumption, though. "That doesn't sound like the right way forward," he argues. To him, streaming shouldn't be viewed as a service as much as it's a good that we consume, "where each time you listen to something, you download it anew." A small change you can make - but one with big impact - is to download music versus stream it every time.

Streaming takes a toll on both the Digital Service Provider (DSP) and the listener's device. The former activates the servers where the songs live, requiring "power, massive cooling systems, internet connectivity, buildings and land," wrote AJR bassist Adam Met in Rolling Stone. Also, listeners use twice the amount of their device's battery life when they stream versus downloading. When you download songs or albums, according to that same Rolling Stone article, there is an 80 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions because it will take less energy to replay. When you stream, you require the same amount of energy every time you hit play.

Downloading music from services also benefits the artist whose music you're listening to, as Met wrote: "It sends a signal to Spotify's algorithm that fans are passionate about the song. If enough people download a specific song, it could help the song show up on playlists like Today's Top Hits. And those playlists are what really drive additional plays (and downloads) on the service."

Devine also notes the rise of NFTs can present a surprising benefit to music listeners, pointing to a company like Serenade that creates digital pressings, essentially "trying to give you the experience of owning a traditional record without owning a record." While Devine says NFTs and blockchain have a deservedly bad reputation, "they're trying to shake that image and do something different, which I find interesting."

What are streaming services doing to regulate emissions?

In September 2021, Spotify joined the Exponential Roadmap Initiative and the United Nations' Race to Zero, which is a network of companies, scientists and non-governmental organizations committing to halve emissions by 2030. The company has also shifted from traditional data centres to the Google Cloud platform, which Google states is a carbon-neutral platform that intends to power all its data centres with clean energy by 2030. Amazon Web Services, home to services including Apple Music, also powers 65 per cent of its operations with renewable energy.

But even within these partnerships and initiatives, Devine says one of the most important things music listeners can continue to do is push for more transparency from companies, such as how they're improving carbon measures or the labour conditions of their employees. Steps are being taken, but only time will tell if these commitments are fulfilled.

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The environmental impact of music streaming, explained | CBC Music

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Streaming is a material-free way of enjoying music, but it also has a carbon footprint.

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A 2024 article from MonotypePressing entitled, "The Environmental Impact of Physical Music Formats and Streaming."

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A 2024 article from MonotypePressing entitled, "The Environmental Impact of Physical Music Formats and Streaming."

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The Environmental Impact of Physical Music Formats and Streaming - MonotypePressing

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Is streaming or the production of physical music formats more environmentally impactful? Read our blog article to explore the nuanced aspects of this complex issue.

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A 2024 article from Greenly entitled, "Is the Return of Vinyl Records Ruining the Plant?" 

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A 2024 article from Greenly entitled, "Is the Return of Vinyl Records Ruining the Plant?" 

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Is the Return of Vinyl Records Ruining the Planet? - Greenly

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In this article, we’ll recap the pros and cons of vinyl records, why they are bad for the environment, and what adjustments could be made to vinyl records in the midst of climate change.

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A 2025 article from UniteSync entitled, "The Environment Impact of Music Distribution: Streaming vs. Physical Media."

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A 2025 article from UniteSync entitled, "The Environment Impact of Music Distribution: Streaming vs. Physical Media."

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UniteSync - Collect Your Missing Music Royalties | Free Audit

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Stop losing music royalties! UniteSync helps independent artists collect missing publishing royalties from 117 countries. Free royalty audit available. 20% admin fee only on collected royalties.

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A 2023 article from The Brooklyn College Vanguard entitled, "Opinion: Consumerism And Girl Power: The Music Industry's Adhesion To Capitalism."

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A 2023 article from The Brooklyn College Vanguard entitled, "Opinion: Consumerism And Girl Power: The Music Industry's Adhesion To Capitalism."

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Opinion: Consumerism And Girl Power: The Music Industry’s Adhesion To Capitalism – The Brooklyn College Vanguard