The pursuit of a sustainable music life: People of power must be held accountable
By Henriette Szocska
Photo: Line Svindt
Three individuals, who each represented different perspectives on the industry, were present to discuss how to build a sustainable future for the music industry. Despite their differences, they nodded in agreement to each other’s suggestions and hopes for sustainable music. In particular, they all agreed that people in positions of power must be held accountable and react before their initiatives can have any effect.
Founder of Musikselskabet Maren Astrup shared her perspectives on diversity. She was an advocate of the international concept “Keychange”. It’s a global network that, amongst other things, fights for greater gender diversity and equality in the music industry. Festivals and similar organizations can join the network and pledge to lead a 50/50 gender distribution. Currently, no Danish organizations are part of this pledge. Thomas Burø, PhD and ecology researcher, insisted that we need to have a more local perspective on not only gender diversity but also on environmental issues – for example at venues or festivals. According to Burø, these organizations should take care of their own problems first before turning their attention to greater issues. He mentioned that they should consider sending fewer people to foreign conferences, only ordering vegetarian catering, or taking the longer train journey instead of the quicker but more polluting flight. Furthermore, Burø insisted that those in the top of the industry are no longer in touch and don’t see how enormously important it is that we act now.
“There needs to be a god old fashion Eastern European cleansing of the leadership,” Burø said while the small conference room laughed and nodded in agreement.
According to Burø, those in power need to be held accountable before any moves toward a sustainable music industry can be made. Here, Christian Gade Bjerrum, actor and founder of Bæredygtig Scenekunst NU, added that he thinks that groups dedicated to provoking and demanding actions from leaders should be founded. He concluded by saying that the younger generations will put great pressure on people in power – as pressure that is sorely needed.