MUTEK and EarthPercent Join Forces, Commit to Climate Action in the Music Industry

MUTEK is thrilled to announce a partnership with EarthPercent, a charity unleashing the power of music in service of the planet. Co-founded by Brian Eno, EarthPercent provides a simple way for the music industry to support the most impactful organizations addressing the climate emergency all around the world. The organization has an expert advisory panel of over 35 scientists, climate experts, researchers and academics who constantly assess the climate space to find and fund the most promising solutions.

Re-directing our footprints

MUTEK’s production and audience participation inevitably involve greenhouse gas emissions. There are salient tensions between bringing forward an expansive, international and cutting-edge festival, and the climate repercussions this entails. MUTEK doesn’t have all the answers, but does know that we don’t want the show to stop, or for the show to harm our home. A dedicated and collaborative partnership with EarthPercent is the next step for MUTEK to build on our existing initiatives.

One of the ways in which EarthPercent unleashes the power of music in service of the planet is by diverting revenue from the industry towards carefully selected causes.

For the festival’s 24 edition, MUTEK is donating their offset value to EarthPercent, meaning 1% of the price of each passport, pass and ticket will be given to the charity. This sum will then be matched by founder Brian Eno, working towards EarthPercent’s goal for raising $100m by 2030. (Ticket prices were not raised by MUTEK to allow for this initiative.)

Moreover, when purchasing a ticket, festival-goers can choose to make an additional donation of $5, $10, or $15.

The five action-areas of funding

EarthPercent’s holistic view on climate examines the underpinning structures that can drive or stifle it. They see the revenue-generating of the musical ecosystem as an opportunity to harmonize our work and our impact. Twice a year, they collate all donations and provide grants to the organizations selected by an expert and intersectional panel, for which there are 5 key action areas: nature preservation, green and just energy transition, climate justice, political and systemic action, and greening the music industry itself. Consulting organizations include Music Declares Emergency, A Greener Festival, Client Earth, One Tree Planted and Earthjustice.

We believe that this 360º approach to positive climate action is in line with MUTEK’s commitments to encourage change, and hope that this partnership will generate even greater pledges and conversations in our midst.

For more information on EarthPercent: https://earthpercent.org/

To dive more into EarthPercent’s message, check out our MUTEK Forum 2021 conference: Conversation: Love Ssega and Matthew Herbert:

MUTEK’s partnership with EarthPercent is part of the festival’s long-term commitment to sustainability. For more information on MUTEK’s environmental responsibility practices:

Environmental Responsibility

MUTEK FORUM

Every day at the MUTEK Forum, the festival’s marketplace of ideas, the climate emergency will be discussed in a variety of perspectives within the context of digital creativity. This year, the Forum will take place from Tuesday August 22 to Friday August 25, at The 7 Fingers in Montreal.

Be sure not to miss the following activities:

Tuesday August 22
PANEL | Future Festivals: Forging new horizons

"The aftermath of this crisis has been abrupt, revealing the fragility of our structures and our teams' fatigue," stated an open letter published by 16 Montréal festivals including MUTEK in February 2023. Festivals both in Canada and abroad struggle with similar questions of financial resilience, staffing capacities, accessibility to and inclusivity of communities, as well as sustainability in the wake of the present climate crisis.

In addressing these challenges, MUTEK together with four Canadian and two international partners launched the Future Festivals think tank in March 2023. Following Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson’s opening provocation, the panel invites Future Festivals partners Naomi Johnson, Executive Director of imagineNative, New Now Festival’s Jasmin Grimm, and MUTEK's Maurice Jones, for a call to action on not only how to rethink the future of festivals but more importantly how to build it together.

Wednesday August 23
PRESENTATIONS | Transdisciplinary explorations of AI: Project presentations

The panel is set to feature 3 AI projects that explore a diverse range of approaches that incorporate the role of AI in and through artistic practice. Following upon the discussions that day on addressing the challenges that generative AI posits from research, to governance, to artistic practice, these project presentations are an opportunity for a deep dive into how a variety of people are addressing AI in and through their practices. The initial thematic focus of these projects are aimed at addressing intersectional queer perspectives on AI, the role of AI in climate change, and questions of AI in digital art creation and curation.

Thursday August 24
PRESENTATIONS | XR landscapes

Extended Reality (XR) projects take on many forms, but the instilled magic is the same – transportative experiences that immerse the viewer into a worldbuilding journey that alters one’s connection to their surroundings. Fitting with the Forum’s objective to investigate the relationship between technology, culture and the ecological crisis, this panel showcases three XR projects that intersect with themes of climate and ecology. American-Canadian media artist Chris Salter will present his multisensorial project ANIMATE, which transforms a Canadian climate-fiction short story into an immersive performance combining live theatre, radio play and installation using Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D spatial audio. In a similar vein, Winslow Porter will showcase Forager, a fungi XR experience developed with cutting-edge 3D scanning hardware and software to showcase the complete life-cycle of mushrooms: spores, mycelium, fruiting body, and the inevitable decay.

Friday August 25
KEYNOTE | Finding our climate muse: A greener industry for electronic music

Climate change is the greatest challenge facing life on earth and will require a transformational shift in culture and behavior. Electronic music has the potential to be a leader in this shift because of the culture’s subversive roots and ability to reach people around the world. Yet the average touring DJ emits 35 tons of CO2 per year (more than 17 times the recommended allowance) and there are still no industry-wide climate initiatives. How can we utilize existing frameworks for collective climate action to develop coordinated solutions to address industry impacts and inspire community action? This interactive Q&A with Eli Goldstein, Co-Founder of DJs for Climate Action and one-half of DJ & production duo Soul Clap, presents research findings from his Master’s thesis to develop a framework for an industry-wide climate pledge. Eli will address challenges and opportunities to address climate change, while immersing the audience in the process, encouraging collective reflection and actionable solutions to pave the way for a better (greener) future. Eli will be joined in conversation by Brighid Fry, artist and Co-Founder of Music Declares Emergency Canada. The activity is presented in collaboration with EarthPercent, an environmental charity that calls on the music industry to address the climate emergency, founded by Brian Eno.