Billie Eilish Receives Inaugural "Universal
Music Group x REVERB Amplifier Award"
SANTA
MONICA, Calif., Feb. 4, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in
music-based entertainment, today announced an expansion of its
partnership with REVERB, a leading environmental non-profit focused
on working with musicians, festivals and venues, to increase
sustainability and reduce the environmental footprint of the live
music industry.
The partnership was highlighted earlier today at UMG Chairman
& CEO Sir Lucian Grainge's
Artist Showcase and will be again featured tomorrow, at UMG's
Annual After Party to coincide with the 65th Annual
Grammy Awards. At the events, a number of emerging
technologies have been, and will be, implemented from CO2 removal,
renewable energy sources and recycled materials. In addition,
the events' menus are both 100% meatless and locally sourced.
The events will serve as models for sustainability standards at
future UMG events.
Speaking on the initiative, California Governor Gavin Newsom said, "At a time when the world is
grappling with the dire consequences of the climate crisis, it's
more important than ever for all of us to step up and take
meaningful action to reduce our environmental footprint. That's why
I commend Universal Music Group for their bold efforts to lead by
example and show the rest of us how it's done. This is our
collective responsibility, and it's incumbent that we work together
towards building a more sustainable future for generations to
come."
Susan Mazo, UMG's EVP of
Corporate Social Responsibility, Events and Special Projects, said
of the initiative, "We're proud to build on our relationship with
REVERB by partnering with them on two of our flagship events this
year. With all eyes on the music industry in Los Angeles this week, this collaboration
underscores our commitment to produce more eco-friendly events in
order to set a new and sustainable standard across the industry. We
are proud that these showcase sustainability in action while also
supporting many of our other philanthropic partners."
UMG and REVERB also announced an annual award – The Universal
Music Group x REVERB Amplifier Award – to recognize the artist best
exemplifying the commitment to, and achievement of, measurable
steps to reduce their environmental footprint and support nonprofit
causes through direct fan engagement at shows, online and
beyond.
Billie Eilish was named as the award's inaugural
recipient. Selected for her trailblazing advocacy for
sustainability and the environmental movement, Eilish utilized her
platform to magnify and bring attention to the work of nonprofit
organizations around the globe while engaging her fans and the
music industry in meaningful climate action.
Eilish was presented the award by UMG Chairman and CEO Sir
Lucian Grainge, REVERB Co-Founder
Adam Gardner and REVERB Director of
Sustainable Touring, Lara Seaver
during the UMG artist showcase on Saturday
February 4th.
In presenting Eilish with the award, Grainge said, "Billie, it
is my honor to present to you the inaugural Universal Music Group x
REVERB Amplifier Award. The award recognizes artists' efforts to
promote sustainability. Your stellar example and active
leadership has inspired us to transform our own events as a
company. Everything UMG is doing this weekend has been
designed both to reduce our environmental impact and to increase
community engagement on the issue. We are so thrilled you are
the first recipient of this award, an award you so well deserve.
Congratulations."
Eilish said, "I want to thank Lucian, Reverb and
Universal Music. I am very impressed and excited about
what you are actually doing
to make sustainability a priority. It's really important.
We all can do our part."
Technical support for these events is being provided by Three
Squares Inc., a sustainability consultancy with a division that
specializes in designing events to meet the strict international
standard for event sustainability management, ISO 20121. In
addition to this, event assets will be designed for future reuse,
leftover materials will be donated locally in Los Angeles to education organizations, and
carbon emissions from the event will be measured and tracked to
inform future reductions for UMG events.
The event's menus are 100% meatless and ingredients were locally
sourced in order to reduce carbon emissions. Additionally,
the gifting suite features exclusively climate-friendly and
environmentally responsible products from brand partners.
After the event, select items from the gifting suite will be
donated to UMG partner organization Covenant House California, a
non-profit youth shelter that provides sanctuary and support for
youth experiencing homelessness, ages 18-24.
UMG is committed to innovation in action and this year's events
will support a number of emerging technologies to affect real
change in the music and events space, including:
- Climeworks, a pioneer and leader in CO2 removal that uses
Direct Air Capture to remove the CO2 directly from the air so that
it can be stored safely in the deep underground. With Climeworks,
we are committed to removing 100% of the CO2 resulting from the
energy required to power the events.
- Overdrive Energy Solutions, a company that provides smart
battery power stations recharged by renewable energy.
- FLOR carbon neutral green carpet, made from recycled content
and manufactured using 100% renewable electricity. Our FLOR green
carpet will replace the traditional red carpet.
"It has been a true labor of love to partner with UMG on these
two huge events and we couldn't be more thrilled with what we have
planned," said REVERB Co-Founder, Adam
Gardner. "We're also excited to recognize Billie's
environmental work. Having worked closely with Billie on her
2022 World Tour, we know firsthand how dedicated she is to using
her music and her platform to create positive change."
In addition, UMG will continue to support its long-time health
care partner, Mental Health Coalition (MHC). In 2022, UMG and
MHC collaborated to help individuals navigate the very real mental
health issues surrounding climate change, eco-anxiety, climate
trauma, PTSD and climate justice, amongst others. This year,
the weekend's events will feature a photo booth and for every photo
shared during the weekend, UMG will make a donation to MHC, to
further its message and mission to end the stigma surrounding
mental health. MHC resources are accessible here. To
download the MHC Roadmap to Climate Change Mental Health, produced
in partnership with UMG, click here.
CLICK HERE FOR SHOWCASE AND MEDIA ASSETS.
About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group,
we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the
world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of
businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing,
merchandising, and audiovisual content. Featuring the most
comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every
musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and
distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially
successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation,
and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services,
platforms, and business models in order to broaden artistic and
commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences
for fans. For more information,
visit www.universalmusic.com.
About REVERB
Leading the green music movement since
2004, REVERB (REVERB.org) partners with artists, festivals,
and venues to reduce their environmental footprint while empowering
millions of fans to take action on today's most pressing
environmental issues. Working with artist partners like Billie
Eilish, Odesza, Jack Johnson, Lorde,
The 1975, Maroon 5, Harry Styles,
Dave Matthews Band, and many more,
REVERB has greened over 350 tours & 6,000 concert events,
prevented the use of over 4 million single-use plastic bottles,
neutralized 280,000+ tons of CO2e, and is the Official Music
and Public Engagement Partner of the United Nations Environment
Programme. Learn more at REVERB.org
About Three Squares Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Three Squares Inc.
(TSI) is an award-winning sustainability and ESG consulting firm.
Having worked on all seven continents (including Antarctica), TSI is a global leader in
developing and implementing sustainability plans for governments,
corporations, investors, and industry groups. TSI carries a robust
corporate client roster and enjoys working with many of the world's
leading companies committed to climate action, including Nike,
Honda, Disney, LVMH, HP, and more. TSI is certified as a
women-owned business, Santa Monica Green Business, and UN Climate
Neutral Now business.
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SOURCE Universal Music Group