Big concert tours made a strong comeback last year, with Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Coldplay, and Blackpink drawing millions of fans into the vibrant world of live music again. As demand for concerts and music festivals soar, fans are calling out the music industry to make concerts more sustainable to combat climate change.
Live concerts and performances generate 405,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year, according to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. Concert venues account for 34% of emissions, while 33% is attributed to audience travel. Travel by artists and their crews, merchandise and promotions are also sources of emissions.
South Korea’s music industry is stepping up efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by making concerts more sustainable. YG Entertainment, the Seoul-based entertainment agency behind the girl group sensation Blackpink, released its “2030 Sustainable Concert Report” on Mar. 27.
The report outlines seven sustainability frameworks, including management of greenhouse gas emissions, improving venue accessibility, fan engagement, content impact, enhancing content impact, managing venue safety, reducing carbon emissions at venues and sustainable concert governance.
YG Entertainment plans to establish a structured framework by the end of this year and apply this framework to select concerts by 2027 and to all performances by 2030. The agency said it applied a few of these sustainability measures at Blackpink’s “Born Pink” encore concerts in Seoul last year and at AKMU and Treasure concerts.
YG Entertainment set a precedent as the first Korean entertainment agency to measure greenhouse gas emissions at concerts. According to the report, greenhouse gas emissions from the “Born Pink” finale concert in Seoul amounted to 6,000 tons over two days.
The agency aims to implement strategies to prevent unauthorized ticket sales, combat counterfeit merchandise to safeguard intellectual property, ensure safety at every phase of the concert, and regulate waste and water consumption.
“YG Entertainment is committed to identifying the environmental and social impacts of concerts, and seeking sustainable solutions,” said YG co-CEOs Yang Min-suk and Hwang Bo-kyung. “YG believes that embracing sustainable concerts is a crucial step in ensuring the current live music experience and the joy music brings to audiences is passed on to future generations.”
The agency’s leading artist, Blackpink, has partnered with the British Embassy in Korea to promote sustainability and green energy. Blackpink was also chosen as a promotional ambassador for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in 2021.
YG Entertainment announced late last year that all four members of Blackpink - Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé -renewed their group contracts as Blackpink. But all four members decided not to extend individual contracts, instead opting for solo endeavors.
