2MUS77H Music Business Management Environmental Responsibility and the Recording Industry

The burgeoning entrepreneurial activity of the twentieth century has resulted in a recording industry of significant scale and scope. The existence of many large corporate infrastructures is calling for a more accountable and transparent industry in regards to environmental responsibility. The traditional value chain for recorded music has shifted to include new channels of distribution, but both remain reliant on non-renewable materials (resources) and energy intensive processes. Universally scientists currently and widely believe that the world’s mineral resources are finite and that anthropogenic greenhouse emissions, such as carbon dioxide, significantly contribute to climate change (Blowers et al. 2003). The macro environmental impacts resulting from the various steps of the value chain for recorded music (production, manufacturing, marketing and distribution) have far-reaching effects that need wider industry acknowledgment. A combined analysis of the environmental impact resulting from the professional recording and touring artist, also reveals an area of the industry where significant environmental impact is occurring