How MSA’s Music Sustainability Summit Put Green Touring Center Stage

When the Music Sustainability Alliance was forced to postpone its second annual Music Sustainability Summit in early February because of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, the need for the MSA in bringing together the music industry to help advance sustainability couldn’t have been more apparent.

MSA pushed back its in-person event to April and marked the original date by hosting a virtual gathering, “L.A. Wildfires: Climate Experts, Activists & Music Industry Respond,” on Feb. 3 with speakers including Support + Feed founder Maggie Baird; climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe; minister, activist and Hip Hop Caucus President Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.; and author, educator and activist Bill McKibben.

“It was climate experts, activists and the music industry responding and for us, it was to make sure everyone understood the link between these wildfires and climate change – that this was a climate disaster first and foremost,” says Amy Morrison, CEO and co-founder of MSA.

MSA was co-founded in 2021 by Morrison, who was formerly the SVP Marketing at Concerts West and co-led AEG Presents Climate Positive Touring team, and Michael Martin, the founder/CEO of reuse platform r.World and CEO/founder of boutique consultancy Effect Partners, with a goal of empowering the music business to “leverage its platform to tackle the climate crisis,” as well as providing a “hub for the industry and artists to learn, innovate, and collaborate.”

The in-person Music Sustainability Summit was held April 15 at Solotech Studios in Los Angeles, bringing together over 250 attendees from all sectors of the industry. Speakers included Live Nation SVP of Global Touring Lesley Olenik, Professor and Director of MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative John E. Fernández, Superfly co-founder Rick Farman, Range Media founder/managing partner Evan Winiker, AEG VP of Global Head of Sustainability Erik Distler, Young the Giant lead guitarist Jacob Tilley, tour/production manager Andre Corea, Arrival Artists COO Matt Yasecko, Universal Music Group SVP Sustainability Dylan Seigler, Solotech Studios President Live Productions Mickey Curbishley, and CES founder/CEO Greg Landa, among others.

New additions this year included adding music – with actor, singer and environmental justice activist Antonique Smith helping open the event by performing “Love Song To The Earth” – and a theme: Progress Through Collaboration.

“The other thing that we did differently this year were these 5-10 minute lightning rounds,” Morrison says. “We took some inspiration from TED talks and we were able to [share] a lot of great information. Everything from REVERB’s transportation study to the things Live Green is doing with putting sustainability green clauses in contracts to Kpop4planet, a group of K-pop fans from Korea concerned about the climate crisis. It provided a platform for our working groups to present what they were up to.”

The results of REVERB’s travel study perfectly encapsulated the summit’s theme, with Morrison explaining that there’s not one single solution: “It’s cities, venues, local transportation, artist teams all coming together to solve these problems … because we’re all so interconnected.”

One of the hot topics at the summit – and “a new frontier that everyone wants to solve” – was sustainable merch. Speakers on the “Wear the Change: Rethinking Merch” panel included Roboro founder & CEO Jillian Clark, BLACK PEARL CEO Samata Pattinson, Ecofashion Corp founder/CEO Marci Zaroff and Bravado Senior Director Brand Management Heather Quintana, who is the senior director of merchandise for Billie Eilish.

Though the new U.S. administration is blatantly anti-sustainability, Morrison remarks that music “has always brought people together and I think in times of crisis even more.”

She adds, “I think that with the current political forces pulling back on climate commitments and really trying to undermine our environmental progress, it’s up to industries like ours to step up and lead – because I think we can and we have such potential to impact the masses.”

Visit musicsustainability.org for more information and check out MSA’s YouTube page to watch recordings of the 2025 summit panels. s