In the last year alone, we know that the live music industry has seen a sharp rise in awareness around environmental sustainability. Venues and artists are now demanding greener tours, tighter carbon bookkeeping, less waste, and more care in how travel, eating, and stays are planned and even attended.
For bands on the road a lot, sustainable travel isn’t just a choice, it’s becoming part of the business of staying relevant, credible, and cost-efficient. High-profile events are already setting the bar with a recent example being Coldplay’s recent Music of the Spheres tour, which reduced its CO₂ emissions by 59% compared to their previous stadium tour, thanks to things like battery systems, kinetic dance-floors, train travel and renewable energy. Moves like this show that ambitious change is possible, and fans respond positively when artists lead on sustainability.
But Coldplay aren’t alone, Massive Attack went a step further last year, rethinking the very model of live touring. Their initiative, Act 1.5, was designed to reduce the most overlooked source of live music emissions, their audience, and the band offered early ticket sales only to fans in local postcodes, discouraging long-distance travel, while also actively promoting journeys by train. Through the ticketing platform, every booking contributed to countryside restoration projects, meaning travel itself helps regenerate the environment.
This fan-first approach is a reminder that sustainable touring isn’t just about what happens backstage, it’s about the ecosystem surrounding a tour, how people get there, what they eat, and where they stay.
Food choices, for example, have a surprisingly large impact and a vegetarian meal on a flight is roughly 50 percent less carbon-intensive than a meat-based option, and when multiplied across flights, catering, and backstage hospitality, the savings quickly add up. Considering that the livestock sector is a major greenhouse gas contributor, swapping even a portion of meals for plant-based options is one of the easiest wins.
Accommodation choices also play a major role and this is where Access Bookings has been doing its part for the industry. Back in 2017, we developed a bespoke environmental awareness grading programme to help clients in music and touring identify properties that are working to make a difference. The scheme not only supports greener hotel partners but also helps all those involved in touring meet their ESG and carbon offsetting requirements.
Certainly, sustainable travel is no longer optional, it’s an expectation and by tracking emissions, making greener choices around food and accommodation, and rethinking how both artists and fans move from place to place, the live music sector can dramatically reduce its footprint.
