Among the many people working on sustainability projects within the music industry, it’s a widely held belief that it’s crucial for this sector to prioritize green projects given the huge impact music has on audiences.  

If a song can make a person feel something while they’re holding a drink in a reusable cup or standing in front of a stage they know is powered by clean technology, chances are higher that they’ll have a positive association with, and interest in, sustainability after they go home. Given that most people like music, the potential ripple effect is massive. 

And so this year — when so many climate stories were dread-inducing — it was encouraging to see the industry, from streaming to live to vinyl pressing, working on so many innovative solutions, from the tipping point that has arrived for reusable cups, to the broad strides forward being made in the technological improvement of batteries and their ability to power music festivals and events, to new initiatives that both put a spotlight on the issues and help raise money to address them. 

There’s still, of course, a lot of work to be done, with most every company we spoke with about sustainability this year saying that the real tipping point for greening the industry will come when sustainable solutions cost less than the current ways of doing things.  

Surveying the work that’s been done this year, there’s reason to believe that this moment is on the horizon. For now, these are the five biggest sustainability stories of 2024.