Julie's Bicycle have partnered with the Knowledge Connect programme on the initiative, which will provide support worth £3,000 or £10,000 to London-wide music businesses with between 4 and 50 employees. The aim is to enable them to access the knowledge, skills and expertise required to develop greener businesses and develop innovative ideas for a low carbon creative economy.
The grants will be of particular interest to businesses operating in the live sector, which is believed to account for the vast majority of music industry CO2 emissions.
The initiative will be launched during the MusicTank debate: Can The Music Industry Afford To Go Green?, which will see the likes of Tony Wadsworth asking whether the music business can afford to make real sacrifices in the name of the environment.
"Many music organisations have made great strides in cleaning up their acts but, as we lumber through this recession, how many green initiatives will be sidelined by cost cutting measures? Asks the company. "Many will argue that we can't afford to go green, not just yet at any rate. This debate will sort fact from fiction and examine what sustainability measures are financially sustainable at this point in time."
Confirmed speakers include Tony Wadsworth, Chairman of the BPI, who has spearheaded a campaign on CD packaging with record labels, Jon Webster, CEO of the Music Manager's Forum, Catherine Bottrill, scientist, Andrew Haworth, Environmental Manager at Live Nation, and Nick Ladd, promoter and co-founder of the Glade Festival join the panel who introduced an environmental scoring system across venues to identify and implement improvements. Together they will discuss the opportunities, dilemmas and costs of tackling climate change with the music industry.
The event will take place on Monday 30th March (18.30 - 21.00hrs) at the Basement Bar, Copyright House, Berner's Street, London W1T 3AB. Cost: £15 MusicTank members or £20 full price. Tickets incl. drinks. Ticket prices are subsidised by Knowledge Connect. All places MUST be booked and paid for in advance via the web address below.
(Claire Beeson)
