Sounds Right initiative will recognize NATURE as an official artist.
The Museum for the United Nations’s UN Live recently launched the Sounds Right initiative, which aims to raise funds for nature by using NATURE’s own sounds in musical records.
While many of the sounds we hear on musical records are engineered or are played out by the musicians themselves, sometimes they throw in the sounds of chirping birds or crashing waves. And seldom do we give credit to how these sounds are being produced – by NATURE.
In an environmental conservation effort, the Museum for United Nations—UN Live has launched the Sounds Right initiative, which will recognize NATURE as an official artist on major streaming platforms. This is the first time that NATURE will be able to generate royalties from its own sounds. The Sounds Right initiative does not assert exclusive rights over NATURE’s creations. Instead, it offers an innovative method to channel music royalties and donations towards conservation efforts.
The Sounds Right initiative consists of musicians, nature-sound recordists, creatives, environmental campaigners, and global advocates. Some known artists who use NATURE’s sounds include Ellie Goulding, who uses sounds from the rainforests of Columbia. Brian Eno features the cries of hyenas, rooks and wild pigs in one of his songs, and Louis VI has a track that focuses on the environmental destruction caused by forest fires with sounds from the Borneo rainforest.
The variety of music genres, including pop, rock, alternative, and electronic, not only offers a distinctive blend of sounds but also amplifies the initiative’s popularity globally and will attract people with different musical tastes.
When an artist uses NATURE’s sounds in their songs, they will give credit by mentioning “featuring NATURE.” These songs can also be found on the “feat. NATURE” playlist on Spotify. NATURE will also have its own profile on the streaming platform.
Spotify is supporting the Sounds Right initiative through EarthPercent, the music industry’s climate foundation. EarthPercent, which was launched in 2021, invites artists and the broader music industry to contribute a portion of their income towards organizations dedicated to addressing the climate and natural crises. More than 250 artists and companies have already committed their support to this cause.
Through the Sounds Right initiative, 50% of recording royalties from tracks by artists featuring sounds of NATURE will be donated to biodiversity conservation and restoration projects. The Sounds Right initiative Expert Advisory Panel, which is a group of world-leading biologists, environmental activists, Indigenous People’s representatives, and experts in conservation funding, will review projects that demonstrate proven models of ecological and community impact, strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks and are carried out by organizations with appropriate capabilities. Projects in ecosystems with the highest biodiversity levels and regions like Madagascar, the Indian Ocean Islands, the Tropical Andes, and the Atlantic Forest will be prioritized.
Listeners can also unwind to ambient NATURE sounds, including ecosystem recordings from The Listening Planet and VozTerra, with a substantial portion of royalties supporting impactful conservation initiatives.
The Sounds Right initiative is also collaborating with The Nature Conservancy and Wildlife Conservation Society to encourage millions of music fans worldwide to recognize the value of nature and inspire them to take action. The Sound Right initiative partners project that this initiative will generate over $40 million for conservation with over 600 million individual listeners in its first four years.
The Sounds Right initiative was launched in April 2024 and began with 15 tracks, with more being added as the initiative grows. We hope that this initiative brings awareness not only to listeners but also that it inspires other artists around the world to incorporate NATURE sounds into their music. Together, through music, we can help protect our natural environment for generations to come.