DJs are killing the planet, according to a report published this month by “climate action collective” Clean Scene.
The study, titled Last Night a DJ Took a Flight, calculated that the average touring DJ travels 118,000 km per year and emits 35 tonnes of CO2 – a massive carbon footprint. “This is equivalent to 20,000 households’ electricity for one year, powering 8,000 festivals for three days, or pressing 25 million records,” the report claims.
“The average footprint of the 100 DJs travelling the most is nearly 88 tonnes versus just 3.3 tonnes for the 100 travelling the least,” it reads.
According to Clean Scene, the COVID-19 pandemic – which forced DJs to press pause – provides the music industry with a chance to make changes.
“The demand for a small number of DJs to tour constantly is the result of an environmentally unsustainable industry,” reads the report, “and an industry we have an opportunity to collectively reimagine.”
Clean Scene analyzed the carbon footprint of the top 1,000 DJs touring in 2019 as determined by UK electronic music site Resident Advisor.
“While we highlight artists’ flight data as a striking metric of our scene’s environmental impact, it is clear that everyone within the dance music industry plays a role in the accumulation of these numbers.”
Among the recommendations is for promoters to book more local DJs. “The international touring DJ industry almost completely overshadows the wealth of local talent in each city,” it reads. “We have so much talent in our own cities. It’s time to make locals the heroes of their hometown dance floors.”