New initiative, Murmur, unites art and music sectors to raise funds and advocate for solutions to climate change

19 March 2024 - Press release

- Murmur launches today with over £1 million in pledges from visual arts and music businesses to help lead and drive change across their industries by channelling funds into the most impactful environmental solutions.

- Founding partners include galleries Hauser & Wirth, Mendes Wood and Thomas Dane; LUMA Arles; international art organisation Frieze; leading independent record label groups Beggars Group and Secretly Affiliates and music labels Ninja Tune, Because Music and !K7.

- Partners commit to measuring and reducing their own emissions in line with climate science. The funds they contribute to Murmur will finance transformative climate action, enable significant carbon reduction for our industries and empower artists and musicians for change.

- Murmur sets a new climate standard for the music and arts industries and has been welcomed by leading climate voices for its rigorous approach and standards for partners.

Today sees the launch of a new charity, Murmur, which brings together the worlds of art, music and climate science. This is a groundbreaking initiative in which visual arts and music organisations are committing to lead and drive change across their industries by funding the most impactful and effective environmental solutions.

Founding partners include galleries Hauser & Wirth, Mendes Wood and Thomas Dane; LUMA Arles and LUMA Foundation; international art organisation Frieze; art advisory Alexandra Mollof Fine Art; record label Beggars Group with constituent labels 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings, Young; Secretly Affiliates with constituent labels Secretly Canadian, Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records, The Numero Group, Ghostly International, drink sum wtr; music labels Ninja Tune, Because Music and !K7. Murmur is also supported by IMPALA, the European organisation for independent music companies.

Murmur sets a new standard for credible climate action in the visual art and music sectors. To become a partner of Murmur, businesses must commit to a carbon audit and reduction of their carbon emissions in line with a 1.5C future and make annual financial contributions to Murmur’s shared fund based on their environmental impact. Partners are redefining what it means to be a responsible business and advocating for change. Murmur welcomes new partners and aims to galvanise the whole art and music sector.

Murmur also celebrates and empowers artists and musicians and their ability to change the conversation and generate positive action. Artists represented by the founding partners have welcomed their record labels’ and galleries’ participation:

Murmur’s grants will fit into three categories: ‘Change the Industry’, ‘Change the Conversation’ and ‘Change the World’. Providing guidance on these grants are three separate advisory boards, made up of climate leaders from their respective industries. Grants to ‘Change the Industry’ projects will look to make positive change within the visual arts and music sectors, ‘Change the Conversation’ initiatives will inspire new ways of storytelling and positive action around climate change, and ‘Change the World’ will identify projects that have lasting and tangible impacts globally in tackling the climate crisis.

So far, Murmur has raised pledges of over £1m from partner organisations in art and music and has provided pilot grants for charities including Systemic Justice, a climate law group headed by Nani Jansen Reventlow. Systemic Justice works to radically transform how the law works for marginalized communities fighting for climate justice.

Also receiving a pilot grant from Murmur is the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Association of Independent Music (AIM). This grant will support these UK trade bodies to establish the Music Climate Pact and bring together the music industry to mitigate their contribution to climate change and take positive action.

Murmur has been created by Caius Pawson (founder of the music label Young), and Matthew Slotover (co-founder of Frieze and founding member of Gallery Climate Coalition) with Victoria Siddall appointed as the Founding Director. Victoria is a board member of Frieze and a co-founder and trustee of Gallery Climate Coalition. Joining them on Murmur’s Board include top figures in the field of climate and sustainability Chris Stark (CEO of the the UK Climate Change Committee), Vedantha Kumar (Climate Manager at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation) and Will Hutton (Head of Sustainability for the Premier League).

The launch of Murmur comes on the day of the publication of a report demystifying beyond value chain mitigation - a way for companies to take responsibility for their unabated greenhouse gas emissions while reducing their climate impact in line with science. The report “Funding Beyond Value Chain Mitigation - Step by Step Guidance for Organisations Taking Responsibility for their Emissions” is the result of a collaboration between Murmur, Gold Standard and Milkywire and provides guidance for companies who want to supplement action on their value chain emissions by supporting climate action that supports our journey to a net zero world.

For more information about Murmur, including how businesses and organisations from across the visual arts and music sectors can get involved, visit: www.murmur.earth.