SUSTAINABILITY
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for the last three to four years has been largely dictated by geopolitical issues like the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The semiconductor shortage has also affected us – along with most other manufacturers – so the choice of supplier and if they’re ethical can be dictated by what is available and from where on a needs basis.” Klaus Hausherr, concert series product specialist at K-Array – whose Firenze-KH7 system was just recently deployed for reasons including its sensitivity to the environment at the No Borders Music Festival in Italy’s Friuli Alps – says: “The expectations of tours have undoubtedly grown. Technological advancements have allowed endless innovative ideas and artistic possibilities, but productions still have a lot to do about sustainability.” THE MAGIC OF LIVE So what of the longer-term future, as climate change intensifies and the potentially nightmarish scenarios that have been projected come to fruition? What steps might the industry have to take then? One option, of course, might be for the online-only model that became familiar during the pandemic to be readopted – this time for environmental rather than medical reasons. As Hazlewood tells us, the Covid-19 period “changed people’s perception of what could be done online versus more traditional ways of having performances in person. Certainly, online live performance can be a nice way of making art accessible to everybody, especially those who might not have the means to travel.” A number of productions involving some degree of remote attendance facilitated by VR and related technology have already taken place – and it seems likely that this will account for a greater share of ticket sales in the future. “But, of course, there’s a magic to experiencing art in real life,” adds Hazlewood. “The community and shared experience is a powerful thing that we wouldn’t want to lose entirely.”
wants to use her music as an empowerment around environmental issues. It’s been very inspiring to work with her and, in a great way, she and her team have pushed us to find new ways of doing things.” FIGHT THE POWER Two components of touring never to be overlooked are the travel and power implications of the technology used to produce the show. Several longer-term trends have definitely helped here, including more compact and power- efficient loudspeakers and amplifiers. But those are not always the most cost-effective solutions, especially in an era where multiple other factors – not least the dramatic drop in income from recorded music – have meant an ever- increasing focus on revenue. Jonathan Reece, global sales director at manufacturer KV2 Audio, says: “In our experience, while there is definitely an increased awareness and consciousness around sustainability by audiences and artists, other factors relating to cost and margins remain more prevalent, which can sadly conflict or sway some of those ethical decisions.” Nonetheless, there are specific areas of tour specification where a general industry awareness of sustainability continues to grow. “Power consumption is definitely a serious consideration in the majority of projects we deal with; form factor less so for us because we are already considered a much more compact solution,” explains Reece. He notes that the VHD range of products – offering reduced footprint and power consumption, but with long throw and high output – complement the ‘basic concepts and philosophies of sustainable touring extremely well’. Production-wise, the company has moved to recycled materials in both products and packaging where possible, and has been ‘running almost waste-free production for many years now’. Though, certain issues can be out of a vendor’s control. “The sourcing of raw materials
Jack Johnson at the No Borders Music Festival in Italy’s Friuli Alps, which used K-Array technology
Eliot Smith Dance, from a winning ITER project
The sourcing of raw materials for the last three to four years has been largely dictated by geopolitical issues like the pandemic”
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