The Recording Academy has announced it is teaming up with several United Nations Human Rights-supported global initiatives to harness the power of music to promote social justice around the world. The multifaceted campaign will engage major artists to use their talents and unique platform to galvanize support for United Nations Human Rights goals, including advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, women’s empowerment, climate justice, and a broad range of other human rights issues.
The Right Here, Right Now Music initiative launching today by the Recording Academy and the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance (Right Here, Right Now) aims to combat the human rights crisis resulting from climate change. The first activation is the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series, which will bring together some of the most popular arena acts to perform in small iconic concert venues around the globe, while shining a light on alarming climate issues such as floods, droughts, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, food insecurity, clean water, ocean acidity, deforestation, mental health, and more.
Hosted by United Nations Human Rights and the Recording Academy, the Mini Global Climate Concert Series will kick off April 13 at the Boulder Theater in Colorado with headliner Wesley Schultz, lead singer and co-founder of the two-time GRAMMY®-nominated band the Lumineers, with special guests including Yola, a six-time GRAMMY–nominated artist. The inaugural concert, which will be filmed by Citizen Pictures for a later broadcast, is being produced by AEG Presents and supported by the University of Colorado Boulder. Right Here, Right Now Music is planning to host Mini Global Climate Concerts in numerous cities on multiple continents, with discussions already underway for potential events in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Johannesburg, Bogotá, and Dubai.
Proceeds from Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concerts will go to United Nations Human Rights climate justice initiatives and MusiCares, the leading music charity providing music professionals health and human services across a spectrum of needs. The Right Here, Right Now MusiCares Fund is being established to focus relief efforts for music communities impacted by climate crisis.
“We are honored to be working with several United Nations-supported global music initiatives to bring together artists and create unique music events to promote social justice around the world,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Music has no boundaries so we are excited to partner with the artist community and work with the United Nations to further their human rights goals and ultimately, better the world.”
“We are proud to help launch the new Right Here, Right Now Music initiative and its first activation, the Mini Global Climate Concert Series, where artists will amplify awareness of the human rights crisis resulting from climate change,” said Panos A. Panay, President of the Recording Academy. “Being the son of a UN worker, this partnership has deep personal resonance.”
“It is a privilege and honor to be partnering with the Recording Academy in the development of multiple global music initiatives supported by United Nations Human Rights, including Right Here, Right Now Music, which will elevate global awareness to help reframe climate change as the human rights crisis that it is. Music provides a platform for the biggest megaphone in the world, and working with the Recording Academy, the most renowned music organization in the world, will help ensure the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series gives voice to those who all too often have none,” said David Clark, founder and CEO of Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance. “We’re also thrilled to be kicking off the concert series in Boulder, as the city has become the ‘Davos of Climate Change,’ since the University of Colorado Boulder recently convened world leaders, top climate experts, business leaders, and human rights advocates, along with students from our Education Coalition that includes over 2,300 universities – for the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit co-hosted with United Nations Human Rights last year.”
Since its unveiling at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance has emerged as the largest public-private partnership addressing climate change as a human rights issue, assembling human rights experts, scientists, corporate leaders, NGOs, academics, advocates, and people around the globe in the fight for rights-based climate action to preserve our common future. Major artists and celebrities have lent their voice in support of the alliance and United Nations Human Rights, including Quincy Jones, Celine Dion, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cher, Camila Cabello, Annie Lennox, LL Cool J, Cyndi Lauper, Pitbull, Jack Black, the Lumineers, Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Bridges, Edward Norton, Bob Weir, Dead & Company, Kesha, Joss Stone, and Michael Franti, to name a few. Right Here, Right Now celebrity social media campaigns to date have collectively reached nearly a billion followers with messages about climate justice.
“Music has a unique ability to bring together people from every walk of life to address important environmental and social justice issues. Throughout history, music has been an important outlet for communication, cultural expression, and expression of dissent. As the Global Partner of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, UN Human Rights welcomes the news that the Recording Academy will be joining the alliance as the Global Partner of Right Here, Right Now Music, in order to help promote our mutual goals and objectives to help prevent the worst impacts of the climate catastrophe on persons, groups and peoples in vulnerable situations,” said Benjamin Schachter, UN Human Rights Team Leader for Environment and Climate Change.
The Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Concert at Boulder Theater is being advised on best sustainability practices by Sound Future Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating climate innovation for the live event industry, as well as leveraging the power of the industry to catalyze climate innovation.
