The Music Climate Pact has officially teamed up with global music streaming service Deezer to publish Sound Choices, a practical best-practice guide designed to help music fans reduce the environmental impact of digital streaming. Launched at EarthFest 2026—the Future of Music & Entertainment summit hosted at Sony Music UK in London—the initiative outlines 10 accessible adjustments listeners can make to their digital habits without diluting their sonic experience.
Developed by the Pact’s Digital Working Group, the guide focuses on reducing the energy and data consumption associated with daily media usage. Key recommendations include downloading favourite albums over home Wi-Fi instead of repeatedly streaming via mobile data, opting for audio-only playback when videos are not actively being watched, and disabling energy-heavy, AI-powered features like automated mixes or virtual DJs. The resource also encourages practical tech habits, such as utilizing app dark modes, holding onto smartphones longer before upgrading, and closing background streaming applications when listening becomes unintentional.
The project marks a collaborative milestones for recorded music sectors looking to address the hidden carbon footprint of cloud-based music delivery. Music Climate Pact Working Group Co-Chairs Caroline Hansen, Lewis Jamieson, and Helen Smith noted in a joint statement that the initiative aims to provide busy music fans with simple, centralized advice to reduce their everyday digital footprint. They emphasized that working directly alongside streaming providers like Deezer is a critical step toward building cross-industry sustainability solutions.
Cynthia Rouilly, Workplace & Sustainability Director at Deezer, reiterated that corporate environmental responsibility must go hand-in-hand with commercial distribution, stating that small collective actions multiplied across millions of global music fans can create a measurable difference. According to Project Manager Roxy Erickson, while the structural responsibility for digital sustainability heavily rests upon supply chains and platform infrastructure, empowering the consumer as an active partner remains vital. The full set of consumer streaming tips has been published alongside the Music Climate Pact’s comprehensive 2026 Annual Report detailing ongoing green industry reforms.
