Free MP3s: A New Currency for Climate Action?

Guilt. Shame. Hope. Logic. They've all been used to motivate people to fight against climate change. But despite enormous grassroots demonstrations (see 350.org), the Senate has yet to pass a clean energy and climate bill. Enter the MP3 bribe, the latest tool in the arsenal of motivation that's part of a growing push to use music to sing the Senate into action.

This is not the first time music has been used to spread the word about climate change. Live Earth's 07.07.07 campaign was probably the biggest, claiming to have "inspired over 2 billion people worldwide to engage with issues and the solutions surrounding the global climate crisis." The idea that music can inspire action remains a popular approach. Reverb just launched its Green Music Group; Bonnaroo 2010's solar stage will host outreach focused on global warming; and the Black-Eyed Peas announced a partnership with Rethink, Green for All, and the League of Conservation Voters to promote the need for a clean energy economy during their national tour.

But does awareness really lead to action? Back in 2007, I saw Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro, and my fellow concert-goers seemed far more focused on their caipirinhas and the gyrating hips of their dance partners than the occasional announcement about the benefits of changing light bulbs.

That's why the new approach of Music for Action is so intriguing: To hear the music, you've got to act first.  The website offers a compilation, "Best of Bonnaroo," with artists including Wilco, Pearl Jam, and the Decemberists, as a free download after you send an email to your senators urging them to make a clean energy bill a priority for 2010.

Unfortunately, there is a loophole: You don't actually have to send the emails to get the download, they just try to make you feel bad about it if you don't.  Why Bonnaroo took this route I don't know, as the historical decline of the Catholic Church shows that guilt can only go so far.

But fix that and I think they may be onto something: music as a reward for action taken, rather than inspiration to act. It's a nice compliment to the 72 Hours for Clean Power that ends today (take action now!) Both ideas are based on the premise that the only way to counter the pressure by industry lobbyists to stall climate legislation is to make our own voices louder. Direct contact with our senators, through letters, emails, and phone calls, is the best way. And if a little MP3 bribe adds a few voices to the chorus, I'm all for it. After all, getting the Senate to take meaningful action on clean energy and climate is something we can all sing about.

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