Work / Launching NATURE as an artist – Sounds Right
The Brief
From The Beatles’ “Blackbird” to The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm”, we’ve all heard countless songs sampling the sounds of the natural world. However, to this point, nature has never seen a penny in return. Now, through Sounds Right, NATURE is finally recognised as an artist in her own right, allowing her to earn royalties from her sounds for the first time with her own profile on streaming platforms.
A number of artists released new tracks featuring the sounds of NATURE including David Bowie x Brian Eno, Ellie Goulding, AURORA, UMI with V of BTS, and Anuv Jain. Every stream helps raise funds to conserve precarious ecosystems around the world, and millions of music fans are being encouraged to take meaningful actions to protect the planet.
The project is led by UN Live, working closely with EarthPercent and a coalition of partners from across the creative and ecological sectors. LD was brought on board as the PR partner for the UK and Europe, formulating a global press strategy to launch the initiative. Media coverage was key in engaging diverse global audiences, raising awareness and inspiring a sense of agency in our collective conservation and sustainability efforts.
What We Did
Sounds Right is a global campaign, and LD created a strategy to reflect this. We functioned as the central press hub for various PR partners including a US counterpart and specialists in the Global South. Using international syndicated news agencies and local expertise helped achieve over 450 pieces of coverage across 42 different countries from every continent.
Distilling the goals and key messages of Sounds Right was crucial. LD worked closely with UN Live to hone the messaging and drive the public to CTAs, which included streaming the tracks on DSPs and taking follow-up actions to protect the planet. Media training was organised for UN Live spokespeople ahead of the launch.
Using the hook of Earth Day, the profile of the partaking artists, and leaning into the novel idea of NATURE being an artist, there was a massive response to the initiative. The positive drive behind the campaign was a breath of fresh air for journalists during a time with a lot of negativity in the news cycle. To date, NATURE has reached over 35 million streams from 5 million listeners.
What we achieved
3,477,857,272
Reach
£11,153,466
PR Value
463 pieces across 42 countries
Coverage achieved
Coverage highlights
BBC Interview with Brian Eno and AURORA
TV - BBC Breakfast, BBC News, BBC World Service and ITV This Morning
Music - NME, Billboard, Crack, DJ Mag, Far Out Magazine, Record Collector, Resident Advisor, Consequence of Sound, Dig! and Music Ally
Business and Sustainability Features - Forbes, Fast Company, The Outrage and Optimism Podcast, Atmos, Business Green, and EcoWatch
Working with LD on the Sounds Right campaign was a truly rewarding experience for UN Live. Their strategic expertise and seamless coordination led to over 450 pieces of global coverage across 42 countries. LD's help in refining our message and providing media training was invaluable, spreading the story of NATURE becoming an official artist and resulting in over 35 million streams. This partnership has shown us the incredible impact we can achieve together