Streaming and Scheming: Musicians for a Greener Future

Chair: Adi Badlani

Letter from the Chair

Hey everyone!

My name is Adi Badlani, and I will be your chair for this committee! I’m a frosh here at Stanfordplanning on majoring in either Economics or Symbolic Systems and potentially minoring in thenew Stanford Climate School. I’m originally from Chicago, Illinois, and I did Model UN allthroughout high school. In 9th and 10th grade, I was a delegate for my school’s traveling team,and in 11th and 12th grade, I volunteered for Hinsdale MUN, a nonprofit conference that aims toteach kids of all ages about global affairs and the skills of diplomacy. At Stanford, I’m an Editorfor the Stanford Economic Review and I’m involved in planning Golden Gate ScienceOlympiad. Recently, I’ve become a huge 49ers fan despite their really upsetting loss against theRams, I’ve rewatched a lot of TV like Criminal Minds and Avatar: The Last Airbender andpicked up Madam Secretary as a new show, and as you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan ofmusic.

I’m not just interested in specific artists or albums; I love learning about the dynamics of theindustry. Something interesting that I’ve noticed recently is how each artist is really like acountry acting in their own self-interest but trying to save face for the rest of the world. Whileartists value the work that they put in, some value their profits more. My recent research has ledme to believe that most album cycles, rollouts, lyrics, album themes and aesthetics, and genreshifts, among an infinite number of other factors, have a hidden strategic goal. This is theassumption that is made in any crisis committee, and a good delegate will move the committeetopic forward on their face, but they will prioritize self-interest and expansion of power throughcrisis notes.

Now about the topic that you will be writing your directives about. I chose environmental musicconsumption because not only does it pose an increasingly large threat to the industry and theplanet, but solutions to this problem enacted by this committee may lead to lost profits and othershort-term setbacks for each artist; in other words, your solutions to the topic will likely conflictwith your crisis arcs. It is up to you to see how to balance that best.

This committee’s name is “Streaming and Scheming,” and I’ve named it that because those twoterms refer to what a successful member of this committee hopes to achieve. In front of thecommittee, they will put environmentalism and ecological consumption in the industry first.They will find ways to create comprehensive solutions to the streaming and vinyl crises that facethe industry today. But in the back of the room, they will put themselves first, pushing albums,songs, revenue flow, etc. You should also try to push environmentalism through crisis notes tolift your own image and enhance your winning edge at the Glammys. But this crisis committee isdynamic; any singer in this committee can do anything in their power (that is, if it’s realistic and

given the green light by the dais and crisis staff) to another singer in the committee or to anoutside actor. This committee is yours to win and uniquely yours to lose.

If you have any questions or would like to reach out to me about anything, whether that’s aclarification with the background guide or committee (note that I will try to go over every uniqueaspect of this committee at the start of the first committee session) or just asking me about mythoughts on football, TV to watch, or the music industry, please email me atbadlani@stanford.edu. And who knows, maybe I’ll give you some song or albumrecommendations during committee, and maybe you’ll give me some.

Best of luck, and I look forward to seeing you at SMUNC XXV!

Adi

Introduction and Committee/Individual Powers:

Streaming and vinyl have become the biggest winners of the music consumption industryin the past decade. Records are being shattered in both fields regularly, and artists are takingadvantage of these lucrative markets. But as these fields are growing, so is the threat of climatechange and pollution. The music industry is a massive emitter of pollution, with hundreds ofmillions of kilograms of carbon emissions every year. If the trends remain the same in theupcoming years and we can’t reduce our consumption of music, how can we consume it toreduce the industry’s impact on our planet?

Therefore, this committee will simulate the first meeting of the Musicians for a GreenerFuture Conference, a meeting of the world’s biggest artists discussing the impact that theirindustry has on the planet and potential ways of mitigating it. This committee will examine theboom of streaming and vinyl, looks at their impacts on the planet, and searches for a solution tolisten to music with the least emissions possible while aiming to provide users with seamlessexperiences. Note that this committee does not have direct power over public policy or any laws.The goal is to use your influence to compel organizations, individuals, or groups of people torally for your cause. Through directives (also called draft resolutions) and press releases (alsocalled communiqués), you will collectively steer the shape of the music industry and its impacton the planet.

However, you are also individual actors who can work to shape the industry for the better.You can use crisis notes to exercise your own power and influence. You can grow to becomesomeone central to both the industry and the crisis. Your goal in crisis notes should be twofold:earn credit and merit for using your own efforts to make the industry and the world greener andearn profits from singles, albums, and the side deals you can make. At the end of the day, you arelooking for power, and whether that takes shape as being a key leader in the musicenvironmentalist movement or becoming the most prominent artist out there is up to you. Moredetails about this will follow later in this packet.

Topic A: Streaming

We want streaming, and we want it now

In a world where we demand immediate satisfaction with just a few clicks, streamingmusic provides us with an unmatched service and billions of songs that we eagerly listen to.Especially in today’s world where artists have transcended from humble creators to veneratedicons, where songs have changed from carefree and radio-friendly pop to direct messages from amusician to the world about intimate life experiences, and where casual listeners have becomelegions of die-hard fans and stans, streaming music is the fastest, most frictionless way toconsume anything that an artist we love puts out. Following this is Spotify’s list of

most-streamed albums in their first week, with Drake’s Scorpion and Certified Lover Boy leadingthe pack, followed by Post Malone’s Beerbongs & Bentleys and Hollywood’s Bleeding, withOlivia Rodrigo’s Sour finishing the top five.

This chart shows the twenty albums with the most streams in their debut week on Spotify. Note that this list wasmade in the early fall of 2021, so it lacks notably large album debuts such as Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

and 30 by Adele.

Streaming services have emerged as mediums of communication and engagementbetween artists and their fans, with Spotify and Apple Music releasing exclusive albums,merchandise, fan art, priority tickets for shows, and so much more. Daniel Ek, the CEO ofSpotify, stated, “You can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going tobe enough. The artists today that are making it realise that it’s about creating a continuousengagement with their fans. It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around thealbum, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans.” So streaming has struck aninvisible deal between artists and their fans — artists put out music that means something tothem and others, and their fans consume it with delight. Artists get instant revenue, and fans getinstant satisfaction.

Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and so many more platforms have changed their interfacesto become more user-friendly and addicting, with mixes and playlists made by AI to cater to eachuser’s specific tastes. In short, people want music, and people want it now — this is the idea thatthe streaming era flourished on and what its corporate giants continue to perpetuate.

Streaming as a guilt-free experience

As users, this experience feels guilt-free; we do not directly consume any single-usematerial or produce any pollutants. A click on our computer doesn’t feel wasteful. We’re told toread PDFs on our devices instead of print them or to use Google Docs to take notes instead ofpen and paper, so it makes sense that pulling up Spotify on our own device could be moreeco-friendly than buying a PVC-produced vinyl from a big-box retailer with a “Made inThailand” sticker (PVC is polyvinyl chloride, a plastic made from petroleum). We can see thesingle-use plastic crippling landfills for a thousand years, the exhaust emitting from the enginesof the jumbo jet that brought the vinyl from Bangkok to San Francisco, and the impoverishedlabor force working away to precisely imprint each of the fragile PVC discs. Not to mention thetwenty minutes gone from your day going to Target to pick up a square with an oil disc inside.No images of pollution, emission, or exploitation come to mind when we think of streaming, plusthere’s no leaving the comfort of your home. The damage is out of sight, out of mind.

Out of sight, out of mind, and into the planet

But just because we can’t see or touch any harmful materials doesn’t mean they don’texist. In fact, the carbon emissions of the music industry have never been as high as in thestreaming era. Just five years ago in 2016, there were an estimated total of 194 million kilogramsof carbon emissions from just streaming and downloading music; that’s 40 million morekilograms than the emissions from all formats of consuming music in 2000. With every time youpress play, you add on to the power demanded by a streaming service of its servers. And asSpotify and Apple Music users become needier of their music, the streaming services need tohold that much more power in their servers. With every “play” or “skip” comes the slightest slipof carbon into the atmosphere. And as streaming services become more popular among thegeneral public, it’s important to know that every new user of a streaming service demands moreenergy from the servers. And like all individual parts of a whole, the results add up to abehemoth of a problem.

Streaming exploits

Streaming services, while being incredibly harmful to our planet and atmosphere, alsoperpetuate many unsafe and unreasonable practices in their process of distribution. Thestreaming industry is notorious for rumors of them, directly and indirectly, exploiting laborpractices. Big Chinese technology corporations that are subsidized and partnered with theChinese government potentially directed Uyghurs in state-sponsored concentration camps toproduce chips and refine raw materials needed for iPhones to stream music properly.Additionally, smartphone giants exploit child labor for manufacturing cell phone parts, includingthose needed to stream and download music. These companies also force child labor in unsafe

situations, including cobalt mining, to extract the raw materials needed to manufacture moreintricate cell phone parts. As the power needed for streaming services only grows, theexploitation of unsafe, forced concentration camp labor and child labor practices only grows. Astechnology advances and devices are expected to process more streams and downloads, the cellphone parts made by forced labor or child labor become more intricate and complicated todesign, and this requires more time and attention to detail to manufacture. The labor exploitationcrisis will only grow as consumers demand more streaming power, which causes companies torespond by extracting more minerals, building more chips, and working with more dangerousmaterials at the hands of children and concentration camp victims.

Topic B: Vinyls

Vinyls are back and bigger than ever

If you’ve been to your local Urban Outfitters or Barnes & Noble or if you’ve scrolledthrough TikTok for a couple minutes, you might notice that vinyls are everywhere. A stapleturned relic, vinyls have re-emerged as a collector’s good. Owners tend to collect vinyls to createmassive collections, many of which are different pressings of the same record, hoping their valueappreciates over time. Vinyls also produce a deeper, richer sound than streaming or CD, and theyhave an unmatched longevity and timelessness compared to different modes of physical musicconsumption. Revisiting the popularity of the vinyl record during the pandemic caused a boom inits sales — vinyl sales increased by 28.7% during the pandemic, and 2020 was the first year thatvinyl sales outpaced CD sales since the 1980s. And in 2021, the modern-era vinyl sales recordwas broken not once, but twice; Taylor Swift’s Evermore vinyl release sold 102,000 vinyl unitsin its first week, and then later in the year, Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) sold 114,000 vinyl unitsin its first week. This all means that the once dusty disc stocked far back in shelves has comeback with a bang — vinyl is back like never before.

Vinyls as pollutants

Unlike streaming, we are more familiar with the impact that vinyl has on the planet when wepurchase it. As previously mentioned, vinyls take massive amounts of energy and unsafe laborpractices to be produced and transported to consumers. The disc itself is typically made frompolyvinyl chloride (PVC). The slides, covers, and plastic wrap are all typically single-use and notbiodegradable. The pollutants in the vinyl process are not something that we are directly affectedby, but they are known too well by residents on the other side of the world.

More than half of the PVC used for US manufacturing of vinyls comes from Thai Plasticand Chemicals Public Company Limited (TPC). This is traced back to a massiveheadquarters-factory complex in Bangkok on the shores of the Chao Phraya River, Thailand’s

main thoroughfare for boat traffic. The Guardian sent a representative to Bangkok to get a closerlook at the production process of vinyls, and TPC vehemently denied the representative’s requestto enter the facility, and the newspaper then noted that this lack of transparency raised concernsabout TPC’s carbon output and exploitative labor practices. However, the representative did nothave to enter the facility to see just how much the TPC complex pollutes its surroundings; TPCvisibly dumps pollutants into the Chao Phraya. This river resembles a shade of dark brownunnatural to the environment and is among the most polluted rivers in the world. In Bangkok, itcontains traces of heavy metals and toxic chemicals. TPC, the powerhouse of American vinylproduction, perpetuates the pollution of an important river and passage for so many residents ofThailand, affecting the livelihoods of the people of Thailand and harming the wildlife both in andaround the river.

Southeast Asia is no stranger to PVC waste, however. American PVC wastes have beenshipped to countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where a unique and tellingindustry has been created. American waste lines the streets of villages with impoverishedresidents looking for employment. To kickstart local economies and clean up the streets, theVietnamese government innovated a unique solution; they created an industry where they paylocal residents to sort through the trash that fills their streets. This way, the labor force grows andthe country becomes cleaner. But this is a reminder of the sad reality that American PVC wastestarts and ends in Southeast Asia. It reflects a desire to not handle our own consumption ofwasteful products and forcing it down on economies less equipped to handle pollutants.

Concluding Thoughts

It doesn’t look like music consumption has a net-zero emissions option. Any mode ofconsuming music — digital or physical — will result in some imprint on the environment. Butthe option that is better depends on specific customers’ needs. The current best way to go about itis that if you plan on listening to a song once or twice, go with streaming; if you plan on listeningto a song over and over again, go with a CD, not vinyl — vinyls cost more than CDs to produceand have a bigger environmental impact. However, vinyls carry massive numbers for sales andimmense symbolic value to consumers that want to celebrate the revival of the vintage good.

With current trends of streaming and vinyl markets growing, the mark on our planet isonly going to grow. While it is unclear whether an innovative, ecological solution to streamingmusic is in the works, it is important to look at our habits and potentially forsake the luxury ofconvenience. Ultimately, this issue, like all environmental issues, comes down to our behaviorwhen consuming music, so for the time being, all we can do is note the impacts of our actionsand choose the way we listen to music wisely.

Questions to Consider

Note: These questions should guide you in formulating ideas for directives in committee. Thatbeing said, do not limit yourself to answering just these questions in your draft resolutions. If youchoose to venture on a topic within ecological music consumption besides streaming or vinyl,that’s great, too. For example, touring with minimal emissions has now become a major topic ofconversation.

1. How can the committee go after streaming giants without devaluing the music industry?Are direct jabs the right way to go? Can the platforms of the members of the committeeafford this?

2. How can the committee formulate a user-friendly, convenient alternative to streamingservices that is just as accessible to fans?

3. What is an ecological alternative to vinyl that may carry the same sentimental orsymbolic value? How can it be distributed and/or sold at a price that makes it just, if notmore, appealing to consumers?

4. How can individual singers leverage their positions and popularity to enact change withinfanbases to adopt more ecological alternatives to streaming and vinyl?

5. Who can the committee as a whole (or individual members of the committee) work withto increase awareness of ecological consumption of music?

6. Can the committee provide incentives to consumers to go green? What could theseincentives be, and is it possible for them to not be at a great loss to members of thecommittee?

7. What other changes can be made in the music industry to minimize emissions and impacton the planet besides streaming or vinyl? How can we enact these changes without majorlosses to artists and the industry?

8. What can you, as an individual artist, do through crisis notes to combat harmful,unsustainable practices of music consumption? How can you do so in a way that also liftsyour image, increases your fanbase, or anything else that will build hype for your projectsand give you success at the Glammys?

Characters

Taylor Swift: Called “pop’s most closely scrutinized diarist” by the Los Angeles Times, TaylorSwift has mastered country and pop, and she recently ventured into indie. She prides hersinger-songwriter roots and has inspired many new artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray toput their writing first. She recently became embroiled in a legal battle with Scooter Braun, amanager for many high-profile artists, for her master recordings, and this has caused her tore-record her first six albums. She has an extremely devout fanbase called the Swifties. Withsuch a long and well-documented career, how does Taylor continue to maintain relevance andsuccess in an industry that tends to discard female artists for staying in one lane for too long?

Drake: Since 2016, Drake has dominated the music industry every time he’s released a project.No matter the critical reception of his albums, he seems to shatter records with every newrelease. His influence is massive, with rap fans crediting certain newer rappers’ successes (likeLil Baby and Skepta) to “the Drake effect,” which indicates that any Drake collaboration will hitthe Top 10 with just his name attached to it. With a larger-than-life influence and presence in theindustry, how does Drake use this to go up from here? Is the sky the limit for someone like him?

The Weeknd: Trilogy, The Weeknd’s first compilation project of three mixtapes, has been hailedby critics as the advent of alternative 2010s R&B. His voice is similar to that of MichaelJackson, and his recent projects, After Hours and Dawn FM, channel a unique, well-receivedspin on a timeless sound. The darker undertones of his music — drugs, sex, fame, and death —have made him a cult favorite in many subgroups of listeners. With a strong fanbase committedto exploring unique and mysterious topics with him through his music, how can the Weekndchannel this to even more success in the years to come?

Ariana Grande: No one can hit a high note like Ariana Grande in today’s industry. A formerchild star, Ariana then went on to make six studio albums, and all of her lead singles havedebuted in the Top 10. Her appeal across various demographics has made her projects verysuccessful. In the winter of 2018-19, became the first artist since The Beatles to have the Top 3Billboard 100 positions in the United States in the same week. With undeniable superstar status,a devout fanbase, and established business aspirations, how can Ariana usher in a new era ofgrowth and success in the years to come?

Adele: Seemingly everyone is a die-hard Adele fan. Her voice and songs are timeless. No onepulls sales numbers like her. She only has four studio albums, but those four are among the oneswith the most sales numbers ever for studio albums. Two of her albums have won Album of theYear at the Grammys, and only three have been eligible so far. With an already permanent markon the industry, how can Adele grow her already sky-high profile to the next level?

Lil Nas X: One of the industry’s newest stars, Lil Nas X came into the industry with hiscountry-rap smash hit “Old Town Road,” but now is dominating the pop-rap scene. With numberone hits like “Montero” and “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X’s meteoric rise in 2021 shows howmassive of a fanbase he has accrued. His widely acclaimed album Montero shows that he iscapable of both introspective songs and bangers. After a year that many pop artists can onlydream about, how can Lil Nas X keep his upward trajectory and grow his career, relevance, andrevenue in the years to come?

Kanye West: One of the most controversial figures in modern music, Kanye West is anextremely unique combination of production and artistry bundled in one. His longevity in theindustry rivals few, and his catalog is chock-full of innovation and influence. His high-profilemarriage and eventual divorce with Kim Kardashian have been well-documented by the media.On the heels of a successful 2021, how can Kanye West fight the industry’s tendency to move onfrom artists with lengthy careers?

Olivia Rodrigo: One of pop’s biggest winners in 2021, Olivia Rodrigo seemingly came out ofnowhere when her hit “Drivers License” became one of the most successful debuts of all time.Her song “Good 4 U” also went on to go #1, and her debut album Sour became one of thebiggest albums of the year. She draws massive influence from Taylor Swift’s singer-songwriterstyle. After a record-breaking debut, how can Olivia establish herself as an artist that’s here tostay in the industry?

Frank Ocean: When Frank Ocean drops his newest album, the world will know. Even thoughhis music is elusive, he is still a household name whose projects have been considered modernclassics not even a decade after their release. His unique style of R&B with acoustic andalternative influences has panned to become an influential force in today’s music landscape. Howcan Frank Ocean maintain or grow relevance to maximize profits?

Justin Bieber: “Baby” seemed to make everyone a Justin Bieber fan, and his following albumsonly grew his appeal as a young boy next door. Since Purpose, Bieber has channeled more adulttopics and themes through his music, from sex to marriage and beyond. His fanbase of Beliebersis among the strongest in the industry. How can Justin grow his long-lasting career intosomething larger than what it is, or something potentially larger than “Baby”?

Bad Bunny: As Latin America’s biggest star of the past few years, Bad Bunny has grown toenormous heights in the English-speaking music scene, as well. His infectious music drawsinfluence from folklórico just as much as it does from R&B, and this combination of genresmakes his music a bridge between the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world and theEnglish-speaking world. As one of the rising stars of the last few years, how can Bad Bunnygrow his popularity and sales from here to the future?

Dua Lipa: Dua Lipa first broke onto the American music scene with her sleeper hits “NewRules” and “Scared to be Lonely,” both of which attained moderate success compared to herinfectious Future Nostalgia era. While she’s never had a #1 hit in the United States, herearworms have gained her massive popularity, accolades, and cumulative chart positions, like“Levitating” becoming the #1 song of 2021, according to Billboard. If the blend of 80s musicand futuristic sounds worked to produce a successful era for Dua, how can she move forward tocreate something even bigger and better?

Nicki Minaj: Hailed the “Queen of Rap,” Nicki Minaj has had a career that saw her go from aNew York street rapper busting out verses to one of the most recognizable artists of a generation.She bolstered female rap in the 2010s and influenced so many of today’s popular artistsincluding Doja Cat, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion. Her work with Drake and Lil Wayne iscelebrated by fans of each artist, and she has a cult following of fans known as the Barbz. Withsuch an influential and successful career that seemingly grew overnight, how does Nicki create anew era for herself that brings about even more influence and success?

Ed Sheeran: At the beginning of the 2010s, Ed Sheeran had just put out + (“Plus”), an albumwith confessionals and old-fashioned-like love ballads with the guitar and lyrics as thecenterpiece. He saw his career grow into the massive success of the ÷ (“Divide”) era with themost-streamed song on Spotify, “Shape of You.” Recently, he’s put out a collaborations albumand = (“Equals”), two albums that lean into a poppier sound that forsakes his lyrical prowess. Ashis career begins to age, how can Ed revive or even surpass the incredible success of the ÷ era?

Billie Eilish: Arguably the artist to usher in a new sound to mainstream music, Billie Eilish camein with a bang when her album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? swept all Big FourGrammy categories and broke sales and pre-save records. Her two studio albums to date haveboth been massive critical and commercial successes. As a new generation takes form in themusic industry with different tastes than those of the past, will Billie Eilish manage to stay at theforefront of the pack?

Post Malone: One of the industry’s most versatile artists, Post Malone can create a hardcore rapsong as easily as he can create a radio-friendly, pop tune. His presence is inescapable, and he’sproven to emerge as one of the most successful artists of the last five years. He isn’t necessarilylow-profile, but he seems to come and go from the public eye. As the industry moves forwardand artists are demanded by fans to always be in contact, how can Post Malone create an imagefor himself that matches his massive success?

Kendrick Lamar: Kendrick Lamar is indisputably one of the most critically acclaimed rappersof all time. His introspective and conscious lyricism is both a reflection of the times we live inand Kendrick himself. His decade-long career has made him one of the most recognizable names

in the industry, but he eludes the public eye when he isn’t promoting or releasing a project. Howcan Kendrick elevate his platform in a way true to him to gain exposure for himself as the musicindustry enters an era of immediate demand between fans and artists?

Travis Scott: Travis Scott went from an artist whose songs became popular on social mediaplatforms to high-profile connections spanning a relationship and child with Kylie Jenner andfeatures from some of rap’s biggest names. He has made a name for himself through his musicand his interactions published through news outlets. With the deaths of Astroworld festival-goersfollowing him and his career, how can Travis establish credibility, connections, and power in aworld where news travels faster than ever before?

Bruno Mars: One of the biggest hitmakers of the 2010s, Bruno Mars has come out strong froma decade where you could not escape him on the radio. In the past few years, he has venturedinto sounds and styles ranging from R&B to funk while staying true to some of his pop roots.Silk Sonic, his collaboration with Anderson .Paak, has proven to be extremely successful. Afterhaving taken the time to explore different genres, how can Bruno go forward to lengthen andfortify his career in the years to come?

Doja Cat: Doja Cat’s novelty and versatility have made her a force to be reckoned with in theindustry. Her album Planet Her has produced hit after hit, and her songs dominate social mediaplatforms like Tiktok. Because she is a new artist, she has yet to establish a concrete image ofherself, and this may be working to her advantage since her fanbase is so large and widespreaddemographically. How can Doja bring her career to the next level and solidify her career withoutsacrificing her massive appeal?

BTS: Arguably the biggest international sensation of the world right now, BTS has had amassive breakthrough in the American music scene over the past few years. They have amassedaccolades after accolades for their chart performance and crossover success. They have a veryniche and dedicated fanbase called the BTS Army. As time goes on, how can BTS maintain theirrelevance by possibly expanding their appeal to be more widespread while maintaining theirdevout fanbase?

Committee Timeline

We will try our best to provide a structured schedule of when we are going to hold the Glammys.The purpose of the Glammys is another way to divulge to the committee which committeemembers are succeeding in crisis, so in essence, it is another leak. But it is to your benefit to win(or at least go far in these awards) because it comes with respect and recognition in the world ofthe committee.

Glammys Format

For the sake of simplicity, the Glammys will have two categories only: Best Album and BestArtist. Genre-specific categories will not exist. Each category can have up to five nominations (atthe discretion of the dais). The nominating body will be the dais, but the final voting will be amix of the dais and the committee. The dais reflects the critical reception, revenue, popularity,and environmental aspects of the nominating and voting process while the committee reflects therecognition received by one’s peers in the industry. More about the logistics of this will beexplained in committee.

Note that since environmentalism is considered the most pressing topic in the industry in thiscommittee, the Glammys will also take into account individual artists’ efforts to make musicconsumption more sustainable. They will be seen as the leaders of a movement that demandsimmediate attention, so if you are seen to lead the charge against carbon emissions throughdirectives or crisis notes, you will be favored for these awards. However, environmentalcontributions alone will not nearly be enough to give you a winning edge.

How to Release a Project

Releasing an album can be done as abruptly as a surprise-drop or as smoothly as a multi-monthrollout — it’s up to the artist. With each album released, the artist must communicate to the daisthe album name, album release date, and a 2-4 sentence description of the genres, sounds, andthemes on the album. If there are any singles attached to the album, you must also inform thedais of this. All announcements of albums and singles will be done by the dais. You can informthe dais when to announce releases of singles or albums to build up hype in the general public.

Crisis Notes

In a typical political or international crisis committee, crisis notes are used for self-interest as ameans to affect the world of the committee discreetly through the dais and crisis team. In thiscommittee, crisis notes can be used to release singles or albums (see “How to Release a Project”above) OR to create business deals, leak personal news, create drama, or anything else other thanreleasing music for the sake of hyping up your music release OR to do anything on an individuallevel to lift up environmentalism in the music industry. Cooperative actions between artists (i.e.releasing a collaboration, having a staged beef for clout, etc.) must be agreed upon by all artistsbefore they are sent to the dais and crisis team.

Crisis notes will serve to communicate with anyone outside of the committee. If you need to talkto your producer, your record label, an artist that does not exist within the committee, or whoeveryou need, the dais and crisis team will serve as that person reading and responding to your note.

You should never address a crisis note directly to the dais or crisis team (the exception is pointsof personal privilege that you would like to keep private). You should address it to a media outletto release news or drama, an outside producer to collaborate with on your album, or yourmanager/record label to release an album/single. While the dais and crisis team are in charge ofreading and responding to crisis notes, they will respond back as the person/entity that youaddressed the crisis note to.

To help you understand how crisis notes may work in this committee, a few examples ofexchanges between committee actors and the dais are attached below.

Example 1:

Dear TMZ,

I’m reaching out to offer an exclusive story. Brad and I have had much trouble in our marriage,and we have decided it is best for us and the kids to divorce. We would appreciate privacyfrom the public eye in this difficult moment for us.

Thank you,Angelina Jolie

Dear Angelina,

Thank you for reaching out, and we offer our sincerest prayers to you, Brad, and the kids.Surely this story will be big on our website, and we are delighted that you have entrusted uswith this information. If you reach out with future exclusives, we will be sure to publish them.Let us know how we can help you down the line.

Best,TMZ

● Notice how TMZ has welcomed Angelina’s story because of the platform she has andthe buzz this story would create.

● Now, Angelina has a rapport with TMZ; in the future, she knows she can rely on TMZto get her stories out. Eventually, Angelina may be able to control every story put outabout her by TMZ, thereby controlling the media circuit around her. TMZ may ask for

exclusive interviews, and both parties can negotiate on a mutually beneficial plan in thefuture.

● Angelina has now created buzz for a movie that she might put out, and because she isback in the news cycle, more people are engaged with her, which means more sales forthe movie. This is analogous to a singer building hype for a new project.

Example 2:

Dear RCA Records,

I am planning on releasing an album titled Animal on January 1 of the next year. The leadsingle, “Tik Tok,” will be released on August 7 of this year. Animal will have a soundinfluenced by club music, electronic music, and pop music. It will channel the sound of the2000s and the target audience will be 16 to 25 year olds. Please announce “Tik Tok” on July 1and Animal on August 21.

Best,Kesha

Dear Kesha,

Thank you for letting us know. We will plan accordingly and make room for a marketingbudget. It might be wise to announce Animal a week after August 21. We are hiring a newmarketing director after then and it would be best for the marketing to stay consistent throughyour album release. Let us know if you have any questions or considerations to follow.

Sincerely,RCA Records

Dear RCA,

Thank you for letting me know. That sounds good!

Kesha

● Kesha sent a schedule that could be very easily followed by her label to release heralbum and single.

● She sent a clear description of the sound of her album so the label could planaccordingly with marketing for the label.

● The label replied with a suggestion to change the date of her release, and Kesha agreed.In this committee, the artist has the final say on the release of their projects.

Example 3:

Dear Celine Dion,

How are you? I hope you’re doing well. This is Selena Gomez. I’m considering creating analbum that has a dramatic 80s and 90s flair to it, just like some of the projects that gave you somuch success. If you could advise me over the process, I would really appreciate that. Also,one of the songs my team and I have written is in French, and I was wondering if you couldsing it with me, and maybe even teach me some French! I hope you consider this — we bothcan get more connected with a growing fanbase, both the English-speaking one and theFrench-speaking one. Also, this will create a lot of appeal and buzz if we ever do showstogether, say, in Montreal or Paris. Let me know what you think!

Love,Selena

● Selena establishes rapport with Celine by greeting her cordially and almostover-flattering her.

● She sends a proposal to Celine by highlighting that their collaboration has mutualbenefits.

Example 4:

Dear Representative of the World Wildlife Fund,

This is Beyoncé — I hope you’re doing well! As you may know, I will be a voice actor for thelive-action remake of “The Lion King” later this year, and I am a major contributor to thefilm’s soundtrack. I believe there is a great opportunity for both of us that ties into this. 50% ofthe sales from the movie’s soundtrack can be donated to you, and all I ask is that this money isallocated to a new fund called “The Beyoncé Fund for a Better Planet” within yourorganization. I would like this fund to not only be allocated to wildlife preservation, but I alsowould suggest that your organization look more into pollution and the music industry. Seaturtles are caught mistaking plastics — the same ones from vinyls — for jellyfish. Streamingservices emit more carbon than the entire music industry did in 2000, and this is melting thehabitats of polar bears, penguins, and so many vulnerable species. I’d like to look further intothis investment with you through the Beyoncé Fund. Let me know what you think.

Best,Beyoncé

● While this note contains several successful elements of an arc, it does so in a rushedway. Crisis arcs are supposed to be sly and methodical, not jam-packed and

executed all at once. I would suggest for you to figure out the best ways to break downthis arc into simpler, easier-to-digest pieces so that the dais and crisis team canunderstand you better. Remember, with an impatient, rushed arc, the recipient maythink that you are only sending a note for self-interest without much forethought.

● Otherwise, this note takes advantage of the opportunity very well. Beyoncé connectsthis partnership to her career, and she offers an enticing opportunity to one of theworld’s most well-known environmentalist organizations.

● By creating a fund in her name, Beyoncé creates more of a connection betweenenvironmentalism and her career.

● She then connects this connection to the music industry, which creates a bigger namefor her as an advocate for environmentalism in her industry. This is a great ideabecause this is a more direct way for the Glammys and the committee to know herpower and her resourcefulness. She becomes more competitive or more beneficialto work with to others in the committee, which is good for her either way.

The Role of the Dais and Crisis Team

In this committee, the dais and crisis team will be responsible for running the committee, readingover and reacting to crisis notes, and releasing any pertinent information to the committee,whether that is caused by your crisis notes or something that we’ve come up with to push thecommittee further. Sometimes, your album might be leaked before it is formally released,hampering your sales. It may be revealed that your artist was the ambassador of a companywhose CEO made lewd comments online. Your artist may have made a controversial tweet or apolitical choice that caused waves in the public. A lot of this isn’t up to you or anyone else in thecommittee, per se; the dais and crisis team can create this out of thin air. You can react to thisinformation through crisis notes or riling up the committee to create a directive.

The dais and crisis team will also release information on the sales of singles and albums in theirfirst week and will frequently refresh the committee on chart data as the year goes on. They willalso release a critical consensus of the album as reviewed by music critics. Your critical scorewill be a score out of 100, with 90 and above representing universal acclaim, 80 to 89representing widespread acclaim, 65 to 79 representing positive reviews, 50 to 65 representingmixed reviews, and anything below 50 representing unfavorable reviews. For example, whenreviewing Dawn FM by The Weeknd, Metacritic assigned the album 88, which indicateswidespread to universal acclaim.

Tips and Tricks for This Committee

1. Balance your committee presence well. This means maintaining a face to the committeethat you are dedicated to solving the ecological consumption crisis while staying true toyour personal, behind-the-scenes agenda. Pass directives to cap vinyl production forartists or demand fewer carbon emissions from streaming giants — these things willmake you appear as a benevolent actor in committee. However, through crisis notes,exercise your self-interest. Self-interest may mean individual climate initiatives, likepartnerships with nonprofits or press releases to cut back on vinyl production for youralbum, etc. The ones who do this the most expertly will be the ones we choose to giveawards to.

2. While your main objective is to roll in revenue and popularity, this does not only have tobe done by just releasing music. Business deals, personal news, and even celebritydrama can all hype up the image of an artist. Anything is on the table, and we encourageyou to think outside the box and to go crazy with your ideas — it’ll make for a more funcommittee!

3. Keep in mind that as an artist, you are a brand, and you are your product. This meansthat whatever you do outside of music should be in line with the image you are projectingthrough your music. For example, if a bubblegum pop singer creates a marijuanacompany, that might not make sense for their audience. Know your audience, and if youas an artist would like to change your brand, then do so in a smooth, unforced way.

a. Also keep in mind that the main objective of these hype-builders done outside ofmusic is just that: to build hype for the music that will be released. In thiscommittee, your artist cannot divert their focus from music to another prospectentirely except for environmentalism. The business deals, personal newsleaks, and drama that come from an artist should not be the end objective.

4. Listen to your artist’s discography before you come to committee! This is the bestway for you to innately develop a sense of your artist’s image. If you do not have the timeto listen to your artist’s entire discography, I would suggest listening to key albums orsingles recommended by fans online.

5. Get to know the artist! If the artist tends to surprise-drop projects and that’s a successfulpart of their brand, then maybe it would be best to do that. If the artist tends to do a longalbum rollout with radio hits and singles before the album and that’s a successful part oftheir brand, then maybe it would be best to do that. This, of course, all depends on youand how you want your artist’s brand to evolve. Whatever you do, make sure it doesnot appear forced.

a. On a similar note, learn about your artist’s record label or lack thereof; how arethey releasing music? Who is in charge of releasing their music? Could the peoplethat represent your artist affect your success in committee? Who produces musicfor your artist? How may getting in touch with your producers and everyone you

work with help you create a bigger, better album? Maybe you want to tell themyou want to change your sound, maybe you want to change producers.

6. In committee, cooperate with other artists! If you want to release a collab, that’s great.If you want to avoid releasing music too close to each other so the general public canabsorb both projects, that’s great, too. If you want to stage a beef, release diss tracks, andthen reunite for publicity, that’s also great. If you want to get into a high-profilerelationship and then a high-profile breakup, again, that’s great. If you are in contentionfor the Glammys, the final vote is a mix between the committee and the dais, so you mayneed other artists to vote for you to win awards. Cooperation is your best friend, solong as it’s in the best interest of the brands that all artists involved want to present.For example, a heavy metal artist and a bubblegum pop artist collaborating would notmake much sense at all.

a. But cooperation must be balanced out with self-interest. Note that the end goalof the committee should be to roll in the most power and impact for yourself. Youwant to make yourself become a cultural and environmental phenomenon. Thismay involve cutting others out of your own moves and prioritizing yourself as asingular brand.

Criteria for Success

In this committee, the dais will judge delegates’ success on their leadership and collaborationwith other delegates and their advancement and development of their portfolio powers (powersand positions known at the beginning of committee to delegates that can be built on) throughcrisis notes, with crisis notes being weighed higher. The best delegate will be knowledgeable,friendly, and will lead them and other delegates to success while being creative, smart, andgrowing in power in crisis notes. Note that we know each delegate will start with a completelydifferent set of portfolio powers. We will primarily judge the crisis aspect of the committee onthe growth of portfolio powers and the impact of delegate-caused crises on the committee.

Works Cited

● https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/27/music-industry-confronts-climate-crisis

-gigs-resume

● https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/28/vinyl-record-revival-environmental-imp

act-music-industry-streaming

● https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/vinyls-cds-digital-what-is-the-g

reener-way-to-listen-to-music-119011400111_1.html

● https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/17/recycled-plastic-america-global-crisi

● https://www.nme.com/news/music/spotify-ceo-says-its-not-enough-for-artists-to-release-

albums-every-3-4-years-2719272