GREEN ARTIST INFORMATION NETWORK

Green Artist Information Network
Joseph M. Aubert
Arizona State University

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Executive Summary
Live music venues provide a valuable service to both artists and the surrounding
community by offering a fully-equipped space in which they can come together and share in an
artistic experience. For decades, the operation of a venue has been relatively unchanged, and little
attention has been paid to their overall environmental impact. But venues actually consume a great
deal of resources, produce large amounts of solid waste and noise pollution, and pull a significant
influx of people into the area, all of which impacts the surrounding community, the environment,
and most tangibly, the venue’s bottom line.
In order to survive in an increasingly-challenging market, venues must look for ways to
stay competitive and discern themselves from the pack, by cutting costs, investing in the long-term,
and ensuring the customer experience is consistently and noticeably better than that of their
corporate competitors. This is where the GAIN Certification comes in.
GAIN stands for Green Artist Information Network, and was formed in 2019 in Seattle,
Washington to connect venues, artists, fans, and anyone else wanting to collaborate, share ideas,
and look for opportunities to create a greener music industry.
For venues that are GAIN Certified, key improvements will be built into the core of the
business, with reductions in waste and energy usage saving money, improvements in facilities and
crowd management creating a better, more comfortable experience, and strategic investments in
the long-term viability of the venue ensuring that customers will be seeking out the venue’s unique
offerings for years to come.
The foundation of the GAIN Certification is the GAIN Standard, the guidance document
outlining the criteria for the three different levels of certification: Clean, Sustain, and Overdrive.
Clean level certification results in changes to operations, purchasing, energy usage, etc. for
shorter-term gains, without changes in building construction or utilities. Sustain level is the
Intermediate level, with updates to sound systems, HVAC, building construction, etc. for longerterm gains. And Overdrive level, which pushes beyond four walls of operations to influence local
community and industry towards a greener future.
The live-music industry has vast untapped sustainable potential, and the GAIN
Certification can help elevate a venue above the rest.

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Green Artist Information Network
The goal of GAIN is to become the first, and most widely-recognized, green certification
for venues within the live music industry. When a customer sees that a venue is GAIN certified,
they will know that that venue has made a commitment to environmental sustainability that
elevates them above the rest. Likewise, when a venue achieves a GAIN certification, it will gain
not just a marketing tool, but a series of tangible improvements to their facilities, equipment, and
processes that result in increased customer engagement, reduced costs, and, ultimately, a better
bottom line.
GAIN stands for Green Artist Information Network, and was formed in 2019 in Seattle,
Washington. It was created to connect venues, artists, fans, and anyone else wanting to
collaborate, share ideas, and look for opportunities to create a greener music industry. GAIN
Certified venues will have access to a treasure trove of sustainable techniques and strategies in
areas such as sustainable food and beverage services; construction; energy efficient fixtures,
appliances, sound systems, and equipment; crowd management; etc., as well as a vast network of
like-minded artists, fans, venue staff, and sustainability professionals all interested in hearing and
sharing ideas on how to “green” the music industry.
The foundation of the GAIN Certification is the GAIN Standard, the guidance document
containing the criteria for certification. Modeled after ISO standards, the GAIN Standard outlines
the various goals and objectives a venue must achieve to reach certification, while providing
direction, guidance, and advice for how to reach these goals.
Live music venues have a tremendous impact on their community, both positive and
negative. They provide a location for local and touring musicians to showcase their art in a
controlled, professional setting, while bringing members of a community together to share an
experience and blow off some steam. Inversely, the noise, waste, and influx of people can have
detrimental impacts on the surrounding area, and a poorly-designed and poorly-run event can
ruin a customer’s experience. By combining advice from experienced industry professionals with
established strategies outlined in existing certifications like ISO, LEED, APEX/ASTM, etc., the
GAIN Standard provides a practical roadmap for venues to save money; reduce their impact on
their community and the planet; and deliver a better experience to their customers and
employees.

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Background
The idea for a live music sustainability standard came about after researching what sorts
of resources currently exist for live music sustainability. As it stands, there is guidance for
festivals (Zifkos, 2015), events (ISO 20121:2012), touring (Reverb, 2019) bars and restaurants
(Green Restaurant Association, n.d.), as well as various standards and resources for building
design (U.S. Green Building Council, 2019; ISO 21930:2017) and retrofitting (Paradis, 2016).
All of these items are applicable to live music venues, but the scope of each is broader, and more
work is required for venue owners, operators, and/or designers to find the most relevant aspects
of each. Thus, the decision was made to create a standard that draws from each of these sectors
but is specific to indoor live music venues.
The term “sustainability” can be defined thusly, according to Gro Harlem Brundtland,
former Prime Minister of Norway and Director-General of the World Health Organization:
“Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs” (Willard, 2012). Or, to put it more simply: Human activity
must not exceed our planet’s capacity to support life (Winston, 2014). There is a finite amount of
resources available on this planet – and finite room for byproducts to be stored – and we are
rapidly approaching the stage in human development where both of these are being depleted
beyond repair. The study of sustainability and Sustainable Development (SD) is the study of how
we can utilize existing resources, technology, and strategies to ensure the long-term viability of
the planet to sustain life, without compromising our standard of living. Indeed, successful
sustainability policy should also raise the standard of living of those in struggling and
impoverished communities throughout the globe, and not simply maintain the lifestyle of
developed nations (Business & Sustainable Development Commission, 2017). Through the
power of both business and public policy, a better world is within our grasp.
Traditional economics has generally revolved around only one form of capital, namely
financial capital, or profit. Environmental Economics, however, is focused around three equallyimportant forms of capital, in what is often called the Triple Bottom Line (Willard, 2012). In
addition to financial capital, there is also environmental capital: The physical and biological
resources necessary for the product or service, as well as the impact the manufacture, use, and
disposal of the product has on the natural environment; and social capital: The company’s

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relationship with its employees, customers, and the communities in which it operates (Willard,
2012). Or, put more succinctly: People, Planet, and Profits (Willard, 2012).
For decades, the operation of a live music venue has been relatively unchanged, and little
attention has been paid to their overall environmental impact. But venues actually consume a
great deal of resources; produce large amounts of solid waste and noise pollution; and pull a
significant influx of people into the area, all of which impacts the surrounding community, the
environment, and most tangibly, the venue’s bottom line.
In 2018, concert attendance rose 8% over the previous year worldwide (Mandell, 2019).
Conversely, the number of privately-owned music venues in the United States has shrunk over
the past decade, as giant behemoths like LiveNation slowly absorbs all competition (Mandell,
2019). For a small, indoor, non-stadium venue, the competition isn’t with other venues of similar
nature, it’s with the massive monopolies looking to take over the entire live entertainment
industry.
Thus, in order to survive, these venues must looks for ways to stay competitive, by
cutting costs, investing in the long-term, and ensuring the customer experience is consistently
and noticeably better than that of their corporate competitors.
The GAIN Certification can impact a venue’s Triple Bottom Line in the following ways:
•

Environmental – Reducing energy needs for sounds equipment, lighting, HVAC; reducing
solid waste and litter from cups, cans, bottles, posters, handbills, cigarette butts, etc; reducing
noise pollution.

•

Social – Reducing impact on surrounding area from noise pollution and influx of people;
creating a positive, efficient, comfortable experience for customers; cultivating a safe and
healthy workplace experience for employees.

•

Financial – Cost-savings from energy and waste reductions; increased marketability and
customer engagement; increased interest from bands and acts.
When it comes down to it, Sustainable Development is a “decision” problem, i.e. the

tools and strategies exist for more sustainable operations, all it takes is a decision to pursue them
(Winston, 2014). However, once the benefits are apparent, it becomes an easy decision to make.

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Pre-Planning
When considering whether to pursue a project such as this, it is important to understand
the potential pros and cons of the project. For this, a SWOT analysis can be an effective tool.
Here is a SWOT analysis for GAIN:
•

Strengths: First of its kind, able to capture and influence the market before any competitors.

•

Weaknesses: No competitors to benchmark; Requires active participation from venues to be
successful, could be difficult to initiate.

•

Opportunities: Once created, the GAIN Standard upon which the certification is based will
become the first and only of its kind, making it the go-to document of its type within the
industry.

•

Threats: Lack of interest could kill the momentum before it starts.
Because the GAIN Certification is the first of its kind for the live music industry, it is

difficult to predict how it will be received. The largest threat to success is a lack of interest from
venue customers, so it is necessary to know your audience in order to tailor the product to their
needs.
Stakeholders
The Stakeholders identified for the GAIN Certification are: Venue Staff, Customers,
Artists, Communities, and Certifying Bodies. These stakeholders are further defined according to
their influence and interest (see Appendix A, Figure A1). Influence the amount of control a
stakeholder has over the operations/behavior of the venue, while interest is the benefits realized
from the venue, which could be financial (paychecks, investments), or social (personal
enjoyment/leisure). The map is then separated into four quadrants that are color coded by level of
overall involvement. Q2 contains stakeholders with total involvement, having maximum impact
on the operations while receiving the maximum benefits. Q1 and Q4 are stakeholders with
partial involvement, those with either strong influence or interest, but not both. Q3 is minimal
involvement; while they are still considered a stakeholder, they are the least important in the
system.
A. Venue Staff – Q2
o The Owners, Operators, and Employees that are responsible for the operations of the
venue. The most vital relationship to maintain.

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o Have the maximum impact on the operations of the venue (influence), while gaining
the highest level of benefits (interest), especially financial.
o Some partners operate in a global system (Ticketmaster/Livenation), while most
operate within their local cities and communities (Basile, 2014).
B. Customers – Q4
o The concertgoers that pay the venue (and through them, the artists) to provide a venue
to consume live music. Important to maintain their attention and goodwill.
o Arguably have the highest interest in the service provided, but size and
disorganization are limiting to their impact.
C. Artists – Q4
o Could also be considered customers of the service provided by the venues, utilizing
the space to provide their service to the paying customers (B).
o Influence varies by artist, but they generally have minimal impact on the overall
operations of the venue beyond their specific performance. Their financial interest is
significant, however.
D. Communities – Q3
o The neighboring businesses and residents of the venue.
o Minimal involvement in system usually, unless experiencing disproportionate impacts
from other stakeholders, i.e. keep them happy.
E. Certifying Body – Q1
o Able to exert significant influence over the venue by enforcing certification criteria,
but have little interest beyond the initial certification process.
For this project, it was only really feasible to meet with the Venue Staff and Artists for
input. These two stakeholders are able to exert significant influence over this project: The Venue
Staff have influence at the local level (whether or not to meet or pursue certification), while
Artists are at the global level (the most directly-impacted customer of the GAIN Certification).
The other three stakeholders will need to be considered throughout the process, but direct
interaction with them will not be necessary.
Execution
There are essentially three phases of this project: Research, publishing, and
implementation (see Appendix A, Figure A3).

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The research phase consists of the bulk of the research and fact-finding that ultimately
results in the GAIN Standard, the supporting document outlining the criteria for the GAIN
Certification. This phase consists of literature review, in-person tours and interviews with venue
staff, and final editing and reviews with venue contacts.
The publishing phase is the actual creation of the GAIN Standard, by compiling the
research into an organized format, and developing the rules and structure of the certification.
This is somewhat concurrent with phase one, especially the editing and revisions of the standard.
Finally, the implementation phase is the actual certification of live music venues as GAIN
Certified, utilizing the GAIN Standard. This is a future-state phase for the project, and has yet to
occur, so it will be discussed mainly in hypotheticals for now.
Research Phase
The research phase is arguably the most important part of the project since it results in the
foundation of the GAIN Certification, the GAIN Standard. The standard is generally modelled
after an ISO standard and consists of the criteria for certification. The work for this phase can be
further broken down into three steps (see Appendix A, Figure A2).
The first step was to research existing sustainability certifications for tools and strategies,
as well as local laws, regulations, and building codes. Once the areas most relevant to live music
venues are identified, they were compiled into one loose document as a starting point. The
majority of these were related to green building standards, like LEED, BREEAM, WELL
Building, etc., and sustainable events and meeting spaces, like ISO20121 and APEX/ASTM. It
was helpful to seek out advice from other sustainability professionals about what sorts of
certifications, tools, and standards should be examined. This took the most time, roughly 55% of
the total work (see Appendix A, Figure A2). A reasonable timeline for this step is in the one-totwo-month range.
Next, reach out to several venues in the Seattle area (my hometown) to schedule meetings
with stakeholders such as owners/GMs, Facilities/Stage Managers, sound personnel, and bar staff
to discuss the needs, challenges, areas for improvement, and best practices of each venue, while
seeking their advice on how to they would realistically implement the standards from my
research.
This phase proved to be the most difficult aspect of the project, for completely
unanticipated reasons: Coronavirus. The Seattle region had the very first case of COVID-19 in

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the United States on January 21st, 2020, and by early March most of the state was sheltering in
place. On March 11, all gatherings of 250 or more people were banned, and very quickly
afterwards all venues in the region began cancelling all shows indefinitely – including two
scheduled venue tours. This effectively ended this step of the research phase.
Still, two venue tours were accomplished at The Highline and The Substation. The
interactions in both were almost entirely with the Sound Engineer, though the bartenders and the
performing artists were available and answered some questions as well. These are both fairly
small venues, but they proved to be the exact type of venues that could benefit greatly from
GAIN.
Initially, this phase was scheduled for no longer than one month: One week to research
positions, make contact, and schedule meetings, and the rest of the month to meet with the
contacts. However, the scheduling of these meetings proved much more difficult than
anticipated: While most venues were flat-out uninterested, the hourly/nightly scheduling
practices of the business forced the rescheduling of some meetings with the venues that were
interested to ensure the right people were available – and this was before Coronavirus hit. The
final meeting was with The Substation on March 5th, shortly before the city began shutting down.
This step comprised an estimated 15% of the work, and required the strongest leadership
to really be successful; these contacts are also potential customers of GAIN, so their input was
invaluable, but because they won’t realize any immediate benefits from this collaboration, they
didn’t really have any stake in the claim beyond curiosity and goodwill.
For the venue operators that were met with, this was the first time they even considered
the possibility of “greening” their operations, so a rationalist approach was used, by describing
the vision of the GAIN Certification and the potential benefits it could provide (Estrada, n.d.).
This opened a dialogue about what that vision could mean for their venue, which led to a
brainstorming session about a shared vision for their venue, allowing them to take ownership
over the idea of a sustainable venue while gaining their buy-in (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). These
conversations generally paralleled theoretical knowledge derived from the research, but they
resulted in some solid insight into how the research could be practically implemented in the
different venues.
The final step was a revision process to incorporate the knowledge gained from the
meetings, which took another couple of weeks to polish and finalize the standard. Though in-

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person meetings were unavailable, the Sound Engineer from The Substation (now unemployed
due to the indefinite shutdown of his workplace) kept in contact through email and was able to
review the standard in its completed form. Though he had minimal inputs at this stage, this sort
of customer relationship is invaluable in gaining the deep insight that allow the most significant
impacts to the target market (Senge, 2006). All things considered, this step was about 30% of the
work for this phase.
Publishing Phase
The second component of this project is the actual designing, drafting, and creation of the
GAIN Standard. This section will contain a brief outline of the levels of certification and scoring,
and the rest of the information can be found in the GAIN Standard itself (see Appendix B).
There are three levels of GAIN Certification: Clean, Sustain, and Overdrive.
Clean level certification results in changes to operations, purchasing, energy usage, etc.
for shorter-term gains, without changes in building construction or utilities. While Clean-level
certification can be accomplished with just the GAIN Standard, reaching the higher levels will
require the assistance of a GAIN Rep, a dedicated representative from GAIN that will help you
achieve your sustainability goals.
Sustain level is the Intermediate level, with updates to sound systems, HVAC, building
construction, etc. for longer-term gains. This level is more goal-oriented and project-based, and
thus more personalized to the venue.
Overdrive level pushes beyond four walls of operations to influence local community and
industry towards a greener future. This level requires the venue to complete at least one external
certification and commit to a service project that positively impacts the venue’s surrounding
community and/or industry.
There are four major categories that the information in the GAIN Standard fall under:
Power and Energy, Food Services and Waste, Process Improvement, and General (which is
essentially just goal-setting).
There is a great deal of work that is required for each level, and the GAIN Certification
was designed so that venues are recognized for the work they are performing, not simply the
work that has been completed. Thus, a venue will have been considered Certified at a particular
level when it has:

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Set specific goals and objectives for each of the four categories, falling within the
scope of said level; AND

2.

Taken tangible steps towards achieving said goals; AND

3.

Completed all goals and criteria in the preceding level.

Demonstrating to their customers that a venue has committed to sustainable operations
will boost customer support and goodwill, which, in-turn, will motivate the venue to work harder
towards their goals. This feedback loop can result in an ever-expanding scope of continuous
improvement, driving venues to seek out even greener strategies to bolster their reputation with
their customers (Winston, 2014).
Implementation Phase
The final step in the project is the implementation phase; this phase actually signifies the
end of this project, and the beginning of the “standard work” of certifying venues. Like with ISO
standards, the GAIN Standard is accessible on its own, and organizations should be able to
pursue the sustainable improvements on their own, but it will take a GAIN Rep – an official
representative from GAIN that is knowledgeable in the areas of both Sustainability and live
music - to come in and certify the venue at a particular level.
Conclusion
Live music is, by nature, an ephemeral industry; every night a new band or artist comes
through, each with their own unique requirements, each presenting a new set of challenges. The
customers come from all over the area to share a musical experience with each other and the
artists; whether dancing, crowd-surfing, or bobbing their head in the back, they all expect – and
deserve – the best experience the venue can deliver. Likewise, the venue staff, ranging from
highly skilled and specialized (sound engineers, stage managers) to hourly workers (coat check,
bar staff), deserve a workplace that takes their comfort, safety, and wellbeing seriously, allowing
them to put on the show as smoothly as possible. If all of these things go well, the venue can
make a lot of money; if not, the networks of fans, artists, community members, etc. will
remember, and avoid the venue in the future.
The GAIN Certification has the potential to positively impact each one of these
stakeholders, and help keep these small, independently-owned venues keep from being bought
up by large conglomerates, or shut down altogether. Indeed, the task of creating a brand new
sustainability certification from nothing is no small feat, but it is an incredibly rewarding

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experience, and a fantastic opportunity to learn more about sustainability and how it can apply to
your industry.

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References
Basile, G. (2014). Strategy III Module 1 Lecture [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/24065/pages/module-1viewings?module_item_id=1390689
Business & Sustainable Development Commission. (2017). Better business, better world.
Retrieved from http://report.businesscommission.org/uploads/Executive-Summary.pdf
Estrada, L. (n.d.). Sustainability Leadership III - Unit 5 [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/24068/pages/module-5viewings?module_item_id=2094966
Green Restaurant Association. (n.d.). Green restaurant certification standards. Retrieved from
http://www.dinegreen.com/certification-standards
Kotter, J. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.
Mandell, J. (2019, March 4). Where does Live Nation have room to grow? Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmandell/2019/03/04/where-does-live-nation-haveroom-to-grow/#3829db1516de
Metcalf, L., & Benn, S. (2012). Leadership for Sustainability and Change. Journal of Business
Ethics, 112(3), 369-384.
Paradis, R. (2016). Retrofitting existing buildings to improve sustainability and energy
performance. Retrieved from National Institute of Building Sciences:
https://www.wbdg.org/resources/retrofitting-existing-buildings-improve-sustainabilityand-energy-performance
Reverb. (2019). About us. Retrieved from https://reverb.org/about/
Senge, P. (2006). The Fifth Discapline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization. New
York: Crown Business.
Willard, B. (2012). The new sustainability advantage. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society
Publishers.
Winston, A. S. (2014). The Big Pivot. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Zifkos, G. (2015). Sustainability everywhere: Problematising the “sustainable festival”
phenomenon. Tourism Planning & Development, 6-19.

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Appendix A

A

Influence

E

2

1

D
B
C

3

4

Interest
Total

A. Venue Owners, Operators, and Employees
B. Customers
C. Artists
D. Communities
E. Certifying Body

Figure A1. Stakeholder Map

Involvement

Legend

Partial
Minimal

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Goal

Create the GAIN Standard
100%
Deliverables Tasks
% of work Subtasks
Sustainability Research sustainability
30%
Best Practices certifications (LEED, ISO 14001,
etc.)
Identify sustainability
25%
Waste
55% benchmarks
Energy
Noise
Carbon
Marketing
Live music
Contact venues in Seattle for
5%
Research contact information for GM, Facilites, Sound
industry best meeting and venue
Person for each venue
practices
walkthrough
Contact venues, schedule meetings
10% Meetings and Walkthroughs
5%
Understand requirements and costs: energy, waste
output, HVAC,equipment upgrades, staffing, noise etc.

Responsible Party/Contact % of work
30%
Me/Certification reps
Me/Waste SME
Me/Energy SME
Me/Noise SME
Me/Carbon SME
Me/Marketing SME
Me
Me
Me, venue GM, Facilities,
Sound

3%
1%

Me, venue GM, Facilities,
Sound, Bar staff
Discuss ideas for improvement (to venue and industry as Me, venue GM, Facilities,
a whole), feasibility
Sound, Bar staff

2%

Discuss strategies currently employed, tips, tricks.

Compile
material

Create Standard

5%
5%
5%
5%
5%
2%

21%

Categorize strategies and information
35%
Identify scenarios common within industry
Develop general solutions for scenarios that can be
customized for specific venue
Recommend industry certifications for each section
Create Scoring System
10%
Develop rules and certification system.
Create tier system for short, medium, long term goals,
and cost/scope of project (Clean, Sustain, OD)
Review checklist with industry professionals
4%
Facilities
Sound

2%
7%

Me
Me
Me
Me
Me
Me
Facilities
Sound

Figure A2. Work Breakdown Schedule of the creation of the GAIN Standard

4%
7%
3%
5%
5%
2%
2%

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Figure A3. Gantt Chart for the Research and Publishing Phases of the GAIN Standard

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Appendix B
See attachment for full GAIN Standard.

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