Museum for the United Nations: Sounds Right
The Museum for the United Nations - UN Live tasked AKQA Copenhagen with finding a sustainable way to fund global biodiversity conservation. They needed to engage a younger, global audience of music lovers and move beyond traditional donation models, turning the intrinsic value of nature into a reliable, long - term revenue stream through digital culture.
Creative Idea
Registered 'NATURE' as an official music artist to collect royalties for global conservation efforts.
To fund conservation, the campaign officially registered 'NATURE' as a music artist on streaming platforms, allowing royalties from tracks featuring natural sounds to be automatically diverted to environmental protection projects through a first - of - its - kind business model.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A global platform and the authority to represent environmental interests through a unique UN - backed cultural initiative.
Category
Environmental NGOs usually rely on guilt - driven donations or one - off awareness campaigns that struggle with long - term financial sustainability.
Customer
Music fans want to support the planet but feel overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis and donation fatigue.
Culture
The rise of ambient soundscapes and the 'Nature' genre on streaming platforms provided a ready - made economic ecosystem.
Company
A global platform and the authority to represent environmental interests through a unique UN - backed cultural initiative.
Category
Environmental NGOs usually rely on guilt - driven donations or one - off awareness campaigns that struggle with long - term financial sustainability.
Strategy:
Institutionalize natural assets as intellectual property to create a self - sustaining circular economy for global conservation efforts.
Customer
Music fans want to support the planet but feel overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis and donation fatigue.
Culture
The rise of ambient soundscapes and the 'Nature' genre on streaming platforms provided a ready - made economic ecosystem.
Strategy:
Institutionalize natural assets as intellectual property to create a self - sustaining circular economy for global conservation efforts.
Results
The campaign achieved massive global scale, reaching over 3.7 billion media impressions. Within its first year, 170 tracks were released featuring 'NATURE' as an artist. These tracks garnered over 150 million streams worldwide from more than 14 million monthly listeners. This popularity propelled 'NATURE' into the Top 1% of artists worldwide on Spotify. Financially, the 2024 funding cycle donated $225,000 to the Tropical Andes, with over $500,000 already raised for the 2025 cycle. Forbes estimates the initiative may generate more than $40 million for conservation in the next four years.
3.7B
media impressions
150M+
streams worldwide
Top 1%
artist worldwide on Spotify
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
Instead of just asking for donations, the campaign built a permanent financial infrastructure within the music industry. It creates a sustainable, long - term payment stream that solves a funding problem through existing consumer behavior.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Turn Message into Product
It transforms the abstract concept of environmental value into a tangible, revenue - generating music artist. By making nature a legal entity in the music industry, the campaign turns passive listening into active conservation funding.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's brilliance lies in its innovative use of intellectual property and digital platforms to create a self-sustaining circular economy for conservation. It transforms a passive resource (nature sounds) into a legal and financial asset.
The strategic partnership with Spotify to create a verified artist profile for 'NATURE' is a masterclass in platform-native innovation.
The central metaphor of nature 'working for free' is a powerful, simple hook that reframes environmentalism as a labor rights issue.
The use of the electric lime green 'checkmark' branding creates a cohesive visual identity across OOH, digital, and social media.
The campaign doesn't just use music; it creates a new genre of 'conservation-pop' by integrating nature as a literal collaborator.
The synergy between the legal/business model and the creative execution makes the campaign feel like a movement rather than just an advertisement.
Making the Planet the Worlds Biggest Artist
From Bogota Clubs to Global Charts
The initiative traces its roots back to 2019 in Bogotá, Colombia, where the VozTerra collective held workshops to reconnect youth with biodiversity through the local clubbing scene. This grassroots concept evolved into a sophisticated financial model where 70% to 90% of royalties from tracks featuring "NATURE" are directed to the Sounds Right Conservation Fund. Managed by the charity EarthPercent, the fund is overseen by an advisory panel of Indigenous leaders and scientists to ensure ethical distribution.
A Global Supergroup for Biodiversity
Measurable Impact in the Earbuds
By late 2025, over 26 million fans had streamed "NATURE" tracks, surpassing 150 million total streams. These plays translated into immediate ecological action, with $400,000 committed to conservation in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Tropical Andes. In its first year alone, the project protected 4,500 hectares of habitat. With a projected revenue of $40 million over four years, the campaign effectively turned passive listening into a scalable engine for environmental protection.
