United Nations – Live Launches Sounds Right and Africa Leading Global Organisations

NATURE is now open for collaboration. The global initiative Sounds Right launched a world-first platform that lets any artist officially feature NATURE as a recording artist on their music, sharing their royalties to fund conservation on November 13.

Following last year’s launch of NATURE as an official artist on streaming platforms, with collaborators including Hozier, Ellie Goulding, Bomba Estereo and David Bowie x Brian Eno, the new platform FEAT. NATURE now opens submissions to musicians everywhere via soundsright.earth/feature.

From forests and oceans to rivers and wildlife, artists who feature natural sounds in their music can upload songs and release them on major streaming platforms with royalties split 50:50 between the artist and NATURE. Proceeds from NATURE’s share go to the Sounds Right Fund, which supports community led conservation projects selected by an independent panel of Indigenous leaders, scientists, and conservationists.

26 million fans across 181 countries have now listened to the artist NATURE, generating royalties which have helped enable the Sounds Right Fund to direct $400,000 to Indigenous and community-led conservation in the Amazon and Congo Basin region, building on $225,000 directed to projects in the Tropical Andes in 2024. The funds were announced on stage at the Global Citizen Amazonia concert (Belem, 1 November) and live on Brazilian TV.

Since its launch, Sounds Right has engaged millions with the sounds of the natural world, combining art, music, and conservation. Led by the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, the initiative is a unique collaboration between global artists, sound recordists, producers, creatives, and environmental groups, putting music at the heart of a global conversation about nature’s conservation and restoration. Partners include EarthPercent, AKQA, Spotify, Eleutheria Group, and the Hempel Foundation.

Among the first African artists joining was South Africa’s Phila Dlozi, who was releasing two tracks -Lalelani (feat. NATURE) and Koth Biro (feat. NATURE), blending Afro Jazz and soul with the soundscapes of birds, rain and ocean waves recorded across Johannesburg and KwaZulu- Natal.

“I’m so excited to be part of this project. Being part of Sounds Right feels deeply aligned with who I am and the purpose of my gift. I’ve always believed that nature carries its own rhythm, its own wisdom, and its own song. When you slow down and listen, you’ll realise that nature isn’t just sound, it’s music, it’s healing,” said Phila Dlozi.

Other artists from Africa include Juls and Olivetheboy from Ghana, Lady Donli from Nigeria and Blinky Bill and Bien from Kenya. The initiative comes at a critical cultural moment. A recent study found that people’s connection to nature has fallen by around 60% since 1800, tracking almost exactly with the loss of nature words such as river, moss and blossom from books. As nature fades from culture, our sense of belonging to it diminishes – a pattern Sounds Right hopes to reverse by inspiring artists everywhere to weave nature’s sounds back into music.

This groundbreaking venture is the first major extension to the Sounds Right model since NATURE launched as an official artist last year and is powered by a new global music distribution pathway in partnership with DistroDirect, making it easier than ever for artists to join the movement.

Gabriel Smales, Global Programme Director, Sounds Right – UN Live, said: “Today, in a world first, we’re giving artists a simple and impactful way to credit NATURE in their music — helping restore nature’s presence in popular culture while directing new music royalties to frontline conservation. This matters because nature has been steadily disappearing from our culture, with fewer references in children’s stories, popular music, even major films.

This cultural loss is deepening the growing disconnect between people and the planet at a time we can least afford to. With the launch, we’re taking an important step to reverse that trend, while mobilising real
resources to protect and restore the ecosystems we all depend on.”

Hans Poulsen, Program Partner, Eleutheria Group, said: “With this launch, we’re extending the Sounds Right model into a scalable mechanism for independent artists worldwide. It’s a practical, transparent framework that embeds purpose into the core of music distribution, aligning creative freedom with measurable environmental impact. This is where cultural innovation meets industry infrastructure, and we’re proud to help build that bridge.”

FEAT. NATURE launched at soundsright.earth/feature.