Retailer links with musicians for green causes

NEW YORK (AP) - Jack Johnson, the Zac Brown Band and Maroon 5 have joined several other musical acts that have signed on to Patagonia’s new music initiative, where fans can get exclusive tracks from their favorite acts, and the profits go to green causes.

The Patagonia Music Collective kicks off Tuesday with more than 20 songs, each available for 99 cents; net proceeds will be donated to the environmental group of the act’s choosing. The clothing retailer said this is the beginning of a long-term project designed to not only raise money for environmental causes, but also raise awareness among the company’s consumers.

After this week’s launch, a song by a different artist will be for sale weekly.

“If they can see that these musicians are concerned about the environment and it’s cool to be concerned about the environment, I think it will be a huge influence on young people,” said Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder and owner and a longtime environmental activist, in an interview last week.

Pearl Jam is among the acts that have signed up for the collective, offering the song “Oceans,” which will benefit Conservation International’s efforts to help marine life. Guitarist Stone Gossard said the band is hopeful “there’s an opportunity for some real change to happen.”

Patagonia isn’t the first clothing retailer to embark on a partnership with musicians for charity, and Gossard doesn’t believe the music collective will have a huge immediate impact.

“I don’t think that the actual giving of a song to Patagonia is going to change the world, but again, it’s the beginning of a collaborative relationship that we’re going to have with Patagonia, and a lot of other musical artists that have a lot power,” he said by phone last week.

“All the bands involved have a large fan base and a lot of people who are interested in what they are doing, and Patagonia has enormous reach in terms of the people they communicate with each day,” he added.

While Chouinard hopes the program will sway some to do better for the environment, “I’m personally very pessimistic that this generation is ever going to do anything to save this natural world, but I think there’s some hope for the younger generation.”

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Online:

https://www.patagonia.com/music