Michael Stipe Releases New Single On First Commercially Available Bioplastic Vinyl
NEWS SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 9:23 AM BY CHRIS DEVILLE11
Way back in 2018, former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe shared a snippet of his first-ever solo song, “Future If Future,” in support of the March For Our Lives. It’s a song about how people have the power to affect positive change on the world, and today it’s being sold on a new eco-friendly form of record designed to counteract the negative environmental impact of vinyl.
As Billboard reports, the skittering, synth-driven “Future If Future” is the first commercially available Bioplastic 12″. It’s a split featuring Beatie Wolfe’s “Oh My Heart” on the B-side. “Future If Future” was produced by Brian Eno, whose environmental charity EarthPercent sold out of a limited run of 500 copies today via Bandcamp.
The British music sustainability organization Evolution Music designed the bioplastic vinyl, which does not include fossil fuels. Specifically, it omits polyvinyl chloride, which Greenpeace calls the “most environmentally damaging” plastic, but can be manufactured on the same presses used for conventional vinyl. “I’m thrilled to be working with EarthPercent and Evolution Music on this release, imagining positive innovation through action,” said Stipe in a statement. “Simply showing that this type of solution-based project is possible opens pathways to a brighter future.”