TuneCore to match artist donations to conservation fund through 2026

TuneCore will match donations made by its artists to the Sounds Right Fund through the end of 2026.

The company announced the pledge on Sept. 22, amid Climate Week NYC, as an expansion of its existing conservation work. The matching commitment runs to Dec. 31, 2026, according to Billboard.

Under the scheme, TuneCore artists can donate a chosen percentage of their streaming royalties to the fund. Streaming royalties are the payments generated when tracks are played on streaming services. Artists who opt in can also list “Nature” as a collaborator on their releases.

That credit creates a royalty split, a formal agreement that divides earnings from a track between the people or entities named on it. In this case, the share assigned to Nature flows to organisations supported by the Sounds Right Fund. It is a small administrative step. The money moves inside the normal royalty system.

The partnership behind it began in April. TuneCore joined forces with EarthPercent and the Sounds Right initiative, with the original tie-up announced on Earth Day, April 22. The September announcement extends that work from enabling artist donations to doubling them with company money.

Sounds Right itself began in 2024 with the launch of Nature as a royalty-earning artist on major DSPs. DSPs are digital service providers, the platforms that deliver music to listeners through downloads and streaming. Tracks that incorporate natural sounds can credit Nature as a featured artist, so plays generate royalties in Nature’s name.

Nature now has an audience. The project has more than 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

The fund is already distributing revenue to conservation. It will have allocated more than $1.2 million to frontline conservation by the end of 2026, according to the project. Frontline conservation means groups working directly to protect habitats, species and ecosystems. The longer-term aim is larger still: more than $5 million a year for global frontline conservation by 2028.

What makes this stand out is how little changes for the listener. Fans do not need to donate, buy anything extra or use a different app. If an artist has opted in and credited Nature, a normal stream produces a normal royalty, and a share of it is routed to conservation. TuneCore’s match then adds to that artist-led gift.

For independent artists, the model is flexible. They choose whether to take part and what percentage to give, rather than signing up to a fixed fee. The matching window gives that choice a clear deadline, with three months left in 2026 after the September announcement.