Rebecca Manzi The vegan musician and animal rights activist earned nothing for his tour: everything went to animal rights charities around the world
@moby/Instagram
After a ten-year hiatus, touring vegan musician and animal rights activist Moby is on the road once more-but this time, for one very different purpose: not for personal gain, but advocacy pure and simple. Remarkably, 100% of the profits from the tour went to 14 animal rights charities worldwide, including UK-based groups like The Humane League and The Animal Law Foundation.
This tour was organized to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of Moby’s iconic album Play that came out in 1999. According to Moby himself, this return wasn’t because of a wish for fame or financial motives; it’s just that he really wholeheartedly commits to causes he deeply believes in.
“Ironically, the only way you get me to tour is to make sure I don’t make a penny“, he said in an interview at London’s O2 Arena. It simply goes to show that Moby has stood with his belief in animal welfare for several years now, and this is not something new. The Animal Rights Activist for Decades
Moby has been a vegan for over 37 years, often using his public profile to draw attention to cruelty against animals. “You see people wearing fur, and it’s like they’re advertising to the world that they’re a psychopath,” he said during the backstage interview.
Moby’s concern for animal rights traces back to his childhood. Raised among lots of rescued animals, he once shared that in 1984, while petting a cat named Tucker, he realized the profound sensitivity and emotional depth animals possess.
This experience catalyzed his decision to become vegetarian, a choice that later evolved into veganism with the influence of reading John Robbins’ Diet for a New America. Other than through music, Moby has also taken his activism to film by working on the documentary film Punk Rock Vegan Movie.
Punk rock and animal rights activism
The film connects the punk rock community of the 1980s to the animal rights movement, showing that pioneers of that time and era paved a path leading to today’s activism. Moby did not stray away from his ethic when he released the documentary for free, making a statement that money is not an issue for him. Awareness is what matters to him, and in the case of the tour, to use one’s platform for good on behalf of animals.
