Vegan electronic music artist Moby has donated 100% of his profits from his performance at Coachella (an annual music and arts festival held in Indio, California, US) to animal protection organisations. The musician, who performed at the festival’s Mojave Tent on Friday 10th April 2026 with guest Jacob Lusk, announced the donation on Instagram following his emotionally charged set.
Moby, who has been vegan for over 40 years, described his primary purpose in life as animal rights activism. The artist performed “Natural Blues” and “When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die” during his set. He said, “My main job in life is working as an animal rights activist. My hope is to use the revenue and attention from my Coachella show to draw attention to, and financially support, animal rights organisations.” In 2019, he said, “I’m a vegan and an animal rights activist because I care about climate change and famine and human health and my health and ocean health and rainforest deforestation and water use. But above all that I’m a vegan and an activist because I love animals and I believe that every animal deserves their own life, free from imprisonment and human imposed suffering.”
The musician’s veganism began at age ten following an epiphany involving Tucker, a kitten he had rescued from a cardboard box. Tucker’s life was saved by Moby’s grandmother’s dog, George, a dachshund who became the kitten’s surrogate mother, cleaning, warming, and nursing him to health. Sitting with Tucker on his mother’s front steps, Moby realised that the cat, like non-human animals on factory farms, was an individual with two eyes, a central nervous system, and a rich emotional life with a deep desire to avoid pain and to be happy.
The donation will be split amongst four organisations: The Humane League, Mercy For Animals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and Direct Action Everywhere. Each group represents a different approach to ending animal exploitation, from corporate pressure campaigns to medical research to direct action for non-human animals.
