Part of the solution Music Minds Matter offers is the provision of regular peer support groups, which anyone working in the industry can join free via Zoom. ‘We actually find that there are more similarities than differences in terms of the factors impacting on individuals’ mental health,’ says Joe. For those behind the scenes, the picture is much the same. For musicians, factors like the unpredictable and sometimes isolating nature of the work, long periods on the road, financial difficulties and lack of routine can all exacerbate the problem. However, Joe says that a number of sector-specific issues contribute to mental health outcomes in the music industry. ‘Our recent survey showed that close to half surveyed said they are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned they will be forced to leave the industry, and nearly nine in ten believe difficulties with their mental health are currently affecting their work.’ With 68 percent of survey respondents also reporting that their mental health is worse now than it was before the pandemic, it’s clear that COVID has had a major part to play on all this. 'The cost-of-living crisis, alongside other factors including the ongoing impact of the pandemic and Brexit, is having a brutal impact on the UK’s musicians,’ he says. Joe Hastings, head of Music Minds Matter at Help Musicians, says that the increased service demand at the charity has been driven by ongoing instability across the UK economy at large. Reflecting this surge, costs for Music Minds Matter will hit £1million for the first time in 2022. So far this year, calls have increased a further 34 percent. The charity noticed an enormous increase in calls to the Music Minds Matter helpline during the pandemic, with a 118 percent uptick in service users in 2021. 'The cost-of-living crisis, alongside other factors including the ongoing impact of the pandemic and Brexit, is having a brutal impact on the UK’s musicians.' So the time is right to set up Music Minds Matter as a single-focus charity.’ And, sadly, coming out the other side is proving just as challenging, if not more. Musicians and those who work in music have been through an incredibly difficult time during the pandemic. The move also takes the service out from under the musician-specific remit of Help Musicians, allowing Music Minds Matter to support anyone in the industry with mental health concerns.Īt the time, Help Musicians chief executive officer James Ainscough said, ‘Since Music Minds Matter launched in 2017, we have seen the need for mental health support continue to grow year-on-year. Starting life as a fundraising campaign after the death of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, the service operated a 24/7 support line for both musicians and those behind the scenes.Įarlier this year the service was restructured into a single-focus charity, ensuring that any fundraising activity focused on mental health provision will exclusively fund that support. Within the music industry, these interventions can be absolutely vital in ensuring the wellbeing of artists and crews, allowing the show to go on and the industry to thrive.īack in 2017, Help Musicians launched Music Minds Matter in response to what the charity considered a mental health crisis in music. One thing that improving mental health access can do is put in place a first line of response to these kinds of broad-view issues. Mental illness is just one factor that can affect the more holistic view that is mental health. Beyond this, saying ‘mental health’ when we mean mental illness tends to obscure conditions with more complex symptoms such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD or OCD. While the term ‘mental health’ has helped destigmatise conditions such anxiety and depression, it doesn’t refer to them alone. Mental illnesses can affect a person’s mental health, but like physical health, mental health impacts everybody, whether they have a diagnosable condition or not. While the terms ‘mental health’ and ‘mental illness’ are sometimes used interchangeably, the two are not the same. ‘Whenever I’m trying to keep it hidden because I don’t want it to affect how people view me that much, I think of how much it’s helped me to hear people be so open about it,’ she told M in August 2022. Just this year, artists including Rina Sawayama, Pale Waves and Phoebe Green have all released albums addressing mental health concerns, with Phoebe also testifying to the importance of openness around these issues. Within the music industry in particular, lifestyle factors and irregular work conditions can contribute to a unique vulnerability. In recent years, we have seen positive change through a culture of increasing openness and awareness, but decades of stigma carry a long legacy.
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