Can Music Make You Sick? Final Report and Recommendations

1 Can Music Make You Sick? Final Report and Recommendations A Help Musicians UK report based on a commissioned University of Westminster study Can Music Make You Sick? 3 Contents Everyone is now talking about About Help Musicians UK P4 depression in the music industries. Foreword P6 It is a real thing. The dangers of the performing world have always been What’s making musicians sick? P8 there. The highs are very high and then Headline findings P10 there is a kind of built-in obsolescence What needs to change? P28 that means the lows are very, very low. Neil Barnes, Leftfield What’s next? P30 About the Study P32 Case studies P34 Get help now P40 Can Music Make You Sick? 5 About Help Musicians UK Help Musicians UK (HMUK) is Britain’s Supporting musicians’ Health and Welfare leading independent music charity. mental health During 2016, HMUK’s Health and Welfare Mental health is one of the most team experienced a 22% increase Since 1921, HMUK has provided help, support and important issues the music industry is in requests for help from musicians facing right now. It is a complex matter, across the UK, and in total last year, the opportunities to empower musicians at all stages of often co-existing alongside other factors charity spent £1.9 million helping these their lives. HMUK’s mission is to create a sustainable related to welfare, relationships, physical musicians through direct and indirect future for all musicians and the industry. health, employment and financial financial support. strain. It’s one of the many challenges Where a musician qualifies for funding, The charity works in partnership to transform the that musicians can face in managing their careers. HMUK can provide financial support to music industry through advocacy, campaigning, help with short-term housing and living programmes and targeted investment for all those Drawing on the results of the Can Music costs. The charity also links people with Make You Sick? study commissioned statutory health services, funds access to within it. by HMUK, the charity launched qualified assessment and treatment, and #MusicMindsMatter, a campaign for directs musicians to other services that helpmusicians.org.uk industry-wide support of a dedicated are best placed to help. 24/7 support line and service for people working in music. HMUK is fortunate to have a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who help Set to launch in late 2017, the service them reach more musicians than ever will aim to provide advice and education before by providing a home visiting on mental health problems, as well service for those that might be going as improved access to mental health through hardship, or who are isolated. services, where possible. Many musicians cite HMUK as fundamental to their journey back to work. However, a musician’s recovery isn’t always black and white. For some people, not everything they’re going through has a full resolution. Some musicians make a complete recovery, but for others it’s an ongoing process and HMUK is able to support them, encourage them, connect them with advice and resources, and walk alongside them on their journey. Can Music Make You Sick? 7 69% Foreword o a esonens suese e Mental health: A wake up had suffered from depression call for the music industry of those that suffered, 30% claimed they would be very likely A musician’s career often The lifestyle can be stressful, especially Canto, or musichad already really sought make help. you sick? Our response to an urgent need involves massive highs and for freelancers. The industry can In 2016, we launched the first phase This booklet combines the 2016 research contribute towards higher levels of of Can Music Make You Sick? – a study with new qualitative interviews and will lows, and learning how to anxiety due to the precarious and by30% researchers Sally Anne Gross and enable us to pilot and launch a phased navigate them is an art in itself. unpredictable nature of the work. Many Drof allGeorge respondents Musgrave, believed University they of nationwide support service that will help musicians find it hard to plan their time or Westminster,had suffered from which depression received over 2,200 us begin to respond to the needs of the future, and the combination of anti-social self-selected responses and provided vital music community. hours, exhaustion, and low or zero pay insights into the scale of the problem. adds to the pressure. We cannot do this alone. We believe the The results revealed that those working solution is in the hands of the music We’re at a pivotal point in the industry, in music may be up to three times industry itself, which is why we launched and how we support those experiencing more likely to experience depression, #MusicMindsMatter. Not only is HMUK mental health concerns is one of the compared to the general public. committed to building a Music Industry biggest challenges that we face. Mental Health Taskforce, we are also determined to work with key partners and While we have made progress, there 69% influencers to give musicians and those is still a stigma around mental health, 69% o a esonens eoe e around them a route to finding crucial which isn’t surprising in a profession had experienced depression clinical and therapeutic support. where people are expected to perform consistently at the top level. The results revealed that As the UK’s leading independent music 71% those working in music charity, HMUK has seen a rise in the said they had experienced panic attacks number of calls and applications from and/or high levels of anxiety 71% may be up to three times musicians going through a crisis. more likely to experience By creating a safe space where more We wanted to understand why this musicians can speak openly about their depression, compared to Christine Brown was happening and what could be mental health concerns, we can continue Director of External Affairs the general public. done about it. to chip away at the stigma so that those Help Musicians UK working in the industry don’t have to suffer in silence. Can Music Make You Sick? 9 What’s making musicians sick? Following on from 2016’s quantitative research, this next phase delves deeper - consisting of in-depth qualitative interviews that were carried out with 26 musicians who took part in the initial study. These 26 respondents were asked about their working experiences and how they understood these impacted on their mental health and general wellbeing. The group of respondents included an even gender split and covered a broad range of ages, different career stages, and a wide variety of musical genres, including pop, soul, jazz, urban, reggae, classical, rock, dance, folk, opera, dubstep and musical theatre. Respondents came from across the UK, with 50% working in London and the South East and the rest based in Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Cardiff, Bristol and Belfast. Can Music Make You Sick? 11 Headline findings The qualitative study identified a number of factors that can impact on a musician’s mental health. 01 05 09 11 Music makers’ relationship to their Many musicians have several different Musicians can find it hard to access There needs to be a drive to improve work is integral to their sense of self. jobs as part of a portfolio career, and as affordable professional help for working conditions across the music It’s how they define themselves. a result can feel as though they work mental health issues. industries and enhance understanding 24/7 and can’t take a break. of the challenges faced by creative 10 workers. 02 06 As many musicians are self-employed, People in the music industry need It can be hard for musicians to admit they can feel on their own when it 12 to believe in themselves and in their to insecurities because of competition comes to dealing with mental health More work is required to explore how work, yet the unpredictable nature of and wanting to appear on top of things. problems. discrimination, sexism and diversity the business can knock that belief. impact on the working climate for musicians. 03 07 Music makers can be reflective and Family, friends and partners play an highly self-critical, and exist in an important role in supporting musicians, environment of constant critical but this can also lead to feelings of guilt. feedback. 04 08 A career in music is often Musicians’ working environment precarious and unpredictable. can be anti-social and unsympathetic, with some people experiencing sexual abuse, harassment, bullying and coercion. Can Music Make You Sick? 13 “I’m not sure I’d say it’s the music that makes me sick. It’s the lack of things I’d consider success. It’s the lack of support doing something that’s not considered ‘real work’.” Anonymous survey respondent, 2016 Musicians need to express their creativity Music was a great source of pleasure Although this love of music is and comfort to all the musicians and clearly a strength for a musician, the music professionals interviewed. connection between performance, For many, it is overwhelmingly their identity and the need for self-belief great love, and some even talked can leave musicians vulnerable. As about it as though it was a person Manchester-based producer Yvonne or a relationship. Ellis said: “If you’ve got a creative spark in you and you’re a musician, you need to use it. Because if you’re not being creative then it can make you ill, it can make you depressed.” Can Music Make You Sick? 15 “When there’s instability, anxiety and depression can creep in.

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