The UK organisation Help Musicians has announced the plan to expand its Music Matter Service. This decision was supported by a study showing that the combination of the various lockdowns and the fears over Brexit’s no deal, which includes non-sufficient support for touring musicians, is overwhelming artists like never before, having a massive impact on their mental health. Indeed, the service experienced a 65% increase in requests from the start of the pandemic.
The study consisted of surveying 700 musicians across the British territory, and found out that 87% of the sample acknowledged that their mental health has gotten worse over the course of the pandemic. However, the service was launched in July 2017, long before COVID19, and aimed at providing 24/7 assistance through a support line for the whole music industry, with accredited therapists ready to help. James Ainscough, Chief Executive of Help Musicians, stated on April 9th: ‘Music is beneficial to everybody’s mental wellbeing, yet those who work in music seem to struggle more than most with their own mental health.’
‘The pandemic has amplified this paradox’ he continued. ‘Music Minds Matter will become a collaborative mental wellbeing resource for the entire music industry, to help those who are struggling and to transform the ability of all those working in music to proactively maintain their wellbeing. Working together, spotlighting all that is valuable whoever the provider, the music industry can embed lasting change and become a leader in caring for the mental health of its people.’
Hence, the Music Minds Matter service is supposed to be expanded, with the organisation adding a wider British network of professionals as well as local support groups and targeted signposting. The main goal is to help people of the creative industry – including but not limited to musicians – with the most suited support possible. Collecting society PPL has backed Help Musicians with a £300k funding for the next three years.
