According to a new study, 87% of surveyed artists and musicians have said that their mental health has declined due to COVID-19-related lockdowns. Loss of income and inability to perform live are the two prominent factors, according to a new report by Help Musicians, a UK-based charity for musicians of all genres.
The independent charity conducted a survey of about 700 musicians at the start of this year to find out how COVID-19 has affected them. The survey recorded that there was a 65 percent increase in requests for mental health support in the last three months. The survey also found that 96 percent of musicians said they are worried about their finances while seven out of 10 said they fear that they will not be able to hold themselves over financially for the next six months. 91 percent emphasized a lack of certainty about what the future holds.
Over half of the musicians surveyed are no longer making money from music. The charity is calling the findings a “hidden crisis among musicians” with the impact of the pandemic and venue shutdowns as 56% are relying on Universal Credit and a quarter said they’re thinking of leaving the music industry for good. Help Musicians Chief Executive James Ainscough stated,
“We can’t sugar coat these findings – we are facing a mental health crisis amongst musicians on an unprecedented scale. Whilst there may be light at the end of the tunnel with a roadmap out of lockdown revealed, there is still substantial uncertainty around how quickly the music industry can recover, plus the catastrophic impact of the Brexit deal on musicians’ ability to tour. After a year of hardship, the ongoing uncertainty for musicians is taking a huge toll on mental health.”
The same charity partnered with Spotify for the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief project in March as well as have recently expanded its mental health support.
For more information on Help Musicians click here.
Featured image: Matthieu Thoer
