Supporting Mental Health in Music

Supporting Mental Health in Music
February 5, 2018 Sarah Wade

Support Act: Minimum Standards for a Mentally Healthy Music Industry

The last few years of the COVID-19 pandemic have been extraordinarily challenging for everyone, and as is well-known, the arts and culture industries were dramatically impacted. Even now with venues allowed to stay open, unrestricted travel and shows able to go ahead, audiences for live music performances have not uniformly returned to pre-pandemic levels of attendance (with several factors at play including economic pressures, the need to support families, extreme climate/flooding events, geopolitical tensions, and more). Against this background, studies show that people who work in music statistically experience a disproportionately high instance of mental illness compared to the general population, which can be due to work instability, extensive hours, lower pay, a high risk environment and being away from friends and family for extended periods of time.

Support Act – the Australian music industry’s charity, delivering crisis relief services to musicians, managers, crew and music workers across all genres  – has developed a a set of Minimum Standards for a Mentally Healthy Music Industry, which seek to encourage action to Protect, Respond and Promote the positive aspects of work that contribute to good mental health. Cinque Artist Management has signed up, with a commitment to workplaces that are psychologically safe, and which take proactive measures to address safety at work issues: learn more about these Minimum Standards for a Mentally Healthy Music Industry, here.

As we head into 2023, music artists and presenters still face significant challenges, and the arts and culture – music, film, tv/streaming content, visual art and literature –  have again proven  fundamental to humanity’s wellbeing in these difficult times, as they have through the ages. Please keep supporting music artists from any genre at all, by attending their performances (in person or online), sharing their social media posts or buying their merch; whatever you can do is helpful, and more appreciated than you know.