Theme
We work to promote mental health and well-being in music and to ensure a healthy industry where everyone can thrive.
A central challenge for music organisations and companies is to identify the interventions that are best suited to create the necessary structural changes in the industry.
In the Spring of 2023, the Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music has launched an ambitious research-based study in four parts, focusing on the mental health and well-being of Danish creative and performing musicians (hereafter referred to as musicians). The study has received support from Velliv Foreningen.
There are many well-documented challenges in relation to the mental health and well-being of creative and performing musicians in the music life. A selection of these include among other things: long and irregular working hours, lack of recognition, stress related to economic income and the idea of success, substance abuse, precarious working conditions, and stressful cultures in the industry, which can negatively affect well-being, health, and personal relations.
The first part of the study documented a significantly lower level of well-being among music creators compared to the rest of the Danish population. Particularly, young and female music creators experience poorer well-being.
These are issues that music industry professionals must engage with and contribute to changing. Therefore, the final phase of the study consists of a series of recommendations that will serve as the basis for concrete initiatives and necessary structural changes, allowing us to improve well-being within the industry.
In the report, Danish creative and performing musicians are referred to collectively as “music creators”, encompassing artists, songwriters, producers, composers, DJs, and other creative and performing musicians.
The four parts of the study:
PHASE 1
Mapping the extent of the problems in relation to mental health and well-being in the industry.
A survey collected data on the mental health and well-being of 1,855 music creators, including artists, songwriters, producers, composers, DJs, and other creative and performing musicians living in Denmark.
The results are presented in the report: When Music Speaks – Part 1
PHASE 2
Review of applied interventions in the music scene.
Examination of various models for mental health interventions for music creators. These include telephone helplines, preventive measures, traditional forms of therapy (including cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness), and peer support. The analysis was conducted to assess which models work best in a Danish context.
The results of the analysis can be found in the report: When Music Speaks – Part 2
PHASE 3
Analysis of needs and wants among Danish music creators.
Qualitative interviews with 17 musicians who have shared their challenges and what they need for their well-being to improve.
Findings are presented in the report: When Music Speaks – Part 3
PHASE 4
Final recommendations on what the music industry can do to ensure a healthy industry where music creators can thrive.
Find the recommendations in the report: When Music Speaks – Part 4
Next Steps
The comprehensive research project has painted a clear picture of an music industry that needs to rethink how we ensure and strengthen the mental health and well-being of music creators.
The final recommendations, ranging from individual-level to structural changes, are concrete and tangible, with the hope that they can lay the foundation for future initiatives aimed at creating an industry where everyone can thrive.
Towards the summer of 2024, the partnership will continue to develop concrete inspiration for solutions that cut across the industry’s specific areas, aiming to bring the recommendations to life as realistic yet ambitious initiatives for change. This way, we can uphold the industry’s responsibility for mental health and well-being.
