27 May 2021

Covid 19 and Mental Health in the Music Industry

Covid -19

Life as a freelance artist can be quite a roller coaster of feelings. Exciting and rewarding one day, stressful and unpredictable the next. According to a 2019 study published by the Swedish digital distribution platform Record Union, the figures are even clearer: It found that 73% of independent musicians have struggled with stress, anxiety, and/or depression.

2020 has also been a year of impact within the music industry due to this global pandemic that has affected, among many sectors, also music professionals. There has been talking of the economic problems that Covid-19 may have caused, but little is said of the mental health problems that could also arise within the music industry.

During the quarantine, many artists presented altruistic musical proposals to help the mental well-being of citizens. And the thing is that music has great social, economic, and political value.

The political and financial responsibility within the Covid-19 crisis is of vital importance because governments must develop and promote culture so that society can enjoy creating music.

Support initiatives for artists

Since many artists have been affected due to the cancellation of their tours, and the consequences that this has caused, the levels of stress and anxiety have increased during this last quarter. Because of that, now more than ever, the music industry is taking steps to address the growing mental health crisis for many musicians. More and more initiatives, as well as awareness through organizations about mental health have destigmatized mental illnesses.

The idea of supporting artists has existed for decades with the creation of entities to give medical help to artists suffering from mental health problems, but today there are many more initiatives to address the situation much better.

An example of this is the TourHealth.org initiative, the first major research study on mental health in the touring industry launched by Dr. Chayim Newman specializing in clinical psychology. Its goal is to be able to collect enough data on the mental health problems faced by artists and team members to use it for scientific research on the most effective interventions.

The good also comes from the artists themselves who are increasingly beginning to disprove the stigmas of mental illness and many are creating fundraising initiatives or expressing their thoughts through their music.

Billie Eilish starred in a video in which she shared her battle with depression and encouraged anyone who was suffering from something similar to ask for help.

Specialized psychology for musicians

Rosana Corbacho started in the music industry when she was young and later specialized in psychology and ended up merging her two passions. To this day she has founded her own company M.I. Therapy, to deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and emotions experienced by many artists within the music industry. She has given lectures talking about the relationship between music and psychology at festivals such as Mad Cool or Primavera Pro.

In an interview, she conducted for the digital magazine neo2.com, Rosana tells some tips to control stress attacks such as exercising regularly, prioritizing personal growth, connecting with significant others, or having leisure and contact outside the industry musical. Try to find a healthy work-life balance without neglecting yourself.

Some associations give financial aid such as those announced by Sympathy for The Lawyer that supports artists at a legal level. It offers free information and resources necessary to be able to request aid for the music of INAEM 2020. On its website, you can find a guide where they explain in detail how the association works.

During the quarantine and due to the cancellations of many festivals, they took the opportunity to make presentations online talking about Covid-19 and how it was affecting the music industry.

The Cannes Midem festival, for example, organized online talks to address the situation of the music industry against the pandemic together with the associations IMPALA and WIN. In this article, they explain some measures promoted by the public administrations of various European countries to support cultural organizations.

Some streaming platforms have also created a series of initiatives to give resources to the creative community or help artists with monetization. About the physical sector, the #HoyMeComproUnDisco campaign was held on Love Record Store Day, where many artists and fans published and shared this statement on their social networks to promote the purchase of physical records.

In the absence of concerts, new ways of doing business and generating income must be found, and facing the great losses that this global crisis represents.

The light at the end of the tunnel right now seems very far away, but it will come. Those sensations and emotions on the surface will not be taken away by anything or anyone.

Meanwhile, stay healthy physically, emotionally and mentally at home during this period of confinement.