87% of musicians believe the pandemic has been harmful to their mental health

Despite some optimistic predictions, there is no clear end in site for the ongoing pandemic and, according to a new report, the COVID crisis has taken a particularly heavy toll on musicians’ mental well-being.

Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix

With no definitive end in sight, the devastating impact of COVID-19 on musicians’ mental health is becoming increasingly clear.

A new report from Health Musicians UK has found that 87% of professional musicians believe their mental health has deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 100-year-old charitable organization released their findings of a survey conducted with 700 musicians earlier this month.

The report also found that nearly 70% of those surveyed said they weren’t confident that they would be “able to cope financially” over the next six months. Half of the respondents (51%) said they were currently earning nothing at all from music.

24% of the musicians who took part in the study admitted that they are currently considering leaving the music profession for good due to the pandemic and Brexit’s effect. Other factors impacting musicians’ mental health over the past year include a lack of certainty about the future (91%), not being able to perform (81%), and having no purpose (66%).

Speaking about the findings of the study, Help Musicians’ Chief Executive James Ainscough said:

“We can’t sugarcoat 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.”

“We have been offering ongoing financial support to thousands of musicians throughout the pandemic, but offering money is just one part of what musicians need – we have also had to completely revamp the mental health support we offer to address this rapidly unfolding crisis. Musicians who cannot work don’t just suffer financially; they grieve for the creativity and connections that their music usually brings.”

Haulix Daily has not found a similar survey focusing on musicians in the United States, but it’s easy to believe any such polling would return similar results. While many are rushing to find some semblance of “normalcy” between soft reopenings and vaccine appointments, musicians will be among the last to return to work.

If you know a musician, please take a moment to check on them. You never know what someone is going through until you take the time to ask.

James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.