ASCAP Launches TuneUp Wellness Program For Music Creators

ASCAP has launched TuneUp, a program designed to meet the mental and physical wellness needs of music creators.

TuneUp will offer ASCAP members access and discounts on services that support mental health, mindfulness, exercise and nutrition, recovery-focused support groups in multiple cities and online co-sponsored with MusicCares and wellness events in major cities.

“My wellness is more than being in the best shape I physically can be in for running around on stage each night,” said Michael Franti, a musician, humanitarian, filmmaker and activist. “It’s equally about eating well, getting enough sleep and being able to grow with the challenges that life on the road brings, without becoming so stressed that I can’t show up for my wife, kids and touring family in the way that I want to each day. Throughout my adult life, I’ve battled depression and anxiety and the music business has no shortage of pressures that can drag me down if I don’t have healthy habits in place.”

Details

Innovative Wellness Services

ASCAP members will receive a range of benefits including access to and significant discounts on innovative services that support mental health, mindfulness, exercise and nutrition, including:

• Aaptiv: music-powered, coach-guided digital audio workouts
• BetterHelp: easy, affordable, anywhere access to therapists and mental health resources via your digital devices
• Daily Burn: access to thousands of workout videos available from your home
• Motiv: a fitness and sleep tracker housed in a ring
• Shine: Shine: a self-care app with easy exercises and a supportive community

Recovery Support

Partnering with MusiCares, the charitable arm of the Recording Academy. ASCAP will launch recovery-focused support groups in multiple cities as well as a digital support group that offers services to creators in any location. MusiCares will also serve as an official advisor on ASCAP’s recovery and mental health programs. 

Wellness Events

Given music creators’ focus on both community and their health (see survey results below), the ASCAP TuneUp program will host wellness events for ASCAP members throughout the year in multiple cities. ASCAP TuneUp wellness events will launch at the organization’s New York City headquarters on January 6 with a “sound bath,” an immersive group meditation experience that utilizes sound from a range of instruments to benefit a participant’s mind, body and spirit. Similar events in Los Angeles and Nashville will follow.

Additionally, the organization is planning a dedicated wellness programming track at the upcoming 2020 ASCAP Experience in Los Angeles, April 1 – 3. It has also hosted a number of other activities over the past month to preview the TuneUp program, including a post-ASCAP Country Music Awards high intensity interval training workout in Nashville (featuring an all-ASCAP playlist), and “Mind Your Business: Mental Health in the Music Industry,” an ASCAP Urban panel discussion in LA.

Content Initiatives

As part of the effort, ASCAP will launch a new wellness content initiative, including today’s debut of a bonus episode of VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast featuring an interview with Paul Williams on the subjects of recovery and well-being as it relates to music creators. ASCAP TuneUp will also introduce #WellnessWednesday on all of its social media presences, featuring advice, inspiration and ASCAP members sharing their wellness activities.

“Creating music is an all-consuming passion and a labor of love, but you’ve got to take care of your instrument — in the case of music creators, your body, mind and spirit,” said ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “ASCAP has a long commitment to supporting the livelihoods of its songwriters and composers. With TuneUp, we’re taking that one step further. If creating music is your life, we are here to provide the resources you need to be at your creative best. This is just the beginning, and we will roll out more services in the months to come.”

More info here.