Help Musicians to launch Bullying and Harassment Helpline

Help Musicians has announced the launch of their new helpline which aims to support members of the UK music industry who are experiencing bullying and harassment. The helpline will open early next month.

The creation of the helpline follows the receipt of hundreds of reports to the SafeSpace service run by Musicians’ Union. The helpline will run alongside the SafeSpace service and has been encouraged by organisations including UK Music, the Musicians' Union (MU) and British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

James Ainscough, Help Musicians chief executive said, ‘The creation of the helpline is a vital first step and Help Musicians is well placed to provide this service, as an independent charity. The anonymous insight we will gather through this service will shed more light on the issues being experienced and help to target the collaborative efforts for positive and permanent change across the music industry.’

The service, aimed at professional musicians as well as the wider music industry, will provide emotional support, and practical guidance on how to raise and resolve the issues being experienced, and advice on rights and avenues for formal action where issues cannot be resolved by other means.

The helpline will be provided by an independent third-party organisation who have a depth of experience running similar services across the UK, and this will ensure full anonymity for all callers.

Naomi Pohl, deputy general secretary of the Musicians’ Union said, ‘This new service is extremely welcome, and we look forward to working alongside the team at Help Musicians in supporting survivors and measuring progress in the industry.’

Help Musicians is a UK-based music charity that offers support to music creators in times of crisis and opportunity with an aim to ensure that UK musicians achieve their creative potential and are able to pursue a career in music.

You can find out more about Help Musicians here.