Musicians face toughest period ‘since Second World War’

UK Music charity Help Musicians has today released research showing the devastating impact of the cost-of-living crisis on professional musicians. The study, which surveyed over 500 professional musicians across the UK, reveals that respondents are concerned about meeting basic costs, and are suffering from poor mental health as a result of this pressure.

More than 8 in 10 musicians surveyed are worried about paying their mortgage or rent, with 78% of respondents reporting they are currently earning less income from music than before the pandemic began in March 2020. With financial reserves used to survive the pandemic, 80% of musicians are growing increasingly worried about debt.

Help Musicians chief executive, James Ainscough, said: ‘It is hard to imagine any point since the Second World War when it has been tougher to be a professional musician - put simply, the current environment is brutal. We need to put significant time and resource into sustaining musicians over the coming, challenging months, if we are to have a thriving music ecosystem in 2023 and beyond.’

Almost all musicians surveyed (98%) reported concerns about earning enough income for food or accommodation over the next six months. The percentage of musicians who said they were considering leaving the industry has more than doubled in the past year, with 49% saying they are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned they will need to leave the industry, compared to 22% of respondents considering leaving the industry in last year’s survey.

Inflation in the price of fuel and heating is also creating a ‘cost of working’ crisis, with costs associated with rehearsal spaces and travel for performances rising dramatically. This is affecting 97% of Help Musicians’ survey respondents, with nine in ten reporting being unable to afford music-related equipment.

Help Musicians has announced additional support measures, pulling £8m from its reserves to support the cost of performing, touring, and creating new music as well as to offer advice, mentoring, debt management and financial crisis advice. With 88% of musicians surveyed experiencing mental health difficulties which are affecting their work, costs for the charity’s mental health service, Music Minds Matter, will hit £1m for the first time this year.

Help Musicians president Dame Evelyn Glennie said: ‘It is now, sadly, all too common to be informed of highly skilled musicians deciding on alternate career paths, Arts organisations having to shut down, or community orchestras and choirs folding in these extremely harsh financial times. It takes a great deal of physical and mental energy to function and sustain a career in music; the current challenges are unprecedented which is resulting in a catastrophic avalanche of stress, disillusionment, lost talent and shortened careers.’

Any member if the music industry in need of support can contact Help Musicians on 0808 802 8008.