Musician Tim Bergling, known as Avicii, accepting his Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist award in 2013. Bergling took his own life last year.
SHARE:
Music often appears the most glamorous of professions. Many within the industry are calling for more realistic portrayals of it however following the deaths of several high profile artists in recent years.
The death of The Prodigy frontman, Keith Flint, in March raised awareness of mental illness throughout the industry. Some are even calling it a turning point in discussions on the topic.
While the coroner did not definitively rule Flint’s death suicide, the court ruled he died due to hanging and that the incident was clearly not an accident.
“Keith was always the real chatty bubbly one and everyone’s said that since he’s gone. He was always so happy, so chirpy, it just makes it even stranger,” said DJ Slipmatt, a former friend of Flint’s.
“It’s a big loss for millions of people and very sad, especially as it’s for a reason that shouldn’t really have happened.”
‘He was always so happy, so chirpy, it just makes it even stranger.’
Dr. George Musgrave is publishing a new book on the plight of musicians later this year.
He first gained exposure to the music business as the rapper Context, singing a record deal with Atlantic.
“The record deal side of it was a bit of a nightmare. I delivered them the single and nothing happened, they just sat on it,” Musgrave says.
“I thought why give someone 10 grand for a song then leave it, so I asked to get out of it after a while.”
Musgrave consequently surveyed over 2,200 artists, finding that musicians were at least three times more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than the broader population.
He and co-author of the research Sally-Anne Gross add that a lot of the issues relate to working practices. They argue that a lot of the solutions tie in to addressing the ‘gig economy’, where work is inherently precarious.
“One of the reasons why we chose to speak to such a large cross section of people, from people who were just starting out to people who had a number one in 20 countries when we spoke to them, is that you start to notice those similarities about the nature of the work these people are doing”, Musgrave says.
Criticised solutions include stronger unionisation of the popular music industry, reversals to arts funding cuts and broader teaching of mental health in general.
“If you turned up to work as a journalist and they gave you two bottles of vodka and a pack of Haribo you’d go ‘that’s not payment bro’. When I turned up to Reading and Leeds they said ‘what beer do you want?’ that’s quite usual”, Musgrave notes.
Best Practice
Tristan Hunt of the Association for Electronic Music is working on a guide to mental health and suicide prevention that he aims to roll out across the industry.
A key tenet is managing the transition between stage and hotel-room while on tour:
“I was speaking to an artist manager about their client, touring the US a lot away from family and friends, a very isolating place to be in”, says Hunt.
“They’ve brought in a coach and a therapist to assist him pre-tour, during his tour and afterwards. So the person feels less and less isolated and there’s a plan around what they’re doing.”
The family of the artist Avicii, Tim Bergling, have been praised for their efforts since the DJs suicide last year.
They have set up the Tim Bergling Foundation to address mental health issues among artists, alongside other causes such as conservationism.
“More and more labels and publishers are looking at that,” Hunt says.
“One of the things we’re looking at is having a mental-health trained person in every office, in the same way you have a physical first-aider in every office as standard.”
For more on this, tune in to the City News Hour.
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineCity Investigates: Music industry grapples with mental illness
Short HeadlineCI - Music industry grapples with mental illness
StandfirstSeveral organisations call for action after death of Prodigy frontman Keith Flint
Music often appears the most glamorous of professions. Many within the industry are calling for more realistic portrayals of it however following the deaths of several high profile artists in recent years.
The death of The Prodigy frontman, Keith Flint, in March raised awareness of mental illness throughout the industry. Some are even calling it a turning point in discussions on the topic.
While the coroner did not definitively rule Flint’s death suicide, the court ruled he died due to hanging and that the incident was clearly not an accident.
“Keith was always the real chatty bubbly one and everyone’s said that since he’s gone. He was always so happy, so chirpy, it just makes it even stranger,” said DJ Slipmatt, a former friend of Flint’s.
“It’s a big loss for millions of people and very sad, especially as it’s for a reason that shouldn’t really have happened.”
‘He was always so happy, so chirpy, it just makes it even stranger.’
Dr. George Musgrave is publishing a new book on the plight of musicians later this year.
He first gained exposure to the music business as the rapper Context, singing a record deal with Atlantic.
“The record deal side of it was a bit of a nightmare. I delivered them the single and nothing happened, they just sat on it,” Musgrave says.
“I thought why give someone 10 grand for a song then leave it, so I asked to get out of it after a while.”
Musgrave consequently surveyed over 2,200 artists, finding that musicians were at least three times more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than the broader population.
He and co-author of the research Sally-Anne Gross add that a lot of the issues relate to working practices. They argue that a lot of the solutions tie in to addressing the ‘gig economy’, where work is inherently precarious.
“One of the reasons why we chose to speak to such a large cross section of people, from people who were just starting out to people who had a number one in 20 countries when we spoke to them, is that you start to notice those similarities about the nature of the work these people are doing”, Musgrave says.
Criticised solutions include stronger unionisation of the popular music industry, reversals to arts funding cuts and broader teaching of mental health in general.
“If you turned up to work as a journalist and they gave you two bottles of vodka and a pack of Haribo you’d go ‘that’s not payment bro’. When I turned up to Reading and Leeds they said ‘what beer do you want?’ that’s quite usual”, Musgrave notes.
Best Practice
Tristan Hunt of the Association for Electronic Music is working on a guide to mental health and suicide prevention that he aims to roll out across the industry.
A key tenet is managing the transition between stage and hotel-room while on tour:
“I was speaking to an artist manager about their client, touring the US a lot away from family and friends, a very isolating place to be in”, says Hunt.
“They’ve brought in a coach and a therapist to assist him pre-tour, during his tour and afterwards. So the person feels less and less isolated and there’s a plan around what they’re doing.”
The family of the artist Avicii, Tim Bergling, have been praised for their efforts since the DJs suicide last year.
They have set up the Tim Bergling Foundation to address mental health issues among artists, alongside other causes such as conservationism.
“More and more labels and publishers are looking at that,” Hunt says.
“One of the things we’re looking at is having a mental-health trained person in every office, in the same way you have a physical first-aider in every office as standard.”
As e-bike riders weave through London’s busiest junctions, red lights are increasingly treated as optional. One software engineer says the problem may be baked into how hire firms charge users
Deliveroo has announced its sale to U.S. rival DoorDash, but concerns linger over the controversial ‘substitute’ feature at the heart of its operations.
Inside Success Union CIC claim to empower vulnerable young people, but allegations of underpayment and concerns over their fundraising practices are undermining their message.
