Mental health best practice in the UK music industry: Investigating better relationships between managers and artists

Brenda Combs

London College of Music

Supervisors:

Dr Daniel Pratt

London College of Music

Dr Moira Cachia

School of Human and Social Sciences

Mental health awareness has become a key topic for nearly every industry; however, it has yet to be a common area of research within the music industry, despite evidence that musicians face serious challenges regarding their mental health. This paper presents a study on the application of Human Resource Management (HRM) principles through analysing the relationship dynamics concerning the mental health of professional musicians.

The qualitative study examines the landscape of mental health within the UK music management industry, highlighting the pivotal role of awareness, support systems, and professional intervention in nurturing the well-being of artists and managers. The research investigates the experiences and perspectives of UK music managers by focusing on their knowledge of mental health resources and how they influence the artist manager relationship and the artists’ well-being.

The research questions centre on support systems for implementing mental health outcomes and awareness of mental health resources for their artists, exploring how this knowledge influences the artist manager relationship and artists’ well-being. Research design involved semi-structured one-to-one interviews and reflexive thematic analysis.

Results highlight the challenging working conditions in the music industry, touching on issues like commissions, label involvement, and the need for mental health support. Personal mental health challenges among managers (66%) emphasise the need for equilibrium in supporting artists while safeguarding their own well-being.

The study’s findings precipitated the development of the Artist Manager Mental Health Toolkit. This toolkit integrates HRM principles such as fostering social interaction, facilitating two-way communication, promoting work-life balance, cultivating organisational culture, and adopting supportive leadership styles to address critical challenges in the artist manager relationship by enhancing well-being within the music management sector.