A report published today by Youth Music, a charity helping marginalised young people make and monetise music, has highlighted the dangers young people face embarking on a career in the music industry.
Among the issues flagged up by the report, entitled Just The Way It Is?, are low or no pay, unsafe conditions and harassment.
Some 72% of young people surveyed said they felt unsafe within a music industry work environment and 90% said that they felt they were paid unfairly for their work, the same amount as those who said they felt unable to speak up about unsafe practices. Three quarters of respondents also said that had considered giving up music due to unsafe or unfair conditions.
One point about the survey – it comes from an unusually small sample: just 50 respondents. But the report was also informed by 19 detailed testimonies from focus groups. One respondent said “It’s quite normal to be groped by men”, whilst another described the sort of exploitation that would be unthinkable in another industry: “Any music that we made, we were never given a contract… we have an album that we’re still trying to get off them.”
More positively, the report does report that 85% of respondents are felt inspired by artists like Raye who have been campaigning to spark conversation and change for young musicians.
The report calls on employers to ensure transparent contracts and safe workplace cultures and specifically on funders and policymakers to “close the gap around the safety, inclusion and rights of young creatives”. It also advises young musicians and artists to trust their instincts, seek support and, in the words of the late great Joe Strummer, know your rights.
“It’s vital that the industry listens to this,” said Youth Music’s programme director Carol Reid in a statement. She said she welcomed the UK’s new employment rights bill as a step forward, but also warned that “laws alone cannot reshape culture”.
“We hope this report gives people the confidence, clarity and practical steps they need to help create safer, fairer working environments for young creatives,” she added.
The findings of the report were welcomed by the Musicians’ Union, whose Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr Diljeet Bhachu said in a statement: “We hope that the findings of the ‘Just the Way It Is?’ report will lead to changes for incoming generations of workers in our sector, to ensure better safety, more awareness of and exercising of rights, and better working cultures and practices. There is no future without protecting young people, and we must all do what we can to make the music industry safer.”
The report can be found online at the Youth Music website at youthmusic.org.uk
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