As we come to the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, the music community would be remiss not to take a critical look at the mental health of the most vulnerable among us — namely, the child and youth labor that represents a significant portion of our market share, revenue, and receptions on the new artist charts. The state of our entertainment industry, which values youth above all else, ironically places a low value on the holistic well-being of the artist, placing them in a myriad of situations that are age-inappropriate and dangerous mentally, emotionally, and physically.
The debate about youth safety in the workplace is nothing new and like the recent abuse documentary on Nickelodeon, Quiet on the set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, have shown, we have seen shameful and tragic cases of industry putting commerce above conscience. With only minimal guardrails in place, such practices in the entertainment industry have led to mental health damage that paradoxically runs counter to the industry's own fiscal goals, but more importantly, psychologically scars young artists who are transported for a long time in adulthood.
A study published by JAMA Psychiatry Last month echoed what so many other studies have shown: more than 40% of adult mental illness — anxiety, depression, substance use and suicidal ideation — is directly linked to traumatic events in childhood and adolescence. The study makes a strong case for policy-driven prevention measures to reduce rates of youth maltreatment, thereby reducing rates of serious mental illness in adulthood.
The entertainment industry, and specifically the music industry, needs to implement profound policy-based systemic changes, ones that introduce the presence of mental health therapists into almost all situations and spaces that young artists encounter. Shadows, if you will, that protect the artist, thereby indirectly protecting the asset in which the label has invested so much: the artist himself.
What would that look like? Just as we need on-site academic tutoring and OSHA child labor protections, the music industry should lead the way and have 24/7 mental health support. days a week, the people who sign each new record label, helping artists navigate the new reality of their constant adoration. money that circulates freely, highly sexualized environments, the prevalence of drugs and alcohol, and long unsupervised hours in studios and on the streets where rampant sexual harassment and gender-based assault can and do occur. Labels and publishers would introduce standardized curricula on mental health at signing, post-termination mental health deboarding (i.e., when an artist leaves), safety best practices for gender-based assault/harassment, recording studio safety , balanced and healthy tours and general psychotherapy, among others.
Some forward-thinking industry players are already part of this change. Nettwerk Music Group is incorporating “wellness budgets” into its artist offerings. Limited Edition Music Publishing, a new independent publisher, is doing the same. There are also non-profit organizations including MusiCares, Sweet Relief and Backline that offer valuable assistance. But the list of agencies, labels and publishers who pay lip service during Mental Health Awareness Month is pathetic.
For over 15 years, I was a senior A&R guy. During those years, I signed several new songwriters and bands (Disturbed, Michelle Branch, Hoobastank, BRMC, Remy Zero, among others). The industry thrives on youth. Michelle Branch was 14 when I signed her. The stories told by many young women of harassment, including Phoebe Bridgers and Billie Eilish, would very likely have been minimized or avoided entirely in the presence of the therapist's shadows (and zero tolerance for male harassers). But as it stands now, mental health initiatives in the music industry are mostly mere talking points.
Artists are our livelihood. Artists are our passion. We as an industry must do better, protecting them at all costs from predatory, dehumanizing behavior that relegates them to the status of a disposable widget (rather than someone's daughter or son). Sure: artists will drop out, singles won't work, and albums will get shelved — that's a thing — but how the artist is treated when these events happen can make all the difference in their lives going forward.
And what is the reward? How about fewer artists with devastating identity issues, severe depression, debilitating anxiety, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and more? How about artists who don't burn and don't burn? How about artists whose creativity is limitless and ever-evolving? And how about cultivating a whole generation of young artists who are emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically at the top of their game – thriving and creating – and untrammeled by the very industry that was meant to nurture them. Now there is a legacy we could all be proud of.
David Andreone is the founder of ArtistServices Therapy, a psychotherapy and coaching practice tailored to artists, creatives and creative executives. Andreone held senior A&R positions at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing and Columbia Records and continues to manage artists and produce television content.
