Music meets human needs, but are musicians getting their human needs met?
Plato described music as a moral law. This does not exaggerate the value assigned to music by the ancient Greeks, who thought that music was integral to daily life and human nature[1]. There is evidence of musicality among humans well before writing systems were developed. The earliest known musical instruments have been dated from approximately 40,000 years ago[2]. Humans may have made music even earlier than that, perhaps as a tool to facilitate communication prior to the development of language[3]. If that’s true then, far from being auditory cheesecake[4], music may have been linked to matters of life and death for our ancestors. Indeed, music has played a role in childbirth[5] and end-of-life rituals[6] through to the present day. There is something about music that interacts with our fundamental human needs.
Many of us have become acutely reacquainted with this interaction as we rely on music to help regulate our emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic[7]. Yet the pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on some of the people who create music and avail us of this coping strategy. It was predicted that musicians would lose 65%-80% of their income in 2020 due to the pandemic[8]. At an individual level, people have had to abandon distinguished performance careers and abruptly change vocations to support their families[9]. At an economic level, Australia’s music industry value, estimated at $1.82 billion AUD in 2019, reportedly shrank by 39% in 2020 as a direct result of pandemic-related restrictions[10]. These ongoing personal and economic losses are unlikely to be the only musical costs of the pandemic. It remains unclear what the long-term cultural impact will be for us, the listeners, if a significant portion of the creators are no longer willing or able to create. Up to 60% of people working in the Australian music industry are considering leaving that industry in the wake of the pandemic[11]. Hence for humanitarian, economic, and sociocultural reasons, it’s important to consider what the needs of people who make music may be at this point in time.
Musicians are a demographic group with unique needs who ought to be consulted directly about what those needs are, and how they can be met[12]. Yet it’s also important to examine whether the core human needs we all share are being met for musicians. The best-known model of human needs is that of mid-twentieth Century psychologist Abraham Maslow. His famous hierarchy ranges from subsistence (e.g. food, shelter, safety) to psychological growth (e.g., self-transcendence). Based on the surge in crisis relief cash grant applications to not-for-profit music welfare organisations such as Support Act[13], a significant number of musicians are struggling with subsistence needs at present. This is a reminder that despite romantic mythologising of the profession, a typical musician earns less than the national average wage[8,14]. Though not directly related to COVID-19, personal safety is another uncontroversial human need that has not necessarily been met for musicians, particularly the sexual safety of females[12,15]. It seems that both during and prior to the pandemic, some basic needs have gone unmet for segments of the music making community.
Regarding psychological needs, further research is needed to examine whether Maslow’s hierarchy stands up to the rigours of modern science[16]. Self-determination theory is a more recent and empirically supported model that identifies three universal psychological needs for humans: autonomy, competence, and connection[17]. People need to feel in control of their own behaviours, to gain a sense of mastery by building and applying chosen skillsets, and to experience a sense of belonging. When these needs are met people generally enjoy better mental health and quality of life, whereas when they are not met people generally suffer poorer mental health and quality of life[18].
It could be argued that working conditions in the music industry made it difficult for musicians to meet the needs of self-determination even before COVID-19[12]. Recording artists commonly experience the vitality of creating new music give way to a sense of hopelessness and helplessness as that music indefinitely ‘sits on the shelf’ for reasons beyond their control[19]. Twenty-first century folk wisdom holds that this should no longer be an issue: musicians have the power to ‘be their own brand,’ due to the freedom to create and share information that technology affords. Some independent artists have indeed leveraged these conditions to achieve success on their own terms (e.g., Frank Ocean). However, this folk wisdom is inconsistent with the experience of most working musicians, who are constrained within existing music industry power structures. Even when they spend every waking minute ‘being their own brand,’ the relative success of that brand is largely determined by the above-mentioned industry forces that are, again, beyond the musicians’ control[12].
Restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, or how those restrictions have been imposed (i.e., with little to no consultation), have dramatically amplified such routine undermining of musicians’ self-determination. Perhaps the starkest example of this is the disruption to live performance, which is the primary source of income for musicians in the digital-music era[20]. Live music is slowly returning in some countries, albeit amidst uncertainty about how this will be done safely and sustainably[21]. At the time of writing and throughout the pandemic, the Australian live music industry has effectively ceased to exist[13]. As the nation continuously swings in and out of lockdowns, live shows and festivals have been cancelled at literally the last minute[22]. So much for a sense of control over one’s behaviour (i.e., the need for autonomy) and opportunities to apply one’s chosen skillsets (i.e., the need for competence). Another valued aspect of live performance for musicians is the act of coming together with other musicians and with audiences to experience a sense of belonging[23]. The decimation of the live music scene during the pandemic has isolated many musicians, removing opportunities to meet their need for social connection. Given the link between low levels of self-determination and poor mental health, these unmet psychological needs may be contributing to increased mental health issues for some musicians during the pandemic. In recent years evidence has emerged that, on average, musicians are more likely to experience mental ill-health than people in the general population[12,14]. Whether musicians experience lower levels of self-determination than the general population, and whether this drives differences in mental health, are empirical questions for future research. There is more immediate work to be done.
If we care about the humans who make the music we love, or the economy they contribute to, or the cultures they help shape, then we should address the pandemic-related pain currently being felt by musicians. There is an urgent need, particularly in Australia, for access to a dependable source of financial support until pandemic-related barriers to earning a living from music are removed. The federal government’s four-phase plan for emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic does not appear equipped to support musicians in this respect[24]. Australian musicians have made it clear that they need a governmental policy and roadmap for how the industry can rebuild and sustain itself in the years to come[25]. If co-designed with input from musicians, this may help facilitate a sense of autonomy, competence, and connection (i.e., self-determination) for those who make music. Nothing will better help musicians meet their needs for self-determination than a return to creative work (especially live performance), which is dependent on the above-mentioned industry-specific roadmap.
We could also do better in terms of helping musicians meet needs that have gone unmet since before the pandemic. Musicians receive virtually none of the multi-billion dollar annual revenue generated by music streaming services[26]. This music industry equivalent of wage theft could be remedied by streaming services adopting revenue models with more equitable royalty structures[27]. Awareness of the need to ensure sexual safety for people in the music industry has increased in recent years, but raising awareness does not necessarily result in tangible change. It has been encouraging to see major record labels take action to address the lack of sexual safety in the Australian music industry[28]. Hopefully these will prove to be not tokenistic reactions, but rather first steps towards a music industry in which everyone is safe to personally and professionally thrive. In the UK, record labels have recognised the need for proactive early intervention approaches to supporting musicians’ mental health, rather than waiting until signs of psychological distress emerge[29]. It would be helpful for Australian music institutions to take a similar approach (e.g., facilitating access to evidence-based, personalised psychological support that’s responsive to the unique experiences of musicians). This is an approach to mental health support that professional musicians seem to value[30]. If music is a moral law, then taking these steps to prioritise musicians’ needs as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic is surely the right action to uphold it.
About the author: Dr Andrew Gardner (PhD) is a clinical psychologist and the founder of Opus Psychology, which specialises in providing psychological services to musicians. Previously he worked as a songwriter and performer.
References
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