The Misattuned Music Industry: An Intersubjective Perspective on the Music Industry\u27s Mental Health Crisis

Abstract

Research shows that professional musicians tend to experience higher rates of mental health challenges compared to the general population. While there are a number of underlying factors and historical experiences that may help us to better understand these psychological struggles, I will be examining the relational system between musician and the music industry beginning at the time in which an amateur musician transitions to the professional realm. With this transition comes incredible demand and pressure from the industry. Professional musicians are at the mercy of grueling tour schedules where they spend months away from loved ones, must be on at every performance to win over audiences, and are harshly judged on their creative output. All of this occurs within a notoriously fickle and competitive industry. If you aren\u27t willing to do all the right things, the industry will find someone else that will. What\u27s more, even if you do all the right things, there is still no guarantee of success. This relational dynamic between musicians and the music industry is fertile ground for pathological accommodation and psychological struggle