The Musicians’ Union and Help Musicians have launched a nationwide census, and are encouraging all UK-based musicians to take part in order to generate a comprehensive picture of the country’s music-making population.
Research carried out recently by Help Musicians found that 49% of UK musicians are either ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned that they will be forced to leave the industry due to factors such as the cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing impact of Brexit and the pandemic, whilst an additional 35% are either ‘slightly’ or ‘somewhat’ worried that they may have to leave.
The census, which will be repeated every three to five years, is being carried out in order to allow the organisations to monitor and respond to these challenges. Data gathered by the census will include demography, diversity, health and wellbeing, as well as the breadth of working patterns and income. The information will be shared with Help Musicians and the Musicians’ Union’s partner charities and other music industry bodies in order to help them plan the best way to represent, advocate for, and support musicians over the coming years, with the aim of helping to create a stronger and more inclusive industry.
“At Help Musicians, we believe that musicians really count, and we have been working for over 100 years to make a meaningful difference to the lives of musicians across the UK. To date however, there has never been a comprehensive picture of the total population of musicians and without this insight we are unable to ensure our support is as impactful as it can be. With the Musicians’ Union, we developed this project to ensure that the future design of our services and support initiatives is truly built upon a detailed and factual understanding of the lives and careers of all those we seek to serve.” - Sarah Woods, Deputy Chief Executive of Help Musicians
The Musicians’ Census 2023 is live now, and can be completed online via the following link:
https://www.musicianscensus.co.uk/
More information about the Musicians' Union can be found on their website:
