National charity Help Musicians and the UK Musicians’ Union have launched a nationwide census to generate the first ever comprehensive picture of the UK’s music-making population.
Recent research from Help Musicians has shown that the cost-of-living crisis, ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit are having a ‘brutal’ impact on UK musicians, with close to half (49%) saying they are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned they will be forced to leave the industry, and a further 35% are ‘slightly or ‘somewhat’ worried they will have to.
Supported by notable voices in the music industry, including Black Lives in Music, London Symphony Orchestra and UK Music, the census is open to all musicians and aims to measure changes in the community over time, and track long-term trends.
The census will be repeated every three to five years, and will gather data on demography, diversity, health and wellbeing, and the breadth of working patterns and income. The findings will be shared with partner charities and music industry bodies to help organisations plan how best to represent, advocate for, and support musicians in future years, thereby building a stronger, thriving and more inclusive industry.
