Universal Music teams up with Music Health Alliance to form new mental health scheme
Universal Music Group has announced the formation of the Music Industry Mental Health Fund, a joint partnership with the Music Health Alliance.
The news comes after Chappell Roan used her acceptance speech for ‘Best New Artist’ at the Grammys to plead with major record labels to put more infrastructure in place to help artists. She told the crowd at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage, especially to developing artists.”
She also urged “labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”
Following these comments, Roan announced a partnership with the non-profit Backline and donated $25,000 to help fund artists in the music industry access to mental health resources. Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Noah Kahan also matched the donation.
The newly formed Music Industry Health Fund is set to be accessible to current and former music professionals, not just those connected to Universal Music Group. It promises to offer access to healthcare, health insurance and mental health resources for the music community.
In a statement, Universal Music Group’s chief impact officer Susan Mazo said, “We have been working on ways to establish a streamlined pathway for mental health access, funding, and care planning. Growing and continuing our partnership with Tatum and the Music Health Alliance was the most natural way to ensure continuous and effective mental health support for anyone working in our industry.”
Meanwhile, Music Health Alliance’s CEO Tatum Hauck Allsep said, “Music Health Alliance possesses the comprehensive resources necessary to address the full spectrum of mental health needs for music industry professionals. This includes financial assistance, a continuum of care for both mental and physical health, and wraparound services such as psychiatric support, facilitation of intensive outpatient and inpatient programs, and data collection.”
Allsep added: “MHA’s holistic approach ensures a long-term commitment to the health, well-being, and sustainability of the music industry workforce.”
Notably, Universal Music Group and the Mental Health Alliance first partnered in 2021. The latest scheme is an evolution of their four-year-old healthcare access programme rather than formed purely due to Roan’s comments at the Grammys.
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