MusiCares Launches Wellness In Music 2025 Survey

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MusiCares is launching its Wellness In Music 2025 Survey to check in on industry members in their career journeys and help create programs that meet the real-world needs of music professionals today.

Over the past year, hurricanes across the Southeast and wildfires in Los Angeles devastated music communities, and countless industry members are still working to recover financially, mentally, and physically. The MusiCares Wellness annual check-in helps provide the data MusiCares needs to listen more deeply and respond more effectively with tailored programs to provide support.

This year, conversations around wellness in the music industry have taken on new urgency and the spotlight is finally turning toward the realities that music professionals have long navigated, ones that often remain invisible to the public such as unpredictable, gig-based income, high out-of-pocket healthcare costs, long hours on the road, and more that affect touring crews, engineers, stagehands, and every behind-the-scenes worker who keeps the music going.

In 2024, nearly 2,800 music professionals responded to the MusiCares survey providing data including:
78% earned $100,000 or less — lower than national household averages
69% couldn’t comfortably cover expenses through music work alone
53% said their income hadn’t stabilized post-pandemic
47% and 44% cited financial concerns as a direct cause of stress and anxiety, respectively
65% were not confident about the trajectory of the music industry
87% had health insurance, but only 54% had dental
78% skipped hearing screenings, despite working in high-decibel environments
70% of those 45+ missed colonoscopy screenings
62% of women 24+ missed cervical cancer screenings
60% of those under 45 skipped vision screenings
8.3% had serious thoughts of suicide — compared to 5% nationally
Of those, 15.1% made a plan and 3.5% attempted — far above national rates
36% reported using marijuana or marijuana-derived products in the past month
Among those users, 36% reported daily use

Thanks to last year’s participants, MusiCares expanded telehealth support for addiction recovery, introduced financial coaching, covered childcare costs, and increased access to preventive care services, including mammograms and cervical screenings.

Interested participants can access the 2025 survey here.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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