Noida-based music school the Global Music Institute and Indian mental health service Tatva have partnered with Goldsmiths college and research consultancy Creative Empirical from London to conduct ‘It’s Time to Talk’ , an India-wide survey that seeks to “understand the scale, nature, and determinants” of mental health challenges among the country’s musicians and industry professionals.
‘It’s Time to Talk’ aims to deliver data-based insights that will “contribute towards building a safer, more empathetic, and sustainable music ecosystem in India”, says the press announcement. On the completion of the survey, the team will organise roundtables with industry stakeholders to determine a set of mental health interventions tailored for the Indian industry.
The goal is that, like in other countries where similar research was conducted, the findings will provide the grounds for the formation of an independent body that will represent and advocate for musicians’ and music industry professionals’ mental health rights and needs in the long-term.
In the UK, for instance, the ‘Can Music Make You Sick?’ study, conducted by the charity Help Musicians in 2017, led to the start of a dedicated 24/7 helpline for musicians called ‘Music Minds Matter’, which is now a standalone charity that receives close to 2,000 calls a year.
In Denmark, the ‘When Music Speaks’ study resulted in the Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development creating a Code of Conduct for the music industry that prioritises wellbeing. It was signed by over 70 companies including Universal Music and Live Nation.
In recent years, mental health struggles, including those related to anxiety and burnout, have been a recurring theme in songs by several Indian musicians such as singer-songwriters Hanita Bhambri and Kamakshi Khanna and the folk-fusion band Swarathma, to name just a few. Apart from a lack of infrastructure to deal with the exponentially-growing crisis, there has been a dearth of research in the field though recent surveys such as Orange Juice Lab’s ‘The Cost of a Dream’ have highlighted the need for more resources and interventions.
The ‘It’s Time to Talk’ survey is open to all musicians and music industry professionals aged 18 and above living and working in India. Participation is entirely voluntary, confidential, and anonymous. The online form, which takes an average of ten-12 minutes to complete, can be filled on itstimetotalk.in.
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