Can Music Make You Sick?

Gross, S. and Musgrave, G. 2018. Can Music Make You Sick? International Week - PXL-Music. Belgium 05 - 09 Feb 2018

TitleCan Music Make You Sick?
AuthorsGross, S. and Musgrave, G.
TypeConference keynote
Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing body of research that has begun to examine the dark side of our relationship to music. The media understandably concentrate on the more sensational aspects of rock and roll; membership of ‘27 Club’, or the recent public declaration of critically acclaimed dubstep producer Benga as suffering from schizophrenia (Hutchinson, 2015). There is then a tension emerging between the notion that artistry is positive both for the economy and for well-being, and a growing awareness that a musical career is a risky business.

‘Can Music Make You Sick?’ surveyed over 2,200 musicians working in the United Kingdom, and interviewed more than 25 musicians and industry professionals, to explore how they are emotionally experiencing working in the music industry in the United Kingdom. This paper presents findings from this project, which seeks to ask challenging questions of music, and specifically musical ambition and aspirations, in the current climate of precarious labour and hyper competition. Is it possible that musical aspirations are potentially making artists sick?

KeywordsMental health, Music Industry, Gig Economy, Anxiety, Depression
Year2018
ConferenceInternational Week - PXL-Music
Publication dates
PublishedAug 2017
Web address (URL) of conference proceedingshttps://www.pxlmusic.be/nl/internationale-week-space-is-the-place/

Related outputs

Sammendrag af rapporten 'Når musikken taler': Mental sundhed og trivsel i den danske musikbranche
Musgrave, G. and Gross, S. 2024. Sammendrag af rapporten 'Når musikken taler': Mental sundhed og trivsel i den danske musikbranche. Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music.

When Music Speaks - Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry. Part 4 - Final Recommendations
Musgrave, G. and Gross, S. 2024. When Music Speaks - Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry. Part 4 - Final Recommendations. Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10984008

When Music Speaks - Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry. Part 3 - Danish Music Creators' Working Lives and Mental Health Wants
Musgrave, G., Gross, S. and Carney, D 2024. When Music Speaks - Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry. Part 3 - Danish Music Creators' Working Lives and Mental Health Wants. Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10984004

What is Music Business Management? A Critical Conversation on Music, Knowledge and Power in the University
Gross, S. and Bennett, T. 2024. What is Music Business Management? A Critical Conversation on Music, Knowledge and Power in the University. in: Arditi, D. and Nolan, R. (ed.) The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Music Industry Studies Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 581-604

The dark side of optimism: Musical dreams, belief, and gambling
Musgrave, G., Gross, S. and Klein, Maike 2024. The dark side of optimism: Musical dreams, belief, and gambling. Musicae Scientiae. 28 (4), pp. 634-648. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649241230673

When Music Speaks: Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music lndustry. Part 2 - A Review of Models of Musicians' Mental Health Interventions
Musgrave, G., Gross, S. and Carney, D. 2024. When Music Speaks: Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music lndustry. Part 2 - A Review of Models of Musicians' Mental Health Interventions. Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music. https://doi.org/zenodo.10808427

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire: Music Education, Mental Health, and Our Students’ Futures
Musgrave, G. 2024. Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire: Music Education, Mental Health, and Our Students’ Futures. in: Arditi, D. and Nolan, R. (ed.) Handbook of Critical Music Industry Studies Palgrave Macmillan.

Sammendrag af rapporten 'Når Musikken Taler'. Del 1: Danske skabende og udøvende musikeres mentale sundhed og trivsel
Musgrave, G., Gross, S. and Carney, D. 2023. Sammendrag af rapporten 'Når Musikken Taler'. Del 1: Danske skabende og udøvende musikeres mentale sundhed og trivsel. Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music.

When Music Speaks: Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry. Part 1 – Danish Music Creators’ Subjective Wellbeing and Mental Health
Musgrave, G., Gross, S. and Carney, D. 2023. When Music Speaks: Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry. Part 1 – Danish Music Creators’ Subjective Wellbeing and Mental Health. Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10169748

Mental health and the music industry: an evolving intervention landscape
Musgrave, G., Howard, C., Schofield, A., Silver, E. and Tibber, M.S. 2023. Mental health and the music industry: an evolving intervention landscape. The Lancet Psychiatry. 10 (5), pp. P311-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00093-7

Musicians, their Relationships, and their Wellbeing: Creative Labour, Relational Work
Musgrave, G. 2023. Musicians, their Relationships, and their Wellbeing: Creative Labour, Relational Work. Poetics. 96 101762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2023.101762

Music and Wellbeing vs Musicians’ Wellbeing: Examining the Paradox of Music-Making Positively Impacting Wellbeing, but Musicians Suffering from Poor Mental Health
Musgrave, G. 2023. Music and Wellbeing vs Musicians’ Wellbeing: Examining the Paradox of Music-Making Positively Impacting Wellbeing, but Musicians Suffering from Poor Mental Health. Cultural Trends. 32 (3), pp. 280-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2022.2058354

Predicting anxiety, depression and wellbeing in professional and non-professional musicians
Loveday, C., Musgrave, G. and Gross, S. 2023. Predicting anxiety, depression and wellbeing in professional and non-professional musicians. Psychology of Music. 51 (2), pp. 508-522. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356221096506

Does Spotify Create Attachment? Algorithmic Playlists, Intermediation and the Artist-Fan Relationship
Leisewitz, A. and Musgrave, G. 2022. Does Spotify Create Attachment? Algorithmic Playlists, Intermediation and the Artist-Fan Relationship. Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research. 14 (1), pp. 75-100. https://doi.org/10.3384/cu.3384

‘Women Working in the Music Business: An Alumni Study’
Gross, S. 2022. ‘Women Working in the Music Business: An Alumni Study’. in: Abfalter, D. and Reitsamer, R. (ed.) Music as Labour: Inequalities and Activism in the Past and Present London Routledge.

Lessons from the Loss of Avicii: Business Ethics, Responsibility, and Mental Wellbeing
Musgrave, G. 2022. Lessons from the Loss of Avicii: Business Ethics, Responsibility, and Mental Wellbeing. SAGE Business Cases. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529794601

‘Losing Work, Losing Purpose’: Representations of Musicians' Mental Health in the Time of Covid-19
Musgrave, G. 2022. ‘Losing Work, Losing Purpose’: Representations of Musicians' Mental Health in the Time of Covid-19. in: Morrow, G., Nordgård, D. and Tschmuck, P. (ed.) Rethinking the Music Business: Music Contexts, Rights, Data and COVID-19 Springer. pp. 11-28

[Audiobook] Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition
Musgrave, G. and Gross, S. 2021. [Audiobook] Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition . London University of Westminster Press. https://doi.org/10.16997/book43

" For the Love of Music - Crossing the technological divide; an examination of the impact of digital disruption on issues of social reproduction, mental health and inequality in the working lives of the music workforce in the UK.”
Gross, S. 2021. " For the Love of Music - Crossing the technological divide; an examination of the impact of digital disruption on issues of social reproduction, mental health and inequality in the working lives of the music workforce in the UK.”. PhD thesis University of Westminster School of Media https://doi.org/10.34737/vv213

Building a Heavy Metal World: Cultural Entrepreneurship in the Polish People’s Republic
Musgrave, G. and Athanassiou, D 2021. Building a Heavy Metal World: Cultural Entrepreneurship in the Polish People’s Republic. Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts. 10 (1), pp. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.34053/artivate.10.1.111

Moral Music Management: Ethical Decision-Making After Avicii
Chaparro, Gerardo and Musgrave, George 2021. Moral Music Management: Ethical Decision-Making After Avicii. International Journal of Music Business Research. 10 (1), pp. 3-16. https://doi.org/10.2478/ijmbr-2021-0001

Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition
Gross, S. and Musgrave, G. 2020. Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition. London University of Westminster Press.

Avicii: True Stories - Review
Musgrave, G. 2020. Avicii: True Stories - Review. Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture. 12 (1), pp. 94-97. https://doi.org/0.12801/1947-5403.2020.12.01.15

Making Sense of My Creativity: Reflecting on Digital Autoethnography
Musgrave, G. 2019. Making Sense of My Creativity: Reflecting on Digital Autoethnography. Journal of Artistic and Creative Education. 13 (1), pp. 1-11.

Mental health in the new economy
Gross, S. 2019. Mental health in the new economy. Minds at Work: Making mental health a priority in the changing world of work, Fabian Society Policy Report. 3.

Can I Get a Witness? The significance on contracts in an age of musical abundance
Gross, S. 2019. Can I Get a Witness? The significance on contracts in an age of musical abundance . in: Hepworth-Sawyer, R., Hodgson, J., Paterson, J. and Toulson, R. (ed.) Innovation In Music: performance, technology and business New York Routledge. pp. 481-493

Why Psychological Analysis Shows We're Right To Worry For Musicians' Mental Health
Loveday, C. and Gross, S. 2018. Why Psychological Analysis Shows We're Right To Worry For Musicians' Mental Health. The Quietus.

Research and Culture Change – A Necessary Relationship
Gross, S. 2018. Research and Culture Change – A Necessary Relationship . Global Summit On Mental Health Culture Change 2018 . London 10 - 13 Oct 2018

Can Music Make You Sick? Music and Depression
Gross, S. and Musgrave, G. 2018. Can Music Make You Sick? Music and Depression . Doing metal, being punk, doing punk, being metal: hybridity, crossover and difference in punk and metal subcultures.

Can Music Make You Sick? Mental health and working conditions in the UK music industry
Gross, S. and Musgrave, G. 2018. Can Music Make You Sick? Mental health and working conditions in the UK music industry. CAMEo Annual Conference . University of Leicester 12 - 14 Sep 2018

Well Being and Mental Health in the Gig Economy: Policy Perspectives on Precairty
Gross, S., Musgrave, G. and Janciute, L. 2018. Well Being and Mental Health in the Gig Economy: Policy Perspectives on Precairty. London University of Westminster Press.

Let’s Change the Record: Women Only Studio Lock-in: An experiment in audio education and transforming the recording studio space within a university setting
Gross, S. 2017. Let’s Change the Record: Women Only Studio Lock-in: An experiment in audio education and transforming the recording studio space within a university setting. Activating Inclusive Sound Spaces . Huddersfield 08 - 09 Jul 2017

Can Music Make You Sick? Mental Health and Working Conditions in the UK Music Industry
Gross, S. and Musgrave, G. 2017. Can Music Make You Sick? Mental Health and Working Conditions in the UK Music Industry. The Place of Music. Loughborough University 28 - 29 Jun 2017

Can I get a witness? the impact of contracting in the music ecosphere
Gross, S. 2017. Can I get a witness? the impact of contracting in the music ecosphere. Innovation In Music. London 06 - 08 Sep 2017

Can Music Make You Sick (Part 2)? Qualitative Study and Recommendations
Gross, S. and Musgrave, G. 2017. Can Music Make You Sick (Part 2)? Qualitative Study and Recommendations . MusicTank.

Collaborating to Compete: The Role of Cultural Intermediaries in Hypercompetition
Musgrave, G. 2017. Collaborating to Compete: The Role of Cultural Intermediaries in Hypercompetition. International Journal of Music Business Research. 6 (2), pp. 41-68.

Let's Talk About Sex: Gender Trouble in the Music Industry
Gross, S. 2016. Let's Talk About Sex: Gender Trouble in the Music Industry. Sørveiv Conference . Kristiansand 28 - 29 Oct 2016

Can Music Make You Sick Part 1? A Study Into The Incidence of Musicians' Mental Health
Gross, S. and Musgrave, G. 2016. Can Music Make You Sick Part 1? A Study Into The Incidence of Musicians' Mental Health. MusicTank.

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/q9zq6/can-music-make-you-sick


Share this

Usage statistics

332 total views
0 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.