Music multinational Universal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with the Music Health Alliance to launch a new ‘Music Industry Mental Health Fund’, aiming to provide “comprehensive, high-quality outpatient mental health resources for music industry professionals nationwide”. The initiative arrives less than two weeks after Chappell Roan criticised major labels for not providing enough support for their artists, but does this scheme adequately address her concerns?
In a statement released by UMG yesterday (February 13), the new fund is said to cover “individualised recommendations for appropriate mental health counsellors; grants to help offset costs; and, if required, funding resource recommendations to ensure continuity of care through additional financial and mental health support.” In short, a list of resources and recommendations.
The announcement appears to be in direct response to Roan’s critique of major labels during her acceptance speech for the Grammy’s Best New Artist award last month, in which she demanded “that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists offer a liveable wage and healthcare”.
Roan’s speech arrived as the latest in a string of criticisms of the ways in which major labels do business, which also saw British electronic musician James Blake state that “their job is to create value for shareholders, which is why the vast majority of resources go to the artists that do that”. By comparison, UMG’s latest scheme appears to miss the point: would artists, especially those in development and with minimal support, be in such need of mental health support if they were given a liveable wage and healthcare?
This latest development also appears to refute former record exec Jeff Rabhan’s attempts to downplay Roan’s gripes, arguing that she “isn’t the first artist to frame herself as an outsider railing against the system”, and that labels shouldn’t “be slapped for running a business like a business.” In fact, Roan does seem to be the first to prompt action from UMG.