Disabled musicians are facing significant challenges when it comes to discrimination in the workplace, financial security and fair pay, as well as poor physical and mental wellbeing – according to a new report released today from the Musicians’ Union and Help Musicians. 

Of musicians who said they are open about being disabled with some or all of the people they work with, a shocking 88% of disabled musicians who have experienced discrimination based on their disability reported that they were open with all or some of the people they work with, and 94% of those experiencing discrimination said it impacted their ability to work or advance their career progression.  
 

The report also reveals an average disability pay gap of £4,400 – based on a mean income of approximately £29,200 for disabled musicians and £33,600 for non-disabled musicians earning all of their income from music. The gap widens a further £1,700 for musicians with mental health conditions and/ or neurodivergent profiles.

The findings are the latest to be released in a series of insight reports from the launch of the first ever Musicians’ Census¹. It focuses on the reported experiences of 2,593 disabled musicians and gives a detailed picture of some of the challenges they face. 

The Musicians’ Union and Help Musicians have partnered with Attitude is Everything for the launch of the new report – a charity which connects disabled people with music and the live event industries to improve access together, working to ensure artists who have access requirements can thrive within the music industry.

Among the key findings, the Disabled Musicians Insight Report identifies the following areas of concern when it comes to financial security, fair pay, discrimination in the workplace, career barriers and disabled musicians physical and mental wellbeing:

●        Musicians who are open about their disability at work face high levels of discrimination: Shockingly,88% of disabled musicians who have experienced discrimination based on their disability reported that they were open with all or some of the people they work with. 94% said this impacted their ability to work or advance their career. The report also unveils the intersectional impacts of discrimination are significant and have a big impact on musicians’ lives and careers. Just over half of disabled musicians from the Global Majority have experienced racism, and 38% of disabled musicians who identify as trans reported experiencing discrimination due to their disability.

●        The report also highlights concerns for other forms of discrimination disabled musicians experience, based on different protected characteristics: 71% of disabled musicians have experienced or witnessed some form of discrimination, based on different protected characteristics. Almost a quarter (23%) of disabled musicians have been sexually harassed, compared to 13% of non-disabled musicians. 27% of disabled musicians have experienced racism compared to 7% of non-disabled musicians, whilst the ethnicity breakdown between the disabled and non-disabled samples remains the same. 51% of disabled respondents who identify as trans have experienced gender discrimination. 26% of LGBTQ+ disabled musicians have experienced discrimination based on their sexuality, and a third have experienced sexual harassment. 16% of disabled musicians have experienced discrimination due to their socioeconomic background.

●        Disabled musicians experience multi-faceted financial challenges, including access to fair pay: 73% of all disabled respondents reported that they are not in receipt of any state benefits, tax credits or support, which alongside a disability pay gap and high rates of experiencing cost-related career barriers paints a picture of multi-faceted financial challenges for disabled musicians to work in the music industry. 22% of all disabled musicians are in debt, rising to 27% for mental health/neurodivergent musicians. In contrast, 13% of non-disabled musicians are in debt.

●        Contending with career barriers: While 1 in 5 non-disabled musicians report facing no career barriers, this drops to 1 in 10 for disabled musicians. Not being able to make a sustainable income is the most highly reported barrier at 51%, reflecting the financial issues disabled musicians face. Other highly reported financial barriers include no clear routes to progression (41%), the costs associated with equipment (37%), transport (31%) as well as socioeconomic background (21%). that they face barriers as a result of being disabled that impacts their career and aspirations.

●        Disabled musicians report significant levels of poor physical and mental wellbeing: Almost 2 in 5 (39%) disabled musicians reported that their physical wellbeing is negative, and a similar proportion (43%) reported that their mental wellbeing is negative. Amongst disabled musicians who reported negative or extremely negative physical wellbeing, only two thirds said it was likely they would still be working in music in 5 years’ time.

Naomi Pohl, General Secretary of the MU commented: “The scale of the data presented in this report reveals systemic issues in the music industry such as attitudinal, structural, and economic barriers across education and employment.

Disabled musicians contribute hugely to the richness of the music industry, working in every genre and sector, however the data indicates that this community of musicians face multiple, substantial barriers to carving out a sustainable career in the music industry.

The music industry is beginning to take steps to address accessibility and ensure more inclusive workplaces, but there is a long way to go and more progress is urgently needed. This report highlights the extent of necessary work to tackle ableism and create a culture of disclosure, where any disabled musician can share their access requirements without fear of discrimination or disadvantage.   

Working together Help Musicians, Musicians’ Union and Attitude is Everything believe we can make the industry a fairer more equitable place for all musicians.”

John Shortell, MU Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion added: “The findings in this report highlight the need for partners across the music industry to invest in accessibility and support disabled musicians. Working together with disabled musicians, we can remove the barriers this community of musicians’ face. Tackling ableism, inaccessibility and discrimination should be a priority for the entire music industry.”

Paul Hawkins, Head of Skills Development at Attitude is Everything, said: “The findings of the Musicians’ Census reflect themes we’ve observed across Attitude is Everything’s artist network. Not only do disabled musicians face substantial pay gaps – such as £1700 for musicians who are neurodivergent and/or who have mental health conditions – but 51% reported the inability to make a sustainable income was the biggest barrier that they faced.

The industry, funders and government could all impact this. Faster support for Access to Work and more flexibility around benefits for musicians who work irregular hours or apply for career development funding are vital, as are funders providing additional support for Access Costs, which has been introduced by members of our Next Stage Talent Development Group.

Additionally we encourage the industry to create a culture of disclosure via Access Riders, such as those developed by the Musicians’ Union and to ensure that the networking opportunities, conferences and workshops – as well as events  themselves – are as accessible as possible for disabled musicians.”

Laurie Oliva, Director of Services & Research, Help Musicians, adds: “The scale of the challenges disabled musicians face in navigating a career in music is stark and we thank everyone who contributed to the Census in trusting us with their honesty and insights. At Help Musicians we continue to use the Census findings to rearchitect our support offer to make more of a difference to those experiencing the most significant challenges in the years to come. Working in partnership with everyone within music, we hope we can do more to create a world where all musicians thrive.”

The Disabled Musicians Insight Report has been published and is available to read in full here:musicianscensus.co.uk.