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Artist News
Musicians’ Census launches to gain a picture of UK music makers
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 23 January 2023
Music charity Help Musicians and the Musicians’ Union have launched a Musicians’ Census to gain insight into the UK’s community of music-makers.
“The world has changed significantly in recent years – and with that, the landscape for musicians”, says MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl. “But without quality data and representative insights, it’s difficult to understand what today’s musicians really need and how we can help”.
“There are an estimated 37,000 musicians in the UK – over 32,000 of which being members of the Musicians’ Union”, she goes on. “While we interact with musicians on a daily basis, with the community spanning such a broad range of demographics and backgrounds, we know more can be done to understand the holistic picture”.
“This is why we need the Musicians’ Census”, she concludes, “to learn more about the community so we can build a better industry, one that’s inclusive, accessible and fair to all”.
Sarah Woods, Deputy Chief Executive at Help Musicians, adds: “At Help Musicians, we believe that musicians really count, and we have been working for over 100 years to make a meaningful difference to the lives of musicians across the UK. To date, however, there has never been a comprehensive picture of the total population of musicians and without this insight we are unable to ensure our support is as impactful as it can be”.
“With the Musicians’ Union, we developed this project to ensure that the future design of our services and support initiatives is truly built upon a detailed and factual understanding of the lives and careers of all those we seek to serve”, she continues. “Working collaboratively with others within the industry to track trends we will all better understand and shape a world where musicians can thrive in the decades to come”.
All UK-based musicians can fill out the census form here.
