Lower than a fortnight after a Chappell Roan Grammys speech sparked a dialog about psychological healthcare in music, Universal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with the Music Health Alliance to launch the Music Business Psychological Well being Fund. The foremost-label group and music nonprofit say the initiative will present “complete, high-quality outpatient psychological well being sources for music business professionals nationwide,” together with those that have left the business. The fund seems to primarily present assist with sources and proposals, but additionally presents “grants to assist offset prices,” based on a press launch.
The initiative is being marketed as an growth upon a earlier partnership between the 2 corporations, the Priority Healthcare Advocacy Program, which was stated to supply free, confidential healthcare sources to UMG artists.
In her Greatest New Artist Grammys speech, Roan, who has stated she struggled to afford healthcare after being dropped by her label in 2020, urged document labels and the business “profiting hundreds of thousands of {dollars} off of artists” to “supply a livable wage and healthcare, particularly to creating artists.” She added, “Document labels have to deal with their artists as useful workers with a livable wage and medical insurance and safety. Labels, we bought you, however do you bought us?”
Music entrepreneur Jeff Rabhan subsequently printed a contentious column in The Hollywood Reporter, apparently arguing that labels had been neither answerable for, nor competent sufficient to ship, Roan’s reforms. In addition to letting labels off the hook, Rabhan instructed Roan ought to “put [her] cash the place [her] mouth is.” She did, pledging $25,000 to a fund for rising artists, and several other fellow artists—together with Charli XCX and Noah Kahan—adopted swimsuit. On the WTF With Marc Maron podcast, Ariana Grande additionally pushed for labels to incorporate free remedy classes in younger artists’ contracts.
