One in four professional musicians is skipping some meals because of the overall cost of living, according to a new survey.
This recent survey of 301 professional UK musicians by booking platform Encore Musicians revealed that 26% had skipped a meal due to the cost of living crisis. That is almost twice the national UK average of 14%.
While the UK and EU have been hit somewhat harder than the US by inflation and a slowing economy, the survey points to the hidden struggles of musicians in the U.S. as well.
There are signs that the pain musicians are feeling could get worse.
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4% of those surveyed said that their number of gigs has decreased and 39% said that existing bookings are being canceled as a result of the economic crisis. 79% added that rising fuel prices will also limit how far they can travel for gigs.
68% said it’s adversely affected their mental health.
The Encore Musicians survey found:
- 26% of musicians have skipped a meal within the last 12 most due to the cost of living crisis
- 64% have seen their number of gigs decrease as a result of the crisis
- 79% think it’s likely rising fuel prices will limit how far they can travel for gigs
- 51% have taken a second job as a result of the cost of living crisis
- Young and female musicians are the most likely to have seen a drop in gigs
- 90% feel unconfident in the UK government’s ability to handle the crisis
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.
