(Hypebot) — Spotify has expanded its Heart & Soul, Mental Health for Creators initiative. First launched in 2018, the Spotify mental health programs now include financial support for non-profits and musicians seeking care as well as expanded access.
In partnership with six established mental health nonprofits, Spotify’s global effort aims to provide meaningful global support, and “ensure that artists, songwriters, and their teams can access the help they need when they need it.”
“Heart & Soul is our commitment to the creators behind the music. Artists and songwriters face immense pressure, and their mental health can’t be an afterthought,” said Lauren Siegal Wurgaft, Head of Social Impact, Spotify. “Supporting creators’ well-being is essential to sustaining a vibrant music ecosystem.
New or expanded Spotify mental health programs
Financial Support
Spotify is providing direct financial support to: Backline (including Chappell Roan’s WE GOT YOU! fund), MusiCares, Music Health Alliance, Music Minds Matter, and Noah Kahan’s The Busyhead Project.
Grants to enable one-to-one therapy
Together with Backline and Music Minds Matter, Spotify is funding grants to enable one-to-one therapy for current and upcoming EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR ambassadors in the U.S. and U.K. Artist ambassadors from these programs will be given grants through partners that directly cover the cost of therapy that they can use themselves or gift to other artists in their bands or members of their teams.
Backline and Spotify launch global resources hub
Spotify has partner with Backline on the launch of a new global resource hub. This multilingual database features trusted music industry and mental health support resources and crisis lines from around the world.
Backline has also launched global@backline.care, a dedicated concierge email service that provides one-on-one support to help individuals navigate local care options and mental health systems in their countries.
Wellness on Tour
Spotify, Backline and The Busyhead Project will be working to meet artists where they are – in studios and backstage at major festivals – with on-site wellness activations, self-care kits, and guided workshops.
Mental Health Hub For Creators on Spotify
Through a new Heart & Soul, Mental Health for Creators hub on Spotify, creators can access curated playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks specifically designed to support their well-being.
Across Spotify for Artists and Spotify Songwriting, there will also be real mental health stories from the creative community and offer resources, reflections, and tools that resonate.
Songwriters
Spotify is planning dinners and studio residencies that bring songwriters together around mental health themes.
“The mental health challenges artists face are real and the current support systems often fall short,” said Monica Herrera Damashek, Head of Artist and Label Partnerships, Spotify. “It’s on all of us in the industry to respond with action. This is only one step, and we’ll continue to build a more supported environment for the artists who shape culture every day.”
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of the Skyline Artists Agency
