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‘Betrayed by the system’: Chappell Roan sparks debate over pay and healthcare in pop

The singer castigated record labels in her Grammys speech – but, as music industry insiders explain, issues around artist health and support run even deeper

Photograph: Alicia Canter/The GuardianJoey DeFrancesco, co-founder of the United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) group, says that labels “should certainly be providing benefits” like healthcare to artists such as those in the development stages of their career. It’s certainly necessary: the UK mental-health charity Mind says that musicians are up to three times more likely to suffer from depression than non-musicians, owing to the insecure nature of their income, pressure from fans and labels, and access to alcohol and drugs. Airaudi says that putting the onus on labels to provide this kind of support shifts focus away from an industry-wide problem, in which overstuffed touring schedules can become “incredibly taxing”, resulting in mental-health issues; and where managers don’t always teach financial literacy to their artists.

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