According to pitchfork.com, after Chappell Roan‘s Grammys speech sparked conversation about mental healthcare in music, Universal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with the Music Health Alliance to launch the Music Industry Mental Health Fund. The label group and music nonprofit say the initiative will provide “comprehensive, high-quality outpatient mental health resources for music industry professionals nationwide,” including those who have left the industry. The fund appears to primarily provide help with resources and recommendations, but also offers “grants to help offset costs,” according to a press release.
The initiative is being marketed as an expansion upon a previous partnership between the two companies, which is the Priority Healthcare Advocacy Program that provides free and confidential healthcare resources to UMG artists.
In her Best New Artist Grammys speech, Roan, who has said she struggled to afford healthcare after being dropped by her label in 2020, urged record labels and the industry “profiting millions of dollars off of artists” to “offer livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.” She added, “Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
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