Disabled musicians face high levels of discrimination in the workplace, new report reveals

A new report released today by the Musicians’ Union (MU) and Help Musicians has revealed that musicians who identify as disabled face significant challenges when pursuing a career in music including financial insecurity, unfair pay and workplace discrimination. The Disabled Musicians Insight Report found that musicians who are open about their disability at work face high levels of discrimination.

The new report shares findings from the first ever Musicians’ Census, focusing on the experiences of 2,593 disabled-identifying musicians. The MU and Help Musicians have launched this latest report in partnership with Attitude is Everything, a charity which aims to improve access in the music and the live event industries.

MU general secretary Naomi Pohl said: ‘The scale of the data presented in this report reveals systemic issues in the music industry such as attitudinal, structural, and economic barriers across education and employment. Disabled musicians contribute hugely to the richness of the music industry, working in every genre and sector, however the data indicates that this community of musicians face multiple, substantial barriers to carving out a sustainable career in the music industry.’

As well as revealing an average disability pay gap of £4,400, the report finds that over half (51 per cent) of disabled-identifying musicians are unable to make a sustainable income. Other prevalent financial barriers include: no clear routes to progression (41 per cent), the costs associated with equipment (37 per cent), transport (31 per cent) as well as socioeconomic background (21 per cent).

Of the musicians surveyed who were open about being disabled at work, 88 per cent had experienced discrimination based on their disability, with almost all of them (94 per cent) saying this impacted their ability to work or advance their career. The report also found that 71 per cent of disabled musicians have experienced or witnessed some form of discrimination, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) of disabled musicians have been sexually harassed, compared to 13 per cent of non-disabled musicians. Although the ethnicity breakdown between the disabled and non-disabled samples remains the same, 27 per cent of disabled musicians have experienced racism compared to 7 per cent of non-disabled musicians.

You can find the full report, with further findings, here.