The 73 Percent Nobody’s Talking About: Musicians Are Suffering, And the Industry Is Still Silent

Artist in studio, alone under stage lights, head in hands. — 73% of independent musicians report anxiety and depression, but only 19% seek support.

This Isn’t an Isolated Stat… It’s a National Crisis

In 2019, Record Union published a groundbreaking mental health report. The headline? 73% of independent musicians suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression.

That was before the pandemic. Before the rise of TikTok hustle culture. Before AI flooded the creative economy.

Now it’s 2025. And artists aren’t just anxious. They’re burned out, broke, and barely holding on.

If you’re an artist, you probably know the feeling:

Working three side jobs to afford studio time.
Posting online like everything’s fine while mentally unraveling.
Losing sleep, losing money, losing confidence.

If you love a creative, you’ve probably seen it:

The highs of release day, the lows of rejection.
The fear of failure creeping in after every gig.
The anxiety that builds when they smile for the camera, but go silent when it’s off.

This isn’t random. This is systemic.

What the Record Union Report (The73Percent.com) Reveals

“We should not only focus on building better artists, we need to build better people.”

— Jason Diakité, Report Contributor, Artist & Mental Health Advocate

The 73 Percent Report didn’t just drop a shocking stat, it opened the door to artist testimonies:

“You feel alone, even when you’re constantly performing. The pressure to deliver… it kills the joy.”

“The music business loves vulnerability. Until you actually break. Then they ghost you.”

The findings from Record Union pointed to deeper structural issues:

Lack of mental health education for creatives
Isolation from community support
Unstable income and constant financial stress
And most of all: no one is trained to catch the artist before they fall.

SoundRef.com Goes Deeper: The Hidden Pressure Points

SoundRef’s breakdown of music and mental health adds more chilling detail:

The 9 Hidden Stressors Every Musician Battles:

Work-life imbalance
Dealing with toxic clients
Isolation and touring loneliness
Fear of failure
Public criticism
Stage fright
Addiction and substance use
Constant financial insecurity
Chronic body pain from performance tension

Their conclusion?

“Being a professional musician is one of the most challenging careers you can choose.”

And yet… most artists are still expected to figure it all out alone.

From the Outside, It Looks Like Stardom. Inside? Suffering.

In 2025, your favorite artist might be:

Performing to a sold-out crowd on Friday
Crying in a hotel bathroom on Saturday
In a peer-led recovery group on Sunday

Or maybe…they’re not in recovery. Because they don’t even know it exists.

At Watch Light Pathways, we’ve watched too many artists lose their light while trying to shine for others.
Our founders are parents of three creative children, two musicians and one visual artist, and they’ve seen the toll this life can take, up close.
That’s why they built Watch Light before the lights faded. Because they couldn’t bear to see their children, or yours, crash under the weight of an industry that celebrates talent but rarely protects the soul behind it.

Here’s What We’re Doing About It (And How You Can Help)

Sponsor a recovery-focused peer coaching session for an artist in crisis.
Fund our Lights Fade Series to spread awareness through real stories.
Partner with us to build mental health programs in your creative community.
Hire a creative through our recovery-to-workforce pipeline. Open a door, don’t just offer applause.
Talk to us if you’re a parent, artist, or leader who’s ready to help.

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