MMF: Mental Health Guide Launch

The Music Managers Forum (MMF) launched a new free guide at The Great Escape that provides artist managers with information and advice on how to care for the mental health of themselves and their clients.

Produced with support from music charities Music Support and Help Musicians UK, the guide specifically covers areas such as anxiety, depression, alcoholism and drug addiction, in addition to work balance and boundaries.

MMF General Manager Fiona McGugan said: “The modern music business is a rewarding environment in which to work, but it is no secret that it can also be tough and isolating – and particularly so for managers. Our members frequently play an all-encompassing role, and must protect their client’s emotional, mental and physical state as passionately as their business interests. At times this is a 24-hour role and, combined with our ‘always on’ digital culture, it is quite easy for such support to become stretched to breaking point. If that occurs, it is vital that artist managers can turn to someone in confidence, whether that’s the MMF as their trade body, Music Support, Help Musicians or a medical professional”.

McGugan continued: “All this information is provided in our guide, as well as advice from managers with first-hand experience of dealing with mental health problems and addiction. We hope it will make a positive contribution to tackling this important issue and the development of preventative strategies that will benefit all in the wider music business”.

The publication is free to download and available here.