85% of Global Majority musicians have witnessed or experienced discrimination, survey shows
81% of musicians from the Global Majority who reported experiencing racism said it had "a significant impact on their career progression"
A new report finds that 85% of musicians from the Global Majority have experienced or witnessed discrimination in the industry.
Data from the 2023 Global Majority Insight Report by Help Musicians, Musicians' Union and Black Lives in Music (BLiM) shows that a lack of reliable income, mental health support, networking and relationship-building opportunities and career progression, as well as ever-present discrimination, is pushing away musicians from the Global Majority, defined as Musicians' Census respondents who described themselves as "Black, Asian, Mixed/dual heritage or other ethnic group".
81% of musicians from the Global Majority who reported experiencing racism said it had "a significant impact on their career progression", with 16% also reporting experiencing socioeconomic discrimination.
"I am a Black male and have experienced 'odd' circumstances surrounding my career at various key moments", a survey respondent in the classical field said. "I continue to struggle to explain these occurrences in any other way than me being discriminated against because of the colour of my skin."
The report found an average wage gap of £1,000 between white musicians whose income solely came from music and musicians from the Global Majority, who earned £17,745 on average per year. 35% of respondents said they could not support themselves or their families with their music career, and 24% musicians reported being in debt. 17% of respondent from the Global Majority said that it is unlikely that they will still be in the industry in 5 years’ time.
White musicians are also more likely to have higher music qualifications, affording them more career opportunities. 52% of white musicians reported to have earned a degree in a music subject, compared to 37% of musicians from the Global Majority.
The Global Majority Insight Report is the second part of the 2023 Musicians Census. The first part, shared in September, revealed that nearly half of UK musicians earn less than £14,000 annually.
Black Lives in Music is behind a new anti-racism code of conduct for the UK music industry. The group's 2021 survey found that 88% of Black musicians experience discrimination-related barriers to their career progress.
Read the Global Majority Insight Report report in full here.
