ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, announces the official launch of the ASCAP Wellness Program to meet the evolving wellness needs of music creators. With this new program, ASCAP becomes the first US performing rights organization to focus heavily on its members’ physical and mental well-being to support their creativity, life balance and longevity.
“Creating music is an all-consuming passion and a labor of love, but you’ve got to take care of your instrument — in the case of music creators, your body, mind and spirit,” said ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “ASCAP has a long commitment to supporting the livelihoods of its songwriters and composers. With our new Wellness Program, we’re taking that one step further. If creating music is your life, we are here to provide the resources you need to be at your creative best. This is just the beginning, and we will roll out more services in the months to come.”
As part of ASCAP’s commitment to the needs of its members, the organization commissioned an extensive research survey to be conducted on an annual basis: “The US Music Creator Wellness Study.” The inaugural 2019 report revealed that music creators:
- Have health and wellness needs that significantly exceed those of the general population
- Do not feel that they have good access to wellness services
- Are almost a third more likely than the general population to feel that their wellness has a major impact on their career
Fueled by the findings of the study, ASCAP has developed the Wellness Program (www.ascap.com/wellness) to include:
Innovative Wellness Services
ASCAP members will receive a range of benefits including access to and significant discounts on innovative services that support mental health, mindfulness, exercise and nutrition. Key strategic partners in the ASCAP Wellness Program include:
- Aaptiv: music-powered, coach-guided digital audio workouts
- BetterHelp: easy, affordable, anywhere access to therapists and mental health resources via your digital devices
- Daily Burn: access to thousands of workout videos available from your home
- Motiv: a fitness and sleep tracker housed in a ring
- Shine: a self-care app with easy exercises and a supportive community
Recovery Support
The ASCAP Wellness Program also announces a strategic partnership with MusiCares®, a charitable arm of the Recording Academy®, that provides critical assistance to music people in times of need. Together with ASCAP, MusiCares will launch recovery-focused support groups in multiple cities as well as a digital support group that offers services to creators in any location. MusiCares will also serve as an official advisor on ASCAP’s recovery and mental health programs.
Wellness Events
Given music creators’ focus on both community and their health (see survey results below), the ASCAP Wellness Program will host wellness events for ASCAP members throughout the year in multiple cities. Wellness Program events will launch at the organization’s New York City headquarters on January 6 with a “sound bath,” an immersive group meditation experience that utilizes sound from a range of instruments to benefit a participant’s mind, body and spirit. Similar events in Los Angeles and Nashville will follow.
Additionally, the organization is planning a dedicated wellness programming track at the upcoming 2020 ASCAP Experience in Los Angeles, April 1 – 3. It has also hosted a number of other activities over the past month to preview the ASCAP Wellness Program, including a post-ASCAP Country Music Awards “ASCAP x Barry’s” workout in Nashville (featuring an all-ASCAP playlist), and “Mind Your Business: Mental Health in the Music Industry,” an ASCAP Urban panel discussion in LA.
Content Initiatives
As part of the effort, ASCAP will launch a new wellness content initiative, including today’s debut of a bonus episode of VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast featuring an interview with Paul Williams on the subjects of recovery and well-being as it relates to music creators. The ASCAP Wellness Program will also introduce #WellnessWednesday on all of its social media presences, featuring advice, inspiration and ASCAP members sharing their wellness activities.
ASCAP members are already voicing their enthusiasm for ASCAP’s commitment to their well-being through the Wellness Program:
“My wellness is more than being in the best shape I physically can be in for running around on stage each night,” said Michael Franti, a musician, humanitarian, filmmaker and activist. “It’s equally about eating well, getting enough sleep and being able to grow with the challenges that life on the road brings, without becoming so stressed that I can’t show up for my wife, kids and touring family in the way that I want to each day. Throughout my adult life I’ve battled depression and anxiety, and the music business has no shortage of pressures that can drag me down if I don’t have healthy habits in place. I’m super excited and grateful that ASCAP has made a commitment to helping artists be mindful stewards of their own bodies and hearts, so that they can be the best musical messengers of optimism, wellness and healing possible.”
SURVEY RESULTS
ASCAP’s 2019 US Music Creator Wellness Survey found that:
- Music creators are 31% more likely than the general population to say that their health and wellness have a major impact on their careers
- While creators are three times more likely than the general population to feel creative, inspired and brave, they are two to three times more likely to feel alone, disappointed and ignored
- As a result, music creators place high importance on:
- Mental health and balance:
- 83% more likely than the general population to say “meditating or practicing mindfulness” is very important to them
- 55% more likely to say “therapy or coaching for self-improvement” is very important to them
- Exercise: Creators are 31% more likely than the general population to say that “exercising” is very important to them
- Community: Creators are 42% more likely to say “feeling connected to others” is very important to them
- Mental health and balance:
- Music creators are four times less likely than the general population to feel like they have good access to services that can help with substance abuse and other addictions
ASCAP’s 2019 US Music Creator Wellness Study was conducted by Whitman Insight Strategies in Fall 2019.
