UK music sector faces safeguarding crisis as 72% of young staff feel unsafe
A new report reveals that nearly three-quarters of young UK music workers feel unsafe, pressuring record labels, venues and festivals to overhaul their workplace cultures to avoid regulatory and operational risks.
Nearly three-quarters of young workers in the UK music industry have felt unsafe at work. A new report found that 72% of young staff have encountered harassment, bullying, inadequate mental health support or an unsafe workplace culture. These experiences span record labels, management companies, festivals, venues and touring teams.
For companies operating across this economic sector, the data points to a systemic workforce crisis. Employers are under pressure to fund robust mental health support and strengthen their safeguarding policies. The failure to protect staff creates operational risks, as many young workers do not know where to report concerns or fear career consequences for speaking up.
The report calls for clear reporting frameworks that actively protect whistleblowers rather than the individuals they name. For investors, this highlights a gap in corporate governance at many live music and recording businesses. Implementing these structural changes will require capital allocation toward human resources and legal compliance, altering how these companies manage touring and event operations.
Industry bodies are already acknowledging the need for change. AIM, MMF and the MU have voiced support for stronger action following the publication. This institutional backing suggests that new industry standards could emerge, forcing lagging companies to adapt or face isolation.
These findings land amid a wider industry reckoning regarding safeguarding gaps, as the sector grapples with festival safety audits and open conversations about touring workloads and burnout. Grassroots advocacy from groups like the Music Venue Trust has pushed to fix underlying working conditions across live music. This report validates those efforts and connects them directly to the youngest tier of the workforce.
If record labels, festival promoters and venue operators fail to address these conditions, they risk losing talent to other industries. The economic health of the UK's live and recorded music sectors depends on a functioning, safe labor pool.
