Discrimination and pay gap among issues facing disabled musicians

Disabled musicians earning all their income from music face an average disability pay gap of £4,400, according to the findings of a new report.

The Disabled Musicians Insight Report, released by the Musicians’ Union (MU) and Help Musicians, covers the reported experiences of 2,593 disabled musicians, highlighting a series of attitudinal, structural and economic barriers they face across the music industry.

The average pay gap reported on is based on a mean income of approximately £29,200 for disabled musicians earning all of their income from music, compared with £33,600 for non-disabled musicians.

The gap was found to widen a further £1,700 for musicians with mental health conditions and/or neurodivergent profiles.

Just over a third (34%) of all disabled musicians that took part in the research said they make all of their income from music, compared with 46% of non-disabled musicians. 

Respondents reported experiencing multi-faceted financial challenges. Almost three quarters (73%) of disabled respondents reported not being in receipt of any state benefits, tax credits or support.

Meanwhile, almost one quarter (22%) of disabled musicians said they are in debt, compared with 13% of non-disabled musicians. 

Career barriers

The report also reveals that just one in 10 disabled musicians said they had never faced any career barriers, compared with one in five non-disabled musicians.

Not being able to make a sustainable income was the most frequently reported barrier (51% of respondents), followed by a lack of clear routes to progression (41%), the costs associated with equipment (37%) and transport (31%) and socioeconomic background (21%).

Elsewhere in the report, the majority (88%) of disabled respondents who had experienced discrimination said they open about their disability with all or some of the people that they work with.

Of these respondents, 94% said the discrimination impacted their ability to work or advance their career progression.

Meanwhile, two fifths (43%) of disabled musicians reported their mental wellbeing as negative, while 39% reported their physical wellbeing as negative. Among disabled musicians who reported negative or extremely negative physical wellbeing, two thirds said it was likely they would still be working in music in five years.

“The findings in this report highlight the need for partners across the music industry to invest in accessibility and support disabled musicians,” said John Shortell, MU’s head of equality, diversity & inclusion.

“Working together with disabled musicians, we can remove the barriers this community of musicians’ face. Tackling ableism, inaccessibility and discrimination should be a priority for the entire music industry.”

The MU has released a series of 10 recommendations designed to make the music industry more inclusive for disabled musicians to coincide with the report.

The recommendations call upon the government to introduce benefits for self-employed disabled workers and to commit to a review of the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme, to ensure musicians who are injured or made ill due to their employment and are unable to work are entitled to financial support.

Meanwhile, the music industry is urged to integrate access riders as part of standard booking procedures and ensure events, workshops and funding application processes are accessible to disabled musicians.

Venues and festivals are advised to sign up the Live Events Access Charter.