With just one week to go until the End of Financial Year, we urgently need your help now so that we can continue to support those in the music industry who are still doing it tough.
The rising cost of living, increased competition for work and declining mental health is plaguing an industry that traditionally brings so much joy to everyone, both inside and outside of it.
For lifelong performers like Cherylanne and Patrick McMahon, who rely entirely on music for their income, things are getting desperate. Cherylanne explains:
“(It’s) soul shattering. Absolutely soul shattering. Overnight our income stream was cut off in March 2020. Nothing. It was the first industry to shut down and it is the very last industry to come back online.
“We’ve basically been couch surfing and homeless for the past year and a half. We were on the street thinking, what are we going to do now?
“Support Act has actually saved our lives.”
Sadly, the McMahons are just two of thousands of music workers who are struggling right now.
In a recent survey undertaken by Support Act*, over 47 per cent of participants had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, almost ⅓ were worried about becoming unemployed and almost ⅔ said the pandemic had impacted their mental health.
There is still clearly so much to do and that’s why we need your help today.
Please help us help our community by making a one-off or recurring monthly/annual donation on or before 30 June. Donate here or contact us to donate via EFT.
Thank you in advance for your love of music – and all the people who create it.
Sincerely,
Clive Miller
CEO
*Mental health and wellbeing in music and live performing arts survey, May 2022.
