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Young People’s Safety Crisis in the Music Industry
The “Just the Way It Is?” report shows that unsafe working conditions, discrimination, and exploitation continue to shape the day-to-day experiences of young people across the music industries—particularly for marginalised creatives.
First shared at the end of 2025 and then re-published by Youth Music, the findings arrive as fresh attention is being paid to safety in the sector. They reveal that 72% of young people have felt unsafe while working in music, highlighting that this is a widespread problem affecting the industry as a whole, not isolated cases.
For anyone working in music—whether behind the scenes or on stage—these findings raise an urgent question: if safety, dignity, and fair treatment aren’t guaranteed, what does “professional opportunity” really mean for young people trying to build careers?
If the industry is serious about change, it needs to move beyond discussion and treat safety as a practical requirement—clear standards, real support, and consequences for harm, especially for those most likely to experience discrimination and exploitation.
Source: Youth Music,
Just the Way It Is? (resource hub page): https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/community/resource-hub/just-way-it-report
