New report: 72% of young music industry workers say they felt unsafe at work

11 July 2026
2 minutes · By Staff

The numbers are difficult to read. A new report on the UK music industry has found that 72% of young workers say they have felt unsafe at work, covering everything from harassment and bullying to inadequate mental health support and unsafe workplace culture. The findings raise fresh urgency around workplace safeguarding across the sector, from record labels and management companies to festivals, venues and touring teams.

music industry, festival
Image credit: Danny Howe via

The figure captures a range of experiences, but the top-line number is stark: nearly three in four young workers say they have felt genuinely unsafe on the job. Notably, the report highlights that many young workers do not know where to report concerns, do not trust the reporting channels available, or fear career consequences for speaking up. Beyond that, the report calls for stronger safeguarding policies, better-funded mental health support, and clear reporting frameworks that protect the workers who raise concerns rather than the people they name.

The findings land at a moment when the wider music industry has been forced to reckon with its safeguarding gaps, from festival safety audits to open conversations about touring workloads and burnout. Fans of the Music Venue Trust‘s grassroots advocacy will find this report sits right alongside the wider push to fix the underlying working conditions across live music. Industry bodies including AIM, MMF and the MU have already voiced support for stronger action off the back of the report.

Full report coverage is available via Mixmag. A wake-up call the industry cannot look past.

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