People engaged in making music are at a higher risk for mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, according to researchers at Frankfurt’s Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. Results of the study suggest there is an overlap between inherited genetic variants associated with a tendency to make music, and those that increase the risk for mental illness. Van Magazine talked to Laura Wesseldijk, one of the authors of the study, herself a musician too.

"71% of musicians polled in the Help Musicians survey said they suffered from anxiety, 69% said they battled depression, 57% said they went untreated, and 53% said they had a hard time finding the right treatment.  In response to a rash of suicides by musicians and the pandemic’s crushing blow to many an artist’s livelihood, new organizations and efforts within the music community have begun to step forward" - Please Kill Me steps into the sensitive issue of mental health in punk and metal music.

Sony Music Entertainment has announced a new wellness-focused program called Artist Assistance, which is planned to be a “broad global effort aimed at promoting wellness for our signed talent and providing them with relevant information and key resources for their careers”, Music Business Worldwide reports. Artist Assistance starts with access to “free, confidential counseling services to address stress, anxiety, depression, grief, family and relationship matters and more”. It means that SME’s “active roster artists” worldwide can now connect with a licensed therapist completely confidentially and for free.

Universal Music Group has signed a first-of-its-kind partnership with digital therapeutics company MedRhythms, in order to help people with walking impairments, Rolling Stone reports. The partnership provides MedRhythms with access to UMG’s catalog in order to build “direct stimulation solutions” that use clinical-grade sensors, software and music to help restore function lost to neurologic disease or injury. MedRhythms is developing a patented platform of evidence-based, prescription digital therapeutics using music to address walking impairments.

“We can’t afford to sit out shows, we have to vaccinate and mask up or everything we’ve worked our entire lives for will be gone. And it’s so upsetting to work so long on a craft and lose opportunities left and right, because people would rather believe vaccine conspiracy theories than at least try these precautions out” - Austin songwriter Cari Hutson says to Guardian about the need to vaccinate. The London paper is exploring differences within country music community about vaccinating - "exposing an age-old political divide".

A great read in The Quietus about The Helicopter Of The Holy Ghost, a project/album with songs by Billy Reeves, who can't even remember writing them, due to memory loss after a traffic accident which happened after he finished the album. It's just bitter-sweet: "There’s a couple of songs that seem to be bitter break-up songs. The lyric 'featherweight summer that didn’t last too long', to me that’s amazing, but what is it about?”.

Billy Reeves was best known as a singer-songwriter who had worked with Sophie Ellis-Bextor in a band called theaudience. After he quit, he made an album worth of music when in a traffic accident he suffered severe brain injury and subsequently amnesia - "there’s a whole three-year chunk of my cultural memory missing – I don’t remember any of the music or TV shows from 1999 to 2001". He also forgot all about his recent music - "I was hearing songs that I had written but had no recollection of. I didn’t know what the lyrics were about, what I was thinking, who they were written for", as Reever wrote in a beautiful piece for the Guardian. He decided however to put it out, calling the record 'The Helicopter Of The Holy Ghost' - "I’m not religious, but it’s like the songs were written by a ghost because I don’t remember anything about writing them".

Eric Clapton said he will not perform at any venues that require attendees to prove that they’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19, NPR reports. Clapton issued his statement in response to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that vaccine passes would be required to enter nightclubs and venues. Clapton previously shared a message about his “disastrous” health experience after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.

Ariana Grande has partnered with Better Help, an online portal providing direct mental health support, to give away $1 million worth of free therapy to her fans who can't afford it, NME reports. Her effort will match those interested with a licensed therapist for one free month, which anyone can sign up for at BetterHelp.com/Ariana. After the month is up, people will have the option to renew and continue using Better Help's services while getting 15% off the second month.

"If the pandemic gave the general public an insight into touring life minus the hour onstage – ie, drinking earlier and earlier in the day to alleviate the tedium of being stuck in cramped, largely identical rooms with the same three or four people for months on end – for many musicians it had the opposite effect. By removing the social gigging element of their lives and careers, lockdown starkly exposed dependencies they’d previously been able to disguise as a typical rock’n’roll lifestyle" - music journalist Mark Beaumont wrote in the Independent introducing his piece about musicians who stopped drinking in the pandemic: members of Royal Blood, Deadletter, You Me At Six, Wu LYF and others.

The short documentary 'Field of Vision - We Were There to Be There', by Mike Plante and Jason Willis, on a legendary 1978 show at a California psychiatric hospital by the Cramps and the Mutants, is now online. "Taking place as cuts to crucial social services loom under Ronald Reagan, two legendary punk bands come together to perform a show for patients and staff at a psychiatric facility". It "threads moments from the Napa State Hospital set with commentary from band members and those who witnessed it firsthand, providing a crucial backstory for the recording of one of the most iconic shows in the history of music, at a critical moment in the future of mental health care in the US".

The UK is testing the relaxation of Covid rules with a trial festival this weekend in Liverpool, the Evening Standard reports. Fatboy Slim and Sven Väth will headline The First Dance at The Circus nightclub, which sold out its 6,000 tickets quickly - the first time any such event has been allowed for over a year. Clubbers will not be required to social distance or wear face coverings but will have to take a lateral flow test before entering the venue. The First Dance is part of the Events Research Programme (ERP), which will provide data on how events holding anywhere between hundreds and tens of thousands of people could safely reopen later this year.

Inspired by the 'Sound of Metal' movie, Guardian explores the problem of hearing loss among musicians, which, as it appears, is worryingly widespread. “For a musician, losing your hearing is like losing a hand” - says Steve Lukather of Toto, who developed tinnitus in 1986 and also suffers from hearing loss, but thanks to hearing aids he can continue his career. Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy was diagnosed with tinnitus in 2002, when he left the music business for 18 months only to come back thanks to meditation and the advanced technology of in-ear monitors. It's not only musicians who get it. Eleanor Goodman, deputy editor of Metal Hammer magazine, also has tinnitus - “I used to worry that people would think I couldn’t do my job. But when I started talking about it, I found out that tinnitus is very common in the music industry".

"I no longer have any need for drugs, the Maharishi or the Beatles. I am myself and I know why" - John Lennon has said at the time when his 'John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band' coming out, which was also when he was going through then-fashionable but now-discredited “primal scream” psychotherapy technique. The new technique was the work of psychotherapist Arthur Janov who believed that unlocking repressed childhood pain required a physical release - maybe even screaming. GQ brings the story of the cult-like therapy and its connection to the album (deluxe edition came out last week).

24-year old Grammy-nominated rapper CHIKA has announced her retirement from the music industry due to the impact it was having on her mental health. In a statement, she told fans that “the mental toll being in the industry has taken on me is not something you bounce back from easily”. CHIKA is known for being vocal about political and societal issues and was detained by police at a Los Angeles protest over the police killing of George Floyd last year.

Britney Spears spoke for the first time about the New York Times' documentary 'Framing Britney Spears' saying that she had cried for two weeks after seeing parts of it (she never saw the whole thing), Billboard reports. However, it's the other thing that she has said that speaks volumes about her mental health: "I do what I can in my own spirituality with myself to try and keep my own joy … love … and happiness !!!! Every day dancing brings me joy !!! I'm not here to be perfect … perfect is boring … I'm here to pass on kindness !!!! ... My life has always been very speculated … watched … and judged really my whole life !!! For my sanity I need to dance... every night of my life to feel wild and human and alive !!!".

Five thousand people attended a concert in Barcelona on Saturday night (March 27) as part of a COVID-19 experiment looking at the possibility of holding live music events with no social distancing if rapid testing is employed, al Jazeera reports. All attendees at the gig were tested ahead of the gig and the antigen test results were reported back to the attendees within 10 to 15 minutes via an app on their phones. The ticket price of $23 came with a rapid test and mask included. The show, which saw Spanish rock band Love of Lesbian playing at the Palau Sant Jordi arena, is said to be the biggest concert in Europe since the pandemic began last year.

Demi Lovato had a wellness coach, dietician, nutritionist and therapist to keep her thin, Taylor Swift starved herself and excessively exercised to keep her body shape, Elton John suffered from bulimia, Zayn went for days without eating while feeling a lack of control over his life during his time in One Direction. In general, as Guardian reports, 32% musicians had experienced an eating disorder in their lifetime, while it affects 1.9% to 5.1% of the British population. Pop and R&B singer JoJo goes to the root of the problem - "the music industry is very unpredictable, so I think when you are able to control some aspect of your life – the way you eat, the way you look – then you feel you’re more in control”. Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow echoes this sentiment - “When I can control the outcome of a situation, I feel good. And when I can’t, I feel terrible, and that manifests itself in how I see myself in the mirror”.

A growing body of research more directly links air and road-traffic noise to heightened risks for a number of cardiovascular ailments, the Atlantic points out. Estimates suggest that roughly a third of Americans are regularly exposed to unhealthy levels of noise, typically defined as starting around 70 to 80 decibels. People living near the Frankfurt airport, for example, have as much as a 7 percent higher risk of stroke than those living in similar but quieter neighborhoods. An analysis of nearly 25,000 cardiovascular deaths between 2000 and 2015 among people living near Zurich’s airport saw significant increases in nighttime mortality after airplane flyovers, especially among women.

'80s pop and heavy metal are the best musical genres for lowering blood pressure and heart rate, Metal Sucks reports on a recent Istanbul study. The study recruited 1,540 adults, ranging in age from 18 to 65, for a series of mental stress tests while listening to music. The '80s pop playlist prompted a blood pressure drop in 96 percent of respondents and a heart rate reduction of 36 percent. A mix of metal classics elicited a decrease in blood pressure among 89 percent of those studied and a reduction in heart rate in 18 percent of the listeners.

The 50th anniversaries of the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison straddle 2020 and 2021. In April, it’ll be 27 years since we lost Kurt Cobain - Variety reminds us of the tragic losses of artists due to substance abuse. However, Variety argues, it has in the meantime become cool to be sober, although a path to sobriety isn't that easy. Alice Cooper explained: “All my other addictions, like cocaine and alcohol, were killing me. I knew I had an addictive personality — my stage show is a very addictive thing to do — so I had to find positive addictions”; he found golf!

The English National Opera has successfully tested its singing, breathing and wellbeing program for recovering coronavirus patients, and it has now rolled it out around the country. The program -- described as the first of its kind - uses singing techniques by singing experts to help patients who are experiencing breathlessness and anxiety.

Huff-Post lists several reasons why we should try and discover new music, especially if it seems hard to do so:

It nourishes our brains - new music listening activates areas of the brain from root to tip, from the early auditory processing centres to the outer reaches of our cortex

New music provides the potential to add to our valuable music memory bank

Acts as social cue, helping us better understand other people

Music has ability to keep us open-minded, which experts believe is key to helping us think better.

“With your help, our artists and songwriters not only raised the spirits of millions everywhere, but also brought awareness to worthwhile causes that will help to repair a world so badly in need of repair" - UMG's Lucian Grainge said in his year-end letter to staff, Variety reports. He added - "more often than not, that awareness will trigger action, funding, and, ultimately, results… When the harsh realities of inequality and racism exploded across the globe, our artists were galvanized and, together with them, we responded quickly”.

Lizzo has sparked a body positivity debate after posting videos on TikTok of her 10-day smoothie diet trying to lose weight, Billboard reports. Some fans have commended her efforts on health grounds, while other have criticised the star for encouraging "diet culture". She responded with a follow-up video, explaining that she was "proud of the results" and how "every big girl should do whatever they want with their bodies".

Arcade Fire's Will Butler released 'Bethlehem', full of anger and energy, plenty of food in the video also; Still Corners' 'The Last Exit' is a big sounding simple folk-rock song; Tino Contreras is 96-year-old Mexican jazz veteran releasing an album full of new songs, 'El Sacrificio' is the promising teaser; pop-industrials Health released a haunting 'Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0'; Suuns combine noise and dance on 'Pray'; melodic doom metallers Fires in the Distance released their new album this week, 'Reflections in the Ice' is the stand-out track from it.

Event Safety Alliance has published a Reopening Guide, based on suggestions by 400 tour promoters, managers, Ticketmaster employees, and caterers. It's a 29-page guidebook. The essential guidelines:

• Hand-washing every hour, as well as after sneezing, mopping, smoking, eating, drinking and other select activities
• 4 square meters necessary per unrelated group of people
• Required masks
• Sanitizing door handles, sink faucets, soap dispensers, elevator buttons, phones, water fountains, vending machines, trash bins and computers
• Stagger lines into venues so patrons don't have to cluster in lines
• Temperature screening for every customer
• Clear protective shields for will-call and box-office windows

An awful lot of the Austin economy depends on the festival, and its cancelation would affect a lot more than just the attendees, Texas Monthly argues in favor of going ahead with plans to hold South by Southwest this year (25,000 people have signed a petition to cancel it). People that depend on SXSW are - "caterers, pedicabbers, ride-hailing drivers, bartenders and servers, tech crew and security staff, and countless others who rely on SXSW as a windfall to pay off bills and get their heads above water each year. A whole host of bars and restaurants are able to weather the slow winter months because they know that, come March, rental fees and prepaid bar tabs will keep them afloat. Hotels and pizza places and portable-toilet rental companies have developed alongside SXSW".

"Musicians don't drink like normal people," Canadian singer-songwriter Damhnait Doyle wrote in a Toronto Star op-ed earlier this year. "You drink before gigs, during gigs, after gigs, on your day off, on a travel day, at the airport bar, the hotel bar, in the bus, the back of the van, when the show sucks, when the show is off the hook, when your song is on the radio, when no one's playing your single. Alcohol is both the journey and the destination". The article inspired Exclaim to talk to several artists - Hollerado drummer Jake Boyd, singer-songwriter and Single Mothers frontman Drew Thomson, PONY bandleader Sam Bielanski and singer-songwriter Ansley Simpson - about how they got sober and what has changed since they stopped drinking.

Many DJ are acutely aware of the mental and physical risks of the typical "DJ lifestyle", Mix Magazine says in an interesting article about a change in nightclubs post-Avicii. With a new and welcome transparency around artists’ mental health and addiction, DJs feel more at ease to make a big change. The other big thing is that much of the club scene has changed, in many cases becoming less a place of expression than of consumption: a circuit for DJs and artists, where the emphasis on ever-grander spectacle and production can alienate not only the crowd but the DJs from the music, eating away at the idea of the club as a place of subculture and resistance.