Questions are being raised about the duty of care afforded to young musicians in the wake of the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne, who died last week at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel in Argentina. Talking about Payne, who first found fame in 2008 appearing on The X Factor at the age of 14, Sharon Osbourne, former judge on the show, said he was a young kid who had entered one of the toughest industries in the world and asked whether the industry had been there to help him. A petition calling for greater accountability and artist welfare has gathered 25,000 signatures.
Robbie Williams’ frequent collaborator, Guy Chambers, has suggested that performers under 18 should not be allowed to work in the industry, claiming they may be damaged by being catapulted into an adult world. He has said that he recalls that not enough was done to protect the teenage boys in Take That, Williams’ former boy band. JLS star Oritse Williams has also spoken of a lack of industry duty of care.
Matt Thomas, who co-founded the mental health charity Music Support in 2016, said he had seen “massive changes” in the industry in recent years. He acknowledged that there is a lot more support for musicians now in place, but added that not everyone knows where to find help, pointing out that there is often “a lack of awareness of the help that’s available, and lack of clear signposting and official recognised pathways”. Thomas also backed Chambers’ suggestion that under-18s should be given more protection.
Talent manager, Jonathan Shalit, admitted that the industry is “a very hard business”. The trade body representing record labels, the BPI, stated that it now takes “an active role” in the welfare of its artists, with support available from managers and organisations like Music Support and Help Musicians. The spokesperson for the BPI said that labels understand the pressures faced by musicians and that the music industry is continually working to provide further care to its artists
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