Self-preservation society

As Ian Winwood sets out in Bodies, the music industry "has long allowed abnormal behaviour to become normalised, even celebrated", which very often takes a terrible physical and mental toll on those working within it. The book was no doubt written with a view to not only drawing attention to the scale of the problems but also providing a catalyst to do something about them - so he will have been pleased by recent developments that have seen a number of musicians deciding to step off the treadmill, even if only temporarily, to allow themselves some much-needed decompression/downtime.

Writing about this welcome trend for the Guardian, Laura Barton spoke to Winwood, as well as James Smith of album chart-toppers Yard Act, who decided they had to take some time out before they totally crashed and burned - but who even then couldn't help but feel ungrateful and even foolish for turning down opportunities.

Barton argues that "there are two factors at play here: a growing willingness among musicians to talk about mental health struggles and the demands of their profession, and an industry desperate to spring back to life after a devastating pandemic, with turbo-charged touring and promotional schedules to make up for perceived lost time".

In relation to the first, Sam Fender - whose rise has been even more meteoric than Yard Act's - deserves great credit for pulling the plug on his US dates with Florence + The Machine and spelling out his reasons: "It seems completely hypocritical of me to advocate for discussion on mental health and write songs about it if I don't take time off to look after my own mental health." 

Meanwhile, the second factor was very much behind Santigold's decision to cancel her US tour - something announced since Barton's article published. In her statement, Santigold sets out how the "new reality" looks post-pandemic, and all of the attendant stresses and strains, and declares flatly: "I will not continue to sacrifice myself for an industry that has become unsustainable for, and uninterested in, the welfare of the artists it is built upon."

Of course, there will inevitably be wankers who brand the likes of Fender and Santigold "woke snowflakes" for being unable to hack the pressure - but their difficult and bold decisions, plus the commendable public explanations that have followed, can only be a positive in terms of helping to make the music industry a less toxic working environment. Ultimately, it should be more important to look after number one than to look for a number one.