A study has found that music helped 57% of people during lockdown

A new study has found that throughout lockdown, 57% of people turned to music to help deal with the effects of the pandemic, and 42% of people listened to more music than they had before.

The survey was a deep-dive into the effects of lockdown on both the music industry and consumers, looking at how people feel about the future of music after lockdown as well as how music was consumed over the past year.

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1 Million adults in the UK began learning an instrument since the pandemic began, while 31% of people said that music helps to ease anxiety, and 56% of people said that it helps to improve their mood.

Many were anxious about the future of live music, with 45% concerned about their local music venues. 43% of respondents are planning to attend a live music event this year, with 38% of 18-24 year olds looking forward to attending a music festival when lockdown eases.

UK Music Chief Executive, Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, spoke about the results of the survey, saying:

"These results demonstrate just how important music is to our nation and the critical role it has played over the course of this pandemic, combined with the huge economic contribution the music industry made pre-Covid-19, this is further evidence that the UK music industry is a key national asset that should be protected and supported by government.”

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He continued: "People are clearly missing going to festivals, gigs, and concerts and eagerly awaiting the return of live music without social distancing. While the announcement of an end to restrictions from July 19 was very welcome, there remains one crucial last piece to the puzzle: action on insurance,"

Suggestions that restrictions may be reintroduced later this year creates huge risk for event organisers and the inability to obtain commercial insurance means many live events have already been called off this year. Many more are still at risk of cancellation, so we need the government to introduce an insurance scheme that enables organisers to plan events with confidence."

Tope Olufemi is Mixmag’s Digital Intern, follow them on Twitter