Backline & Spotify Partner On Heart & Soul, Mental Health For Creators

Nonprofit Backline and Spotify have teamed up to launch a global initiative, Heart & Soul, Mental Health for Creators, which includes a comprehensive support platform for music industry professionals. This marks the first time Backline has expanded its services beyond the U.S. 

“Backline is honored to serve as a steward of Spotify’s investment into the creative community, ” Backline Executive Director & Co-Founder Hilary Gleason said in a statement. “Bringing our work to scale is a meaningful way to uplift the well-being of artists all around the world. This collaboration is taking these invaluable mental health and wellness resources beyond borders. Music knows no bounds, and now people who make music happen have access to care and a compassionate community. Our work together will help ensure that artists have the resources, support, and stability they need to thrive both personally and professionally.”

Backline, which was launched in 2019, connects musicians, touring professionals, venue staff, crew and their families with critical mental health resources and wellness care. The nonprofit made headlines earlier this year when it launched the We Got You! campaign to support artists’ mental health, fueled by an initial $25,000 donation from Chappell Roan. More donations from fellow artists including Noah Kahan and Charli xcx soon rolled in, along with contributions from AEG, Wasserman Music and other companies and individuals in the music business.  

Today’s announcement from Backline and Spotify notes that with the mental health crisis continuing to impact artists, touring crew, and industry professionals, the Heart & Soul initiative “brings critical support to an international audience, removing barriers to care and meeting the global music community where they are.”

The initiative will include an expansion of Backline’s resources, with an international, multilingual database providing trusted music industry and mental health support resources and crisis lines from around the world.

To provide one-on-one support in navigating local options and mental health systems, Backline has also launched a dedicated email concierge service – global@backline.care. 

And there’s also Mind The Music: A Mental Health Guide for the Music Industry, a free digital guide designed for every role in the music industry including “strategies that can be used in real time along with practical resources to help music industry professionals feel their best.” 

Music’s Mental Health Fund, a joint program from Backline and Sweet Relief Musicians’ Fund that provides grants to cover the cost of therapy, is offering free support for EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR ambassadors in the U.S. 

Other resources include support for songwriters through studio residencies, dinners, panels, and more.

Finally, today’s announcement notes that Backline, Spotify, and Noah Kahan’s The Busyhead Project will be backstage at major festivals, “providing on-site wellness activations, self-care kits, and guided workshops.” 

“It’s clear that the mental health challenges artists face are real, and that the current support systems often fall short. It’s on all of us in the industry to respond with action,” said Spotify Head of Artist & Label Partnerships, Monica Herrera Damashek. “That’s why Spotify is expanding its Heart & Soul for Creators initiative by helping Backline scale its Mental Health & Wellness Global Resource Hub internationally for the first time, and by offering 1:1 therapy access to EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR ambassadors in the US and UK. We know this is only one step but we look forward to building on this for a more supported, sustainable environment for the artists who shape culture every day.”

Lauren Siegal Wurgaft, Head of Social Impact, Spotify, added: “Heart & Soul is our commitment to the creators behind the music. Artists and songwriters face immense pressure, and their mental health can’t be an afterthought. Supporting creators’ well-being is essential to sustaining a vibrant music ecosystem. By working closely with trusted partners like Backline, we’re not just offering resources, we’re helping drive lasting change in how the industry approaches mental health.”

For more information, visit https://backline.care/global-resources/ to explore the Global Mental Health Resource Hub.