Life conditions and emotional health of musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

Abstract

This study presents results of a research on the musicians’ job market during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a descriptive study performed with data collected through an online questionnaire (RedCap). It was possible to identify demographic and socioeconomic features of musicians from the larger regions of Brazil. We also compared the intensity of social distancing and the living conditions of musicians in the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic, their income and working conditions, as well as their emotional health, with the same parameters before the study period. Most of the musicians who responded to this survey have graduate degree (38.7%), but 32% was not graduated; 8% of musicians living with half a monthly minimum wage (MW) family per capita, 31.4% with 2 – 4 MW, and just 18% declare earnings of 4 or more MW per capita. Most musicians (68.2%) reported loss of income during the pandemic. Furthermore, 48.5% reported working in a home office during the social distancing period, but 46.7% were not working. Most musicians made use of digital technologies before the pandemic and continue to use it; 64.2% of respondents who did not use these technologies started to use them during the pandemic period.