Part 1: The Hidden Struggles of Success: How Viral Fame and AI Are Changing the Mental Health Landscape

By Brandee Smith, Director of Clinical Services

It’s easy to believe success fixes everything. From the outside, today’s music industry looks like it’s thriving again: millions of streams, packed tours, fast-trending content. But underneath the highlights, the people who create, produce, manage, and support the music are quietly battling anxiety, depression, and burnout at alarming rates. At the SIMS Foundation, we work with the people behind the music – not just the artists onstage, but everyone who keeps the industry moving. What we see tells a different story. This is the first in our Sound Mind series, exploring the real challenges music industry professionals face today and the new ways the community, and organizations like SIMS, are stepping up to help.

The Modern Industry: Faster, Louder, Harder to Sustain

The music industry today moves faster than it ever has. It used to be enough for an artist to release an album, tour it, and take a break. Now, musicians, managers, engineers, and venue staff are expected to keep pace with a nonstop demand for content, shows, promotions, and visibility. Even success has changed shape. Viral fame can skyrocket in what may seem like “overnight” to a casual observer. It is usually far from overnight and with “sudden” fame comes relentless pressure to stay relevant, keep producing, and stay “on” 24/7. There’s no “off switch” for most people working in music today, and the impact on mental health is real.

The New Pressures Facing the Music Community

Getting attention isn’t the hard part anymore. Staying healthy is. The pressure to create and promote nonstop has changed the way music professionals work – whether it’s an artist dropping new songs monthly, a tour manager coordinating endless dates, or a sound engineer racing to finish edits overnight. At the same time, AI-generated music is flooding the landscape. For many creators, that’s added a new layer of fear: Am I still needed? What happens to my career when AI blurs creative lines? The industry is shifting fast. And the emotional toll is hitting every part of the industry ecosystem in ways we don’t yet understand.

Success Doesn’t Erase Risk

The money side hasn’t gotten easier, either. Touring costs have soared. Streaming payouts remain low. Health insurance is still out of reach for many in the music workforce – impacting everyone from emerging artists to freelance techs to indie label staff. Even for those who’ve built names for themselves, financial instability and mental health struggles are common. High-profile artists like Lewis Capaldi and Billie Eilish speaking publicly about stepping back isn’t just a headline – it’s a signal of deeper issues industry-wide. Behind the scenes, too many people are working at an unsustainable pace while struggling quietly – and not so quietly –  with their mental health.

What We’re Hearing at SIMS

At SIMS, we hear it every day — from across the industry:

• “I can’t keep up with everything I’m supposed to do.”
• “Even if the music is going well, I’m burnt out when I get home.”
• “I can’t find or afford help when I need it most.”

Music industry professionals aren’t just dealing with the typical stresses of creative work — they’re navigating a system built for speed, built for profit, but not built for their well-being. And too often, they’re navigating it without a safety net.

How SIMS Supports the People Behind the Music

At SIMS, we know mental health support isn’t a luxury — it’s essential to survival. We connect musicians, industry workers, and their families to therapy, psychiatric care, case management, and recovery services designed specifically for the demands of music life. And we’ve been doing it for 30 years. Whether it’s managing anxiety, balancing work pressures, navigating identity shifts in a changing industry, or coping with financial strain, SIMS shows up for the entire music community. We understand it’s impossible for the show to go on if the people behind it can’t.