Backline & Spotify’s ‘Heart & Soul’ Initiative Brings Mental Health Resources To International Music Community

Ever since Backline was founded in 2019, the non-profit organization has done heroic work providing mental health and wellness resources to music industry professionals and their loved ones across the country. Now, as part of a new partnership with Spotify, Backline is broadening its reach globally.

Backline has teamed with Spotify to announce the global initiative, Heart & Soul, Mental Health for Creators. The centerpiece of this partnership is the newly launched Global Mental Health Resource Hub, a comprehensive and first-of-its-kind digital platform designed to serve music industry workers worldwide.

“Backline is honored to serve as a steward of Spotify’s investment into the creative community, ” stated Backline executive director and co-founder Hilary Gleason. “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.”

Through this initiative, Backline will offer the following programs:

• A Global Expansion of Backline’s Resources: a first-of-its kind destination for mental health support. This international, multilingual database features trusted music industry and mental health support resources and crisis lines from around the world.
• Concierge Support for the International Music Community: To provide more personalized pathways to care, Backline has also launched global@backline.care, a dedicated email concierge service that provides one-on-one support to help individuals navigate local care options and mental health systems in their countries.
• Mind The Music: A Mental Health Guide for the Music Industry: A free digital guide designed for every role in the music industry. Complete with tools to stay grounded on the road, this guide offers strategies that can be used in real time along with practical resources to help music industry professionals feel their best.
• Therapy Access for Ambassadors: Free support for EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR ambassadors in the U.S. via Music’s Mental Health Fund, a joint program from Backline and Sweet Relief Musicians’ Fund that provides grants to cover the cost of therapy.
• Support for Songwriters: Spaces for songwriters to discuss mental health and access support through studio residencies, dinners, panels, and more. May ‘25 Spotify Songwriting Studio residency program included: The Altons, Sinseers, and Iman Jordan.
• Wellness Events: Backline, Spotify, and Noah Kahan’s The Busyhead Project will be backstage at major festivals like All Things Go NYC, providing on-site wellness activations, self-care kits, and guided workshops.

For Spotify, the collaboration reaffirms its ongoing dedication to mental health and social impact across the music industry.

“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,” noted 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.”

“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,” added Lauren Siegal Wurgaft, Spotify’s Head of Social Impact. “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.”

Backline’s Global Mental Health Resource Hub is now live. Those across the global music industry are encouraged to make use of its tools.