DENVER — An industry plagued with mental health and substance abuse issues is getting some relief locally. The Colorado Music Hall of Fame has announced a wellness program called Keep the Beat that will offer $1,000 grants for licensed counseling for musicians in the Colorado industry.
"I think people need help and I think it's hard out there and I think it's very easy for people to get stuck in a rut or a day-to-day and not really know where to look for help, and so our job here I think is awareness," said Scott Tobias, co-chair of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. "The pandemic ran rough over the music industry."
The mini-grants will allow people who are uninsured or underinsured to seek mental health or addiction recovery counseling; two issues that have plagued the music industry for decades.
"There's a lot of Colorado musicians that obviously needed help. There are some tragedies that have happened inside our market, inside our community, so our hope is to drive support to minimize that damage," Tobias said. "There are other outlets obviously that do serve these needs, but in terms of a local entity to really drive local support, yes, I think it’s long overdue."
Eligible applicants are:
- Colorado residents
- 21 years old or older
- Musicians, music industry professionals and/or gig workers who have worked in the Colorado music industry for at least five years
- Uninsured or underinsured
- Having difficult paying for mental health or addiction counseling
Applications to receive a wellness grant are now open. The Hall of Fame will continue to distribute the funds until they run out.
"We’re not going to solve all of it. We don’t expect to be able to do that," Tobias said. "But if we can be part of that process that helps people, that’s what we’re really excited about."
