Beatport and Arigami Release 'Music Connects Us'

Beatport, the worldwide leader of electronic music for DJs, producers, and their fans, announced the release of Music Connects Us, a ground-breaking Electronic Music and Mental Health report developed in collaboration with Arigami, Silentmode and Association for Electronic Music (AFEM).

Music Connects Us: Mental Health & Electronic Music Report is a free report and resource that includes insight from artists including: Kaskade, Louisahhh, Scuba, Ben Rau, Sarah Story, Junior Sanchez and Yousef. The report also has contributions from leading researchers and mental health experts including Dr. Aida Vazin (AFEM), Tristan Hunt (AFEM), Ari Peralta (Arigami) and industry innovators Tom Middleton, George TakTak (How Mental), Belinda Matwali (Listen Up Therapy) and Bradley Dowding-Young (Silentmode).

Back in November, 2020, Beatport hosted a special edition of its successful global streaming series, ReConnect, bringing the topic of mental health to the center stage of the electronic music community by curating a mix of DJ sessions with educational expert roundtables and live breathwork sessions. In parallel, Beatport developed a research survey with Arigami, AFEM and Silentmode to better understand artists' needs and struggles during these unprecedented times. Artists from all over the world were invited to take part and share their perspectives on the impact of the pandemic on their lives.

Music continues to be the 'go to' for our mental health needs. According to our research, 72% of respondents shared that listening to music, performing fitness activities or practicing meditation have been their top supportive tool in keeping up with their mental health.

"These are trying times for our industry. Now more than ever taking care of ourselves - our minds, our wellbeing and, the wellbeing of others - is truly vital," said Beatport's CEO, Robb McDaniels "Mental health has been one of the most talked about topics in our industry for years, and this is a global topic that should continue to be discussed and destigmatized. Everyone at Beatport takes this topic very seriously and will continue to bring visibility to it."

Music is the sound of our emotions. We can give our feelings a tune and find a way to tune in to another feeling. "Sometimes we may need some form of action or inaction (meditation or breathwork) to facilitate emotional relief." - said Dr. Aida Vazin, a licensed psychotherapist, who is working with the US senate on ways to develop scalable tools that support mental health needs with music and therapy.

"Electronic music is a great supporter in setting the right mood for coping tools and can be viewed as 'functional sound enhancement'. While Meditation is a great practice, not everyone has the same discipline to sit still. We can't give up on billions of people who need extra support! Music helps revert our racing thoughts to our breath, music can help us sit with our discomfort and allow the body to regulate through stillness and inaction." - said Ari Peralta, Arigami Founding Partner. At Arigami we collaborate with conscious partners like Beatport and Silentmode to help end diseases of despair.

Since 2014, there has been a noticeable decrease in global life expectancy. A large factor in this decline is called the 'disease of despair'. This phenomenon displays the connection between increased hopelessness and depression, suicide/suicidal thoughts, and alcohol/drug related diseases. "Functional music can help to transition the mind between work/focus and home/relax/sleep modes, to bookend and soundtrack the day with mentally, physically and emotionally useful sound." - said Functional and Wellness Music Pioneer, and Electronic Artist Tom Middleton.

"Music is a powerful tool to get comfortable with stillness and containment. Mastering self awareness and emotional intelligence can help us feel safe in our bodies and become more present. At Silentmode we are committed to making support tools such as breathwork, accessible to all, including those who prefer to get in the zone with electronic music." - said Bradley-Dowding Young, CEO & Founder, Silentmode and Breathonics.

Learn more about our report, survey findings and support tools at www.musicconnectsus.co.uk.

Head to Beatport's Twitch or YouTube channel on Monday, July 12th at 5pm CEST to watch a discussion about the report between ArI Peralta (Arigami), Dr. Aida Vazin (AFEM) and Tristan Hunt (AFEM)

Rewatch Beatport's ReConnect When The Music Stops #youarenotalone stream here.

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