Interdisciplinary sociologist of music, researching musicians' psychosocial working lives
George is an interdisciplinary sociologist of music, researching musicians' psychosocial working lives. His specialism concerns the psychological experiences and working conditions of creative careers, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing in the music industry. He has collaboratively undertaken two major funded research projects - 'Can Music Make You Sick?' (UK) and ‘When Music Speaks’ (Denmark) - on mental health and the music industry. The book of the former was an Amazon Number 1 Best Seller in the Sociology of Work. His research has been published in world-leading journals including The Lancet, The Lancet Psychiatry, Poetics, Cultural Trends, Musicae Scientiae, Frontiers in Public Health, and Psychology of Music. He is regularly invited to speak internationally on the subject and has appeared on media including BBC News, BBC Radio 4, Times Radio and the Financial Times.
Academic qualifications
PhD: ESRC funded - The Centre for Competition Policy (UEA) 2014
MA: Politics, Philosophy and Economics 2010
MA (Cantab): Social and Political Science, University of Cambridge 2009
Teaching and supervision
PhDs supervised to completion:
Dr. Steven Sparling (2021) (now Head of Department for Creative and Cultural Industries, Kingston University)
George welcomes PhD proposals from students who wish to combine a focus on psychology, sociology and/or economics in relation to creative markets. He is currently supervising four doctoral projects on:
Music careers and social class (alongside Prof. Ros Gill, ICCE/MCCS)
Musicians' wellbeing and identity (alongside Dr. Madoka Kumashiro, Psychology)
Arts in the treatment of addiction (alongside Dr. Andrew Cooper, Psychology)
Burnout in the TV industry (alongside Dr. Rebecca Chamberlain, Psychology)
George has, to date, supervised 68 MA dissertations to completion.
He is ICCE's Chair of Examinations. He has previously Chaired the ICCE Undergraduate Learning and Teaching Committee and led 'Student Voice' within the department.
He has been a guest lecturer at New York University delivering sessions in the Clive Davies Institute of Recorded Music (Tisch School of the Arts) and the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development (NYU London).
He teaches both optional and compulsory modules across the following programmes of study (among others):
George's research led directly to the establishment of a 24/7 mental health helpline for musicians - Music Minds Matter - in 2017. His research has been featured by media outlets including BBC News, The New York Times, Pitchfork, GQ, The FT, The Grammys, Billboard & more. His work has been cited as informing the development of global therapeutic & public health interventions as well by the UK Government's Department for Culture Media and Sport as part of the 'Creative Industries Sector Vision'. He appears regularly for media outlets including BBC News & BBC Radio 4.
His research has been awarded funding by a range of stakeholders including UKRI (ESRC), Government (Mayor of London) the third sector (Help Musicians UK), and the international music industries (Danish Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music). His findings have formed the basis of evidence which has been cited by the UK House of Commons Women and Equalities Commission, and the House of Lords.
His second book is a sociological examination of music-making as a practice of narrative identity construction entitled 'The England No One Cares About: Lyrics from Suburbia' (MIT Press / Goldsmiths Press, 2024). The book was an Amazon Top 10 Best Seller in Music Philosophy upon release and named 'Book of the Month' by Crack Magazine.
He is also a musician who has signed both major recording & publishing deals with EMI/Sony/ATV, and received over 1 million views on YouTube. His music has earned support from the likes of Mike Skinner, Plan B, Ellie Goulding & Ed Sheeran, and he has been labelled 'Middle England's Poet Laureate' by BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra DJ MistaJam. Prior to signing to his record deal, he was the first ever unsigned artist to win a place on the MTV 'Brand New' list alongside Lana Del Rey & Charli XCX, & has played at festivals including Reading, Leeds, Wireless and BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. He has MC'd for global acts including Andy C, Shy FX, Rusko, SpectraSoul, Plastician & Benga.
2020:
Needs and Challenges in the Lewisham Creative Enterprise Zone Co-PI. Funding awarded by Lewisham Council and Creative Enterprise Zone (Mayor of London) to explore the lives of local creative practitioners and make recommendations for the development of the CEZ
2016:
Can Music Make You Sick? Co-I. Funding: Help Musicians to study rates of mental health conditions among UK musicians, identify potential causes and make recommendations. Led to the launch of 'Music Minds Matter'.
Clift, Stephen; Daffern, Helena; Davies, Christina; Grebosz-Haring, Katarzyna; Kaasgaard, Mette; McCrary, J. Matt and Musgrave, George. 2022. Culture for Health? Arts Professional,
Fellow - Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Fellow - Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Member - International Network for the Critical Appraisal of Arts and Health (based at the Salzburg Institute for Arts in Medicine)
Committee Member - Royal Musical Association (RMA) Music and Mental Health Group (Research Co-ordinator)
Member - International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM)
