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  "description": "The music agency is shutting down after seven years in the business. The founders cite burnout and exhaustion has main reasons.",
  "path": "/young-and-aspiring-is-closing-down/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-16T13:16:30.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.negativewhite.com",
  "tags": [
    "a membership keeps it going"
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  "textContent": "As Young and Aspiring communicated in an email and later on its website on 16 March, the artist agency is shutting down: „It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you today that we have decided to cease operations at Young and Aspiring as of 31 May for health reasons.“\n\nThey further state: „Terms such as exhaustion-related depression, anxiety disorders, stress and burnout have long been commonplace in the music industry, yet the warning signs are all too often ignored, suppressed or even denied.“\n\nAlain Schurter and Arthur Londeix cite these mental health challenges as the main reason for the decision, believing that only such a hard cut may bring actual betterment. They also state the factors that led to these challenges:\n\n„The constant pressure, the feeling of being “always online and available”, the rapid technological developments and the resulting distancing of art from its human element gradually became a heavy burden for us. The stress that came with it eventually led us to associate our work with negative emotions. Where once a large, blazing fire burned within us, today only a small ember remains.“\n\nYoung and Aspiring will continue to manage their ongoing projects as usual until 31 May. Promoters who have booked shows with dates after May 2026 will, of course, be informed by the agency in due course about the next steps.\n\nYoung and Aspiring has been working with notable artists such as Jamila, Zoë Me, Mary Middlefield, Crimer, Moonpools, and Valentino Vivace.\n\n****The pressures that closed Young and Aspiring affect independent music media too.**** Negative White is entirely volunteer-run: no salaries, no advertisers. If you value coverage like this, a membership keeps it going, covering tools, hosting, and the infrastructure the team runs on.",
  "title": "Young and Aspiring is closing down",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-06T05:35:17.612Z"
}