An essential guide for touring musicians is on its way.
Videos by American Songwriter
For help in identifying and handling the various physical and mental difficulties that come with being on the road, Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual will provide a how-to for artists and live music industry workers alike.
A synopsis explains the 600-plus-page book – a compendium edited by psychotherapist and former booker Tamsin Embleton – will cover everything from mental health, performance anxiety, and addiction to physical health, crisis management, post-tour recovery, and more.
Through insights collected from health experts, performance professionals, and touring artists this manual acts as a one-stop resource for those on the road. Artists featured in the guide include Nile Rodgers, the Darkness’ Justin Hawkins, Radiohead’s Philip Selway, Katie Melua, Tina Farris, and Hanson’s Taylor Hanson.
“Touring and Mental Health is designed to be picked up, put down, read at length and passed around the tour bus,” a description of the book reads. Arriving on March 23 to provide industry workers with sound advice, practical strategies, informative illustrations, and more, this release is a timely and crucial one.
Last year saw a disproportionate amount of tour cancelations from artists across genres, age groups, and skill and experience levels. Many performers cited a decline in their mental health, burnout from being overworked, exhausted, and in demand, as well as the pressures of returning to the road after the pandemic.
American Songwriter examined today’s touring landscape, questioning “whether the old ways of touring are still sustainable or if post-pandemic touring is asking too much in the name of normalcy.”
“While on tour, constant fatigue and subsequent insomnia can lead to irritability, depression, and an increased vulnerability to illnesses,” the piece reads. “The reality is touring puts an intense amount of stress on the body. That reality of touring in a post-pandemic environment is only intensified as show dates are multiplied and month-long stints are milked for everything they’re worth. All the while, the pressure to bounce back after two years without performances only escalates.”
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