New York, NY (January 10, 2023)—While 2022 was a bumper year for the concert touring world, one of the biggest industry concerns of the year was not COVID or crew shortages or even counting up all the profits. It was mental health. After a few years of being forced off the road, artists and crews alike found themselves working through often punishing tour schedules in order to meet explosive ticket demand and also to try and make up for the financial losses of 2020 and 2021. For many, the extreme pressure proved to be too much and a number of high-profile tours had to cancel dates or entire tour legs. Now with the 2023 tour season looming in the not-so-distant future, it is all too appropriate that a new book, Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual, will debut from Omnibus Press on March 23, aiming to help those facing the juggernaut of the road once again.
Intended for touring musicians and others working in live music, the book aims to help readers identify and cope with physical and psychological difficulties that can manifest due to touring. Topics covered will include mental health, peak performance and performance anxiety, addiction, group dynamics, relationship problems, dealing with the media, physical health, diversity and inclusion, crisis management and post-tour recovery.
On The Road With Wu-Tang Clan, Nas & Busta Rhymes
Drawing on input from a variety of health and performance professionals, readers can reportedly expect to find clinical advice, research, practical strategies, resources and more in its pages. Helping to provide insights through real-world examples, the book also features insights and recollections from veteran touring pros, including co-founder of the Event Safety Alliance Jim Digby; tour managers Tina Farris, Trevor Williams and Angie Warner; production managers Jake Berry and Dale ‘Opie’ Skjerseth; artists Nile Rodgers, Justin Hawkins, Philip Selway, Katie Melua, Kieran Hebden (AKA Four Tet), Will Young, Taylor Hanson, Lauren Mayberry and Pharoahe Monch; and others.
The 640-page paperback is edited by Tamsin Embleton BA (Hons), MA, MBACP, a UK-based psychodynamic psychotherapist. A member of Music Industry Therapist Collective, Emberton knows the live music industry well, having spent a decade variously working as a venue, festival and event booker, grants advisor, artist manager and tour manager.
