Touring and Mental Health: the Music Industry Manual

Now available as an audiobook – the acclaimed mental health manual for life on the road.

A Rough Trade Book of the Year, Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual is the definitive guide for artists, crew and professionals working in live music who want to protect their health while touring.

Edited by psychotherapist and former tour manager Tamsin Embleton, this comprehensive and accessible audiobook brings together clinical guidance, cutting-edge research, and practical strategies to help listeners understand and cope with the psychological, physical and relational challenges of touring. Topics include mental health, performance anxiety, addiction, group dynamics, relationships, diversity and inclusion, physical health, crisis management and post-tour recovery.

Narrated by Laura Howard (Midsomer Murders), with meditation exercises by Rob Da Bank and an epigraph by Nick Cave, the audiobook features powerful original audio from interviews with artists and professionals including Nile Rodgers, Philip Selway (Radiohead), Charles Thompson (Pixies), Katie Melua, Will Young, Pharoahe Monch, Justin Hawkins, Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), Laura Marling, Taylor Hanson, Emma Banks, Tina Farris, Jake Berry, and many more.

Whether listening in a tour bus bunk, walking the venue, or on long drives, this is a vital resource for those navigating the intensity of touring life.


“I wish this book had been around when I first started touring … It should be the first thing we all pack when we head out on the road.” – Philip Selway (Radiohead)

“It’s like having a therapist in your back pocket.” – Siobhan Donaghy (Sugababes)

'the perfect book, at the perfect time' – Marty Hom (Tour Manager Fleetwood Mac, Shakira)

“A must-read for the modern musician.” – Madame Gandhi