Live Nation UK Backs Mental Health Fund for Smaller Touring Artists and Crews

Live Nation UK is backing a new £272,000 ($369,000) fund designed to bring free mental health and occupational health services to artists and crews on small- and mid-scale tours that may not otherwise have the resources to provide that support.

The Pay It Forward Fund, created by the Music Industry Therapist Collective, or MITC, will provide complete Tour Health packages to as many as 50 touring teams each year during a three-year pilot program. That puts the program on track to support as many as 150 tours.

Unlike programs focused solely on performers, Pay It Forward is intended to cover the broader touring team. Successful applicants will receive a Healthy Touring workshop, an occupational health consultation for tour leaders, 10 confidential Tour Check-In sessions available around the clock, practical educational resources and access to MITC’s “Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual” audiobook.

The program is aimed at closing what MITC describes as a gap between the pressures experienced across the touring business and the level of health support available to productions with smaller budgets.

Live Nation UK said its participation reflects the demands faced throughout the live entertainment workforce. “Live Nation relies on an incredible ecosystem of artists, crew, production staff, promoters, venue workers and freelancers to make live events happen,” the company said. “Touring is hugely rewarding, but long hours, constant travel and time away from home can be physically and emotionally demanding.”

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The promoter said working with MITC would help make practical mental health support more readily available to people on the road while contributing to a more sustainable touring industry.

MITC founder Tamsin Embleton said the program is also intended to move mental health support upstream rather than treating it solely as a response to a crisis.

“The Pay It Forward Fund is about making specialist support accessible to tours working within tight budgets,” Embleton said, adding that the organization wants touring teams to develop tools for recognizing and addressing mounting pressure before problems become more serious.

MITC says the program grew out of an existing practice among artists using its services. Some artists who did not use all of their allotted Tour Check-In sessions chose to pay those sessions forward so they could be made available to people working on tours with fewer resources.

That concept eventually became the basis for a broader industry-funded program.

Support is structured across three levels. Tour and production managers receive an occupational health consultation examining working conditions, preparation and potential pressure points. The broader touring team participates in a workshop focused on issues including recovery, communication and managing life on the road. Individual crew members and artists can then use the confidential Tour Check-In sessions before, during or after the tour.

Applications are now open internationally for eligible tours beginning between October and December 2026. The first application window closes September 30.