Touring Industry To Tackle Mental Health with Non-Profit ‘Tour Support’ Intiative
Tour Support, a new nonprofit program to provide mental health support to artists, crews and vendors in the music touring industry. Live Nation, Friends at Work and WME are launch partners as are artists including John Legend, Steve Aoki, MARINA, Grace VanderWaal and Rick Springfield.Tour Support is a new division of LightHopeLife, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit suicide prevention and awareness foundation, aimed at the current mental health crisis among touring professionals as evidenced by an alarming number of suicides in recent years.
The urgency of the has led to key industry players rallying to make Tour Support a potent and immediate force so that nobody in the touring world will need to feel isolated and unsupported.
Artists, roadies and other touring personnel have been sharing their experiences and feelings about the mental health crises they’ve witnessed firsthand in the Tour Support video.
Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino says, “Artists and crews spend their lives on the road, bringing shows to life for fans around the world. But that dedication can come with sacrifice. It’s critical that we provide support to ensure that everyone can maintain sound mind and body while on the road. Live Nation is proud to join in providing new resources for mental health and wellness for the behind-the-scenes heroes who make it all happen.”
LightHopeLife founder and CEO, Michael Rexford, also music partner at the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, says, “Mental illness has long been relegated to the dark, unseen recesses of society, and isolation is the worst thing that someone who is struggling with feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and any number of other troubling feelings or conditions can experience, which only exacerbates the underlying problems. My own experience with suicidal ideation, combined with my longstanding involvement in the music industry and my time as a volunteer suicide prevention crisis line counselor, made it clear to me that I was uniquely positioned to bring a level of attention and impact to this crushing problem.”
Learn more, donate and get connected to Tour Support here.
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