I’ve lost friends in this industry to suicide. Not acquaintances — friends. People I worked with, shared tour buses with, stood side of stage with. And while the conversation about mental health in the music industry has improved over the past decade, the structural support available to the people who work in live entertainment is still nowhere near adequate.

This is personal for me, and I make no apologies for the directness of what follows.

The reality of the work

Live entertainment work is physically demanding, socially isolating, financially unstable, and psychologically intense. Tour managers spend weeks away from home. Sound engineers work through the night. Promoters carry enormous financial risk with every show. Venue staff deal with intoxicated, aggressive crowds. And artists perform under conditions of emotional vulnerability that few other professions require.

The irregular hours disrupt sleep patterns. The constant travel disrupts relationships. The project-based nature of the work creates persistent financial anxiety. And the culture of the industry — the “show must go on” mentality, the normalisation of alcohol and substance use, the expectation that you’ll just push through — discourages people from seeking help when they need it.

What exists now

Australia has some organisations doing important work in this space. Support Act provides crisis relief, mental health support, and wellbeing services specifically for people in the music industry. Entertainment Assist offers confidential counselling and support services. Both deserve far more funding than they receive.

Beyond these specialist organisations, the general mental health support infrastructure — GPs, psychologists, crisis services — is available but often poorly suited to the realities of live entertainment work. Try scheduling a regular therapy appointment when your work schedule changes every week. Try accessing a crisis service at 2am in a regional town after a show.

What’s missing

Embedded support at events. Major festivals should have mental health support available on-site for crew and artists, not just first aid for audience members. The physical health infrastructure at events is extensive. The mental health infrastructure is typically non-existent.

Industry-wide standards for working conditions. Maximum consecutive working days, minimum rest periods, reasonable call times — these standards exist in other industries and should exist in ours. The culture of 18-hour days during bump-in is not a point of pride; it’s a health hazard.

Accessible, flexible mental health services. Services designed around the irregular schedules and transient lifestyle of entertainment workers. Telehealth has improved access, but more needs to be done to create services that fit how this industry actually works.

Open conversation without career consequences. Despite progress, there’s still a fear in the industry that admitting to mental health struggles will cost you work. Tour managers who say they’re struggling might not get the next tour. Artists who cancel shows for mental health reasons face financial penalties and reputational damage. This stigma is the biggest barrier to people getting help.

What the industry should do

Fund Support Act and Entertainment Assist properly. These organisations are doing essential work on shoestring budgets. The major companies in the live entertainment industry — promoters, venue groups, ticketing companies — should fund them at a level that matches the scale of the problem.

Implement wellbeing policies. Every company in the live entertainment industry should have a documented mental health and wellbeing policy. Not a poster on the wall — a genuine set of practices that include reasonable working hours, access to support services, and clear processes for when someone is struggling.

Train managers and leaders. Tour managers, production managers, venue managers — anyone in a leadership role — should have mental health first aid training. They’re the people most likely to notice when someone is struggling and best placed to offer initial support.

Normalise the conversation. Share stories. Talk about your own experiences. Make it clear that struggling is human, not weak. The more visible and normal these conversations become, the less stigma there is around seeking help.

A personal note

I’ve worked through burnout, grief, anxiety, and periods of genuine despair during my career in this industry. For most of that time, I didn’t talk about it because the culture told me it was a weakness. I wasted years that could have been better if I’d asked for help earlier.

If you’re reading this and you’re struggling, please reach out. Support Act’s helpline is available at 1300 731 303. Lifeline is 13 11 14. Beyond Blue is 1300 22 4636. You don’t have to be in crisis to call. You just have to be human.

The show will go on. But it means nothing if the people behind it aren’t okay.