Indie
Radiohead’s Philip Selway backs new mental health fund supporting small touring teams
Radiohead drummer Philip Selway has joined major industry partners in funding a new programme offering free mental health support to artists and crew on small and mid‑scale tours.
Radiohead’s Philip Selway has thrown his weight behind a major new mental health initiative aimed at helping the artists and crew who often feel the strain the most - those working on small and mid‑scale tours.
The Music Industry Therapist Collective CIC (MITC) has unveiled the Pay It Forward Fund, a scheme designed to give touring teams free access to specialist support normally reserved for big‑budget productions.
MITC says life on the road can push people to breaking point, with smaller tours facing the harshest conditions: tighter budgets, long travel days, lean crews and little room to breathe.
While top‑tier tours increasingly offer welfare staff, many smaller teams are left to cope alone.
The Pay It Forward Fund aims to change that by covering the cost of proper occupational health support for those who would never be able to afford it.
A hefty £272,000 has already been raised to support 50 tour teams a year during a three‑year pilot. Alongside Selway, the fund has attracted backing from AEG International, d+b audiotechnik, Fly By Nite, Live Nation, The Team, Universal Pixels, Lockton and Live Free 999 - the foundation created by Carmela Wallace, mother of the late rapper Juice WRLD.
Each funded team receives MITC’s Tour Health package, including 24/7 access to confidential Tour Check‑Ins with trained practitioners who understand the chaos of touring life.
Crew can use the service to decompress after a rough day, talk through tensions, rethink coping habits or figure out their next move - no diagnosis or therapy history needed.
The package also includes a 90‑minute consultation with Touring Welfare Officer Sascha Heeney, Healthy Touring workshops, performance and communication resources, and MITC’s audiobook Touring and Mental Health: the Music Industry Manual.
MITC founder Tamsin Embleton says the fund is about catching problems early, not waiting for crisis.
Operations Director Laura Newton adds that wellbeing should be treated like any other essential safety measure: “You wouldn’t send a rigger 50 ft into the air without a harness.”
Applications are open now for tours running between October and December 2026, closing September 30.
Eligible teams can apply HERE.
