diff --git a/alembic/versions/0d9b7f1c367f_add_status_and_error_fields_to_tts_table.py b/alembic/versions/0d9b7f1c367f_add_status_and_error_fields_to_tts_table.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66e8275
--- /dev/null
+++ b/alembic/versions/0d9b7f1c367f_add_status_and_error_fields_to_tts_table.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+"""Add status and error fields to TTS table
+
+Revision ID: 0d9b7f1c367f
+Revises: e617c155eea9
+Create Date: 2025-09-21 14:09:56.418372
+
+"""
+from typing import Sequence, Union
+
+from alembic import op
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision: str = '0d9b7f1c367f'
+down_revision: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = 'e617c155eea9'
+branch_labels: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+depends_on: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    """Upgrade schema."""
+    # ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
+    op.add_column('tts', sa.Column('status', sa.String(), nullable=False, server_default='pending'))
+    op.add_column('tts', sa.Column('error', sa.String(), nullable=True))
+    # ### end Alembic commands ###
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    """Downgrade schema."""
+    # ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
+    op.drop_column('tts', 'error')
+    op.drop_column('tts', 'status')
+    # ### end Alembic commands ###
diff --git a/app/api/v1/tts.py b/app/api/v1/tts.py
index 6021285..245351f 100644
--- a/app/api/v1/tts.py
+++ b/app/api/v1/tts.py
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ class TTSResponse(BaseModel):
     text: str
     provider: str
     options: dict[str, Any]
+    status: str
+    error: str | None
     sound_id: int | None
     user_id: int
     created_at: str
@@ -81,6 +83,8 @@ async def get_tts_list(
                 text=tts.text,
                 provider=tts.provider,
                 options=tts.options,
+                status=tts.status,
+                error=tts.error,
                 sound_id=tts.sound_id,
                 user_id=tts.user_id,
                 created_at=tts.created_at.isoformat(),
@@ -125,6 +129,8 @@ async def generate_tts(
                 text=tts_record.text,
                 provider=tts_record.provider,
                 options=tts_record.options,
+                status=tts_record.status,
+                error=tts_record.error,
                 sound_id=tts_record.sound_id,
                 user_id=tts_record.user_id,
                 created_at=tts_record.created_at.isoformat(),
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index fd1c422..a351fd7 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from app.core.logging import get_logger, setup_logging
 from app.core.services import app_services
 from app.middleware.logging import LoggingMiddleware
 from app.services.extraction_processor import extraction_processor
+from app.services.tts_processor import tts_processor
 from app.services.player import (
     get_player_service,
     initialize_player_service,
@@ -35,6 +36,10 @@ async def lifespan(_app: FastAPI) -> AsyncGenerator[None]:
     await extraction_processor.start()
     logger.info("Extraction processor started")
 
+    # Start the TTS processor
+    await tts_processor.start()
+    logger.info("TTS processor started")
+
     # Start the player service
     await initialize_player_service(get_session_factory())
     logger.info("Player service started")
@@ -65,6 +70,10 @@ async def lifespan(_app: FastAPI) -> AsyncGenerator[None]:
     await shutdown_player_service()
     logger.info("Player service stopped")
 
+    # Stop the TTS processor
+    await tts_processor.stop()
+    logger.info("TTS processor stopped")
+
     # Stop the extraction processor
     await extraction_processor.stop()
     logger.info("Extraction processor stopped")
diff --git a/app/models/tts.py b/app/models/tts.py
index 3dc1a66..830f087 100644
--- a/app/models/tts.py
+++ b/app/models/tts.py
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ class TTS(SQLModel, table=True):
         sa_column=Column(JSON),
         description="Provider-specific options used"
     )
+    status: str = Field(default="pending", description="Processing status")
+    error: str | None = Field(default=None, description="Error message if failed")
     sound_id: int | None = Field(foreign_key="sound.id", description="Associated sound ID")
     user_id: int = Field(foreign_key="user.id", description="User who created the TTS")
     created_at: datetime = Field(default_factory=datetime.utcnow)
diff --git a/app/services/tts/service.py b/app/services/tts/service.py
index 843ef29..4168192 100644
--- a/app/services/tts/service.py
+++ b/app/services/tts/service.py
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ class TTSService:
             text=text,
             provider=provider,
             options=options,
+            status="pending",
             sound_id=None,  # Will be set when processing completes
             user_id=user_id,
         )
@@ -108,9 +109,10 @@ class TTSService:
         await self.session.commit()
         await self.session.refresh(tts)
 
-        # Queue for background processing
+        # Queue for background processing using the TTS processor
         if tts.id is not None:
-            await self._queue_tts_processing(tts.id)
+            from app.services.tts_processor import tts_processor
+            await tts_processor.queue_tts(tts.id)
 
         return {"tts": tts, "message": "TTS generation queued successfully"}
 
@@ -401,4 +403,120 @@ class TTSService:
         if sound.normalized_filename:
             normalized_path = Path("sounds/normalized/text_to_speech") / sound.normalized_filename
             if normalized_path.exists():
-                normalized_path.unlink()
\ No newline at end of file
+                normalized_path.unlink()
+
+    async def get_pending_tts(self) -> list[TTS]:
+        """Get all pending TTS generations."""
+        stmt = select(TTS).where(TTS.status == "pending").order_by(TTS.created_at)
+        result = await self.session.exec(stmt)
+        return list(result.all())
+
+    async def mark_tts_processing(self, tts_id: int) -> None:
+        """Mark a TTS generation as processing."""
+        stmt = select(TTS).where(TTS.id == tts_id)
+        result = await self.session.exec(stmt)
+        tts = result.first()
+        if tts:
+            tts.status = "processing"
+            self.session.add(tts)
+            await self.session.commit()
+
+    async def mark_tts_completed(self, tts_id: int, sound_id: int) -> None:
+        """Mark a TTS generation as completed."""
+        stmt = select(TTS).where(TTS.id == tts_id)
+        result = await self.session.exec(stmt)
+        tts = result.first()
+        if tts:
+            tts.status = "completed"
+            tts.sound_id = sound_id
+            tts.error = None
+            self.session.add(tts)
+            await self.session.commit()
+
+    async def mark_tts_failed(self, tts_id: int, error_message: str) -> None:
+        """Mark a TTS generation as failed."""
+        stmt = select(TTS).where(TTS.id == tts_id)
+        result = await self.session.exec(stmt)
+        tts = result.first()
+        if tts:
+            tts.status = "failed"
+            tts.error = error_message
+            self.session.add(tts)
+            await self.session.commit()
+
+    async def reset_stuck_tts(self) -> int:
+        """Reset stuck TTS generations from processing back to pending."""
+        stmt = select(TTS).where(TTS.status == "processing")
+        result = await self.session.exec(stmt)
+        stuck_tts = list(result.all())
+
+        for tts in stuck_tts:
+            tts.status = "pending"
+            tts.error = None
+            self.session.add(tts)
+
+        await self.session.commit()
+        return len(stuck_tts)
+
+    async def process_tts_generation(self, tts_id: int) -> None:
+        """Process a TTS generation (used by the processor)."""
+        # Mark as processing
+        await self.mark_tts_processing(tts_id)
+
+        try:
+            # Get the TTS record
+            stmt = select(TTS).where(TTS.id == tts_id)
+            result = await self.session.exec(stmt)
+            tts = result.first()
+
+            if not tts:
+                raise ValueError(f"TTS with ID {tts_id} not found")
+
+            # Generate the TTS
+            sound = await self._generate_tts_sync(
+                tts.text,
+                tts.provider,
+                tts.user_id,
+                tts.options,
+            )
+
+            # Capture sound ID before session issues
+            sound_id = sound.id
+
+            # Mark as completed
+            await self.mark_tts_completed(tts_id, sound_id)
+
+            # Emit socket event for completion
+            await self._emit_tts_event("tts_completed", tts_id, sound_id)
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Mark as failed
+            await self.mark_tts_failed(tts_id, str(e))
+
+            # Emit socket event for failure
+            await self._emit_tts_event("tts_failed", tts_id, None, str(e))
+            raise
+
+    async def _emit_tts_event(self, event: str, tts_id: int, sound_id: int | None = None, error: str | None = None) -> None:
+        """Emit a socket event for TTS status change."""
+        try:
+            from app.services.socket import socket_manager
+            from app.core.logging import get_logger
+
+            logger = get_logger(__name__)
+
+            data = {
+                "tts_id": tts_id,
+                "sound_id": sound_id,
+            }
+            if error:
+                data["error"] = error
+
+            logger.info(f"Emitting TTS socket event: {event} with data: {data}")
+            await socket_manager.broadcast_to_all(event, data)
+            logger.info(f"Successfully emitted TTS socket event: {event}")
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Don't fail TTS processing if socket emission fails
+            from app.core.logging import get_logger
+            logger = get_logger(__name__)
+            logger.error(f"Failed to emit TTS socket event {event}: {e}", exc_info=True)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/services/tts_processor.py b/app/services/tts_processor.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1497568
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/tts_processor.py
@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+"""Background TTS processor for handling TTS generation queue."""
+
+import asyncio
+import contextlib
+
+from sqlmodel.ext.asyncio.session import AsyncSession
+
+from app.core.config import settings
+from app.core.database import engine
+from app.core.logging import get_logger
+from app.services.tts import TTSService
+
+logger = get_logger(__name__)
+
+
+class TTSProcessor:
+    """Background processor for handling TTS generation queue with concurrency control."""
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        """Initialize the TTS processor."""
+        self.max_concurrent = getattr(settings, 'TTS_MAX_CONCURRENT', 3)
+        self.running_tts: set[int] = set()
+        self.processing_lock = asyncio.Lock()
+        self.shutdown_event = asyncio.Event()
+        self.processor_task: asyncio.Task | None = None
+
+        logger.info(
+            "Initialized TTS processor with max concurrent: %d",
+            self.max_concurrent,
+        )
+
+    async def start(self) -> None:
+        """Start the background TTS processor."""
+        if self.processor_task and not self.processor_task.done():
+            logger.warning("TTS processor is already running")
+            return
+
+        # Reset any stuck TTS generations from previous runs
+        await self._reset_stuck_tts()
+
+        self.shutdown_event.clear()
+        self.processor_task = asyncio.create_task(self._process_queue())
+        logger.info("Started TTS processor")
+
+    async def stop(self) -> None:
+        """Stop the background TTS processor."""
+        logger.info("Stopping TTS processor...")
+        self.shutdown_event.set()
+
+        if self.processor_task and not self.processor_task.done():
+            try:
+                await asyncio.wait_for(self.processor_task, timeout=30.0)
+            except TimeoutError:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "TTS processor did not stop gracefully, cancelling...",
+                )
+                self.processor_task.cancel()
+                with contextlib.suppress(asyncio.CancelledError):
+                    await self.processor_task
+
+        logger.info("TTS processor stopped")
+
+    async def queue_tts(self, tts_id: int) -> None:
+        """Queue a TTS generation for processing."""
+        async with self.processing_lock:
+            if tts_id not in self.running_tts:
+                logger.info("Queued TTS %d for processing", tts_id)
+                # The processor will pick it up on the next cycle
+            else:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "TTS %d is already being processed",
+                    tts_id,
+                )
+
+    async def _process_queue(self) -> None:
+        """Process the TTS queue in the main processing loop."""
+        logger.info("Starting TTS queue processor")
+
+        while not self.shutdown_event.is_set():
+            try:
+                await self._process_pending_tts()
+
+                # Wait before checking for new TTS generations
+                try:
+                    await asyncio.wait_for(self.shutdown_event.wait(), timeout=5.0)
+                    break  # Shutdown requested
+                except TimeoutError:
+                    continue  # Continue processing
+
+            except Exception:
+                logger.exception("Error in TTS queue processor")
+                # Wait a bit before retrying to avoid tight error loops
+                try:
+                    await asyncio.wait_for(self.shutdown_event.wait(), timeout=10.0)
+                    break  # Shutdown requested
+                except TimeoutError:
+                    continue
+
+        logger.info("TTS queue processor stopped")
+
+    async def _process_pending_tts(self) -> None:
+        """Process pending TTS generations up to the concurrency limit."""
+        async with self.processing_lock:
+            # Check how many slots are available
+            available_slots = self.max_concurrent - len(self.running_tts)
+
+            if available_slots <= 0:
+                return  # No available slots
+
+            # Get pending TTS generations from database
+            async with AsyncSession(engine) as session:
+                tts_service = TTSService(session)
+                pending_tts = await tts_service.get_pending_tts()
+
+                # Filter out TTS that are already being processed
+                available_tts = [
+                    tts
+                    for tts in pending_tts
+                    if tts.id not in self.running_tts
+                ]
+
+                # Start processing up to available slots
+                tts_to_start = available_tts[:available_slots]
+
+                for tts in tts_to_start:
+                    tts_id = tts.id
+                    self.running_tts.add(tts_id)
+
+                    # Start processing this TTS in the background
+                    task = asyncio.create_task(
+                        self._process_single_tts(tts_id),
+                    )
+                    task.add_done_callback(
+                        lambda t, tid=tts_id: self._on_tts_completed(
+                            tid,
+                            t,
+                        ),
+                    )
+
+                    logger.info(
+                        "Started processing TTS %d (%d/%d slots used)",
+                        tts_id,
+                        len(self.running_tts),
+                        self.max_concurrent,
+                    )
+
+    async def _process_single_tts(self, tts_id: int) -> None:
+        """Process a single TTS generation."""
+        try:
+            async with AsyncSession(engine) as session:
+                tts_service = TTSService(session)
+                await tts_service.process_tts_generation(tts_id)
+                logger.info("Successfully processed TTS %d", tts_id)
+
+        except Exception:
+            logger.exception("Failed to process TTS %d", tts_id)
+            # Mark TTS as failed in database
+            try:
+                async with AsyncSession(engine) as session:
+                    tts_service = TTSService(session)
+                    await tts_service.mark_tts_failed(tts_id, "Processing failed")
+            except Exception:
+                logger.exception("Failed to mark TTS %d as failed", tts_id)
+
+    def _on_tts_completed(self, tts_id: int, task: asyncio.Task) -> None:
+        """Handle completion of a TTS processing task."""
+        self.running_tts.discard(tts_id)
+
+        if task.exception():
+            logger.error(
+                "TTS processing task %d failed: %s",
+                tts_id,
+                task.exception(),
+            )
+        else:
+            logger.info("TTS processing task %d completed successfully", tts_id)
+
+    async def _reset_stuck_tts(self) -> None:
+        """Reset any TTS generations that were stuck in 'processing' state."""
+        try:
+            async with AsyncSession(engine) as session:
+                tts_service = TTSService(session)
+                reset_count = await tts_service.reset_stuck_tts()
+                if reset_count > 0:
+                    logger.info("Reset %d stuck TTS generations", reset_count)
+                else:
+                    logger.info("No stuck TTS generations found to reset")
+        except Exception:
+            logger.exception("Failed to reset stuck TTS generations")
+
+
+# Global TTS processor instance
+tts_processor = TTSProcessor()
\ No newline at end of file