More than 200 UK acts including the Chemical Brothers, Kano and Wolf Alice back Let the Music Move initiative, calling for financial help and cutting red tape for EU tours.
British music acts including Radiohead, the Chemical Brothers, Biffy Clyro and Annie Lennox are calling on the UK government to offer financial support to help artists tour the EU post-Brexit.
The terms of the Brexit agreement mean that performing artists of all kinds must now have work permits to earn money from gigs in EU countries, and have a “carnet” that allows the transport of goods such as musical instruments across borders.
Touring vehicles registered in the UK are now only able to make three stops in the EU before returning home, making multi-stop tours unviable. Previously UK companies and artists could earn money across the EU unimpeded.
Supporting the new initiative Let the Music Move, more than 200 artists want the UK government “to do more to support the future of the music industry, and mitigate the Brexit-related impacts of restrictions, costs and delays on European touring”. Other musicians giving their backing include New Order, Little Mix, Niall Horan, Wolf Alice, Idles, Kano, Peggy Seeger and Nitin Sawhney.
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits said: “To take a van with your gear and perform across Europe is an essential start for the careers of many UK musicians. Without immediate government action to address the bureaucratic barriers put in place since 1 January, a whole generation of musicians will simply not be able to start or continue their touring careers.”
Skin, of Skunk Anansie, said: “After the extreme financial impact of the pandemic, [EU] touring can, and will be, the lifesaver for many bands, artists and crews.”
As well as a short-term “transitional support package” to help artists fund the expense of the new paperwork, the initiative calls for a renegotiation on touring, or at least new bilateral agreements with each country that will reduce the costs and red tape.
[Ben Beaumont-Thomas/The Guardian – original article]
[Picture – The Guardian/Getty]
