You may have seen the piece by The Independent come up elsewhere. The government are blaming the EU, the EU are blaming the government. Let’s hope the whole sorry mess is sorted by the time sufficient vaccine has been administered to allow venues to open again.
The government could have allowed Visa free tours for musicians but said no
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Utter, utter bastards. This is to prevent any form of immigration at all, and takes away a huge amount of joy for musicians. I’m lucky enough to have played in France, Spain and Italy – never a big money-making venture, but very rewarding to see new places, drink the local drinks and meet people who first bought our records when they were teenagers.
This will also savagely impact the huge national earnings from music – without grassroots venues to tour, there will be fewer bands big enough to fill Earls Court or Wembley or Hampden.
it’s just spiteful, isn’t it?
Yep. Pure, simple nasty spite.
Not in my name.
The Musicians Union are very unhappy about both the Government’s actions and the reporting of this issue by the press.
Visas are not the only issue here. Probably not even the most important factor.
Permits to work, the reintroduction of Carnets and taxes on merchandise are the main problems.
Then there is the amount of paperwork required and the time spent dealing with all the bureaucracy.
Being able to travel to EU countries is of no use if you cannot work once you are there. Work permits are now going to be necessary for each individual country you and your crew visit. Each EU country can impose their own terms for issue of work permits to non-EU nationals.
Every instrument and item of equipment you bring into each separate country must be listed on an official document called a Carnet, which has to be checked and verified before departure by HM Customs, for a fee, and a bond lodged against items being missing on return. Each individual EU country can check what you carry with you against the Carnet on entry and exit. Undocumented items can result in you being denied entry. Missing items on exit can mean you having to pay tax on them.
Merchandise may be subject to import tax on entry and could be taxable if sold at gigs.
Anyone who says carnets are just paperwork hasn’t actually had to deal with either preparing one, preparing the equipment or presenting one at a border. If the live music, or indeed, live events industry ever gets going again, this will be a major ball ache.
A carnet will cost around £500 without all the hassle and the potential for extra costs. Scandalous that it wasnt addressed but no surprise when Rishi Sunak suggests people in entertainment industry should look to other sectors for work. Morons.
All that fuss about fish, yet no concern for live music which is worth at least 5 times more to the economy, let alone conferences and exhibitions which will also suffer under the same regulations.
Probably expected them to retrain as fishermen, though from what I read they’re none too happy too
“F*ck business”
I rest my case.
Making matters even worse are cabotage regulations that mean the UK registered lorries acts need to carry their equipment can apparently only make two stops in the EU within a seven day period.
With the UK£111 billion – almost UK£6 billion of it from music – creative industries generate for the UK’s GDP second only to finance, this is a real slap in the face for the performing arts.
I get the impression the sticking point is the length of time that working visas are to be valid for. The UK government want to limit them to 30 days with an exception for artistic and creative ventures but the EU want 90 days for everyone moving to and fro on business and don’t want exceptions to a general rule, in order to keep things simple to administer.
The burden of administration of a deal with exemptions is much greater for the EU than it is for the UK, because currently each EU state has it’s own rules regarding cultural and artistic ventures involving people from outside the EU. The UK wants a deal with the EU as a whole.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55616860?fbclid=IwAR3eg65TT8SL5Wd1O0KADTqf-eHsCSehF_m0h0YRh3PF7JXw_W-7q_INla4
“Pressure mounts …” but still no resolution in sight.
The EU offered but the UK would not reciprocate because “they were ending freedom of movement”
I’m expecting an increase in local tribute bands, Festival line-ups to be very similar (if not exactly the same), and – due to the “UK vehicles must return after visiting 2 member states – specific French, German, Italian, Spanish Tours rather than a big European event.
The big bands backed by big promoters may be OK as they can afford regional haulage, but what about the smaller bands who are doing it on a (tight) budget and lobbing the gear into a van and touring Eurotoilets.
Weltschmerz-hitmaker Fish has posted on his Facebook page about the implications of Brexit (and, not surprisingly, Corona) for musicians – and the audience, inevitably.
If you have half an hour (it’s a very long post…) read his »The First Whammy« article and weep.
Andrew Rawnsley today:
I smiled to see that Roger Daltrey, the Leave-supporting lead singer of the Who, has joined the chorus of rock stars furious that the post-Brexit visa rules will ruin their prospects of touring across the Channel. Mr Daltrey will have to sing Won’t Get Fooled Again to himself before moving on to Boris the Spider and I Can’t Explain.
This will make no difference to The Who as the visa/carnet/extra trucking and work permit costs will be either absorbed or passed on in higher ticket prices. As predicted, Brexit supporters don’t like what they voted for, despite being told what the likely outcome would be.
Has anybody heard anyone actually say “things have got better since B***it”?
As I made my lunch today, I had Radio 4’s Food Programme on the kitchen radio. A chorus of fishermen complaining that the deal actually gives them only 8% more catch (after 5 years) but they have lost most of their trade now due to export delays and customs fees. I refrained from shouting “I told you so” at the radio, but only just…
More Or Less last week also debunked a minister’s claim that Brexit would increase British fishing quotas by a third. It was actually 8%. I’m tired of all the bullshit and lies.
More Or Less is essential listening. It’s a shame all the Leave voters were not listening to it in 2016.
What is it with you people and the “fishing” stuff? How many fishermen are there in the UK?
Better read what “the” Fish has to say (see above).
Oh, practically everybody. Hence all the f888ing shanties.