Musicians dealing with “unnecessary red tape” due to Brexit

The London Assembly, the 25-member cross-party body tasked with holding the Mayor of London to account, has today written to the Mayor to highlight the issues facing musicians and other touring artists following UK’s departure from the EU. There is a real worry that artists from both the UK and countries in the EU will need working visas to allow them to perform which will lead to a costly administrative burden.

The letter from the EU Exit Working Group highlights that the Free Trade Agreement does not include the required regulations for musicians and other artists to go freely between the UK and the EU when touring.

With live music accounting for around 20 per cent of the £5.8 billion contributed to the UK’s economy by the music industry, and the importance of live events to London’s cultural offering, there is an economic argument to allow musicians to travel freely between the two regions.

In 2019, before the pandemic hit, music tourists spent £1.2 billion in London, with Yorkshire and the Humber, Scotland, and North East economies also benefiting from visitors attending gigs. ^[2]

The letter raises several other concerns including:

• Possible long-term impact of immigration rules on the health and care sector workforce
• The need for London to play to its strengths and ensure the city remains an attractive place for people to visit, live and do business, particularly for those in the financial sector
• The impact of the new immigration rules and supply chain issues on the construction industry

Len Duvall OBE AM, Chair of the EU Exit Working Group said,

“There has been a lot of criticism from high-profile artists in both the UK and Europe about the impact of Brexit on musicians. Concerts and other live events bring so much joy to people’s lives, something we have all been missing in one way or another since the start of the pandemic. The issue of working visas for big artists must be noted but the unnecessary red tape will take a massive toll on the less-known artists or those who are just starting out in their careers.

“Not only does the culture industry bring millions of pounds into the UK economy every year, but it’s also a big part of what makes London a great city to visit, work and live in. Putting the pandemic aside, London is usually buzzing most nights of the week with different concerts, plays, and musicals taking place from Stratford to Ealing. The Mayor must stand up not only for Londoners but for artists around the UK and EU by lobbying the Government to allow musicians to continue to tour freely between the UK and Europe.”