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#LetTheMusicMove campaign comment after today’s appearance of Lord Frost at the DCMS Select Committee session on EU visa arrangements for creative workers

“Today’s Select Committee session will do little to soothe the growing concerns of the UK’s artists, musicians and live music businesses. While we continue to suffer the catastrophic impacts of COVID, many are now in open despair at the Government’s disturbing lack of urgency to address a range of Brexit-related bureaucracy and costs that will make EU touring almost prohibitively expensive and burdensome.

“Despite being told by the Prime Minister in March that Lord Frost was dealing with these issues and would ‘fix it’, we’re still left with only crumbs of additional information and absolutely no update on the kind of transitional support package that will be vital for music businesses to operate in the short-term. To put this in context, the UK’s £1bn fishing industry has received £23m to adjust to new red tape. As it stands, our £6bn world beating music industry is being hung out to dry. It feels like a complete abdication of responsibility.” 

About: 

Launched on June 23rd 2021, #LetTheMusicMove is an artist-led music industry campaign instigated by the Featured Artists Coalition and the Music Managers Forum pushing for a reduction in the costs and red tape faced by UK musicians and UK music businesses when full-scale live touring of Europe resumes

More than 1,000 artists are now backing the campaign, including Little Mix, Orbital, Olly Murs, Sampha, Sleaford Mods, Alison Moyet, Nubian Twist, Bicep, AlunaGeorge, Niall Horan, Wolf Alice, Annie Lennox, Biffy Clyro, IDLES, Poppy Ajudha, Radiohead, Anna Calvi, Skunk Anansie, Laura Marling, Faithless, Everything Everything, Graeme Park, Bob Geldof, Katie Melua, Editors, Mark Knopfler, Two Door Cinema Club, Mr Scruff, Kelli-Leigh, Ward Thomas, New Order, Rick Astley, Ghostpoet, Midge Ure, Glasvegas, Anna Meredith, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Nina Nesbitt, Keane, Erland Cooper, The Chemical Brothers, Matthew Herbert, Portishead, Blur’s David Rowntree, Gilles Peterson, Jack Garratt, Dave Okumu, Bill Ryder-Jones, Peggy Seeger, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and many, many others.

The campaign is calling on Government to deliver four immediate actions to help avoid an impending crisis:

• An urgent Transitional Support Package to cover new and additional costs for touring artists and crews in the EU

• Measures to overcome restrictive “cabotage” rules on UK vehicles touring Europe

• A viable long-term plan for UK artists and crew to continue working in all EU-27 countries, without costly permits and bureaucracy

• To ensure European artists have reciprocal freedoms and access to perform at UK venues and festivals

For further information, please see www.letthemusicmove.org