Brexit and musicians/performers and the touring industry: news, updates and experiences

[editor]

Following on from this huge and constantly disrupted thread about Brexit and musicians, this is a new thread purely for discussing the impact of Brexit on musicians/performers and the touring industry.

Updates, tips and news are welcomed and frustrated musicians are free to vent about the negative impact Brexit had had on their livelihood (and on any positive impact, if they can find any).

Anyone posting up off topic material - or generally fucking about and disrupting the discussion - will be kicked off the thread because there are plenty of other Brexit threads to talk about unrelated matters.

*Last paragraph clarified

 

[editor]

In the latest news, the UK government has agreed to temporarily suspend post-Brexit rules for some music truckers following a number of tour cancellations and delays.

Speaking to Billboard, a government spokesperson said: “This is a temporary exceptional measure which will ensure that our world-leading creative and cultural artists can continue to tour widely.”

However, the government still has no long-term plan in place beyond this temporary measure. It also comes with significant caveats – including the fact that it only applies to UK based trucking firms who also have EU registered fleets. Those who don’t will still suffer as a result of the rules.

Likewise, trucking firms with EU bases won’t benefit from the relaxations either. They are only permitted three stops in the UK before returning home to the EU once more.

Small bands are still fucked though:

“We keep hearing strange things from bands, such as being told that they’re not allowed a passenger ticket on a splitter van and that they have to buy a freight ticket instead – which is three times the price,” Coldrick recently told NME. “Musicians have also been told that if they’re carrying portable instruments then they’d be OK without a carnet, and then we heard from the Musicians’ Union that one of their members had been fined £150 at the French border for not having a carnet.”

UK temporarily suspends post-Brexit rules for some music truckers

The UK government has agreed to temporarily suspend post-Brexit rules for some music truckers following a number of delays.

www.nme.com

 

[editor]

Interestingly:

Coldrick argued that “a lot of what’s been going on has got nothing to do with P&O”, and was down to unnecessary Brexit-related bureaucracy. “We’ve also heard from people filling out all of their paperwork correctly and sending their merch out to Germany for a tour to go on sale, but then it randomly getting stopped at Rotterdam and not getting to its destination until the tour dates have ended,” she said. “They can’t sell it, so that’s a huge loss of money.”

And here's another way bands and labels are being adversely affected:

Touring aside, UK independent artists and labels are also experiencing the devastatingly “outrageous” impact and “spiralling costs” of sending music products and merchandise to Europe in the wake of Brexit – leading to more huge losses of income.

UK temporarily suspends post-Brexit rules for some music truckers

The UK government has agreed to temporarily suspend post-Brexit rules for some music truckers following a number of delays.

www.nme.com

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

UK E artsinfo - information for artists after Brexit

www.ukeartswork.info

https://youtube.com/c/UkEuropeartsworkINFO

Ian and his team are currently the best source of info on this.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

 

[The39thStep]

Following on from this huge and constantly disrupted thread about Brexit and musicians, this is a new thread purely for discussing the impact of Brexit on musicians/performers and the touring industry.

Updates, tips and news are welcomed and frustrated musicians are free to vent about the negative impact Brexit had had on their livelihood (and on any positive impact, if they can find any).

Anyone posting up off topic material will be kicked off the thread because there are plenty of other Brexit threads for then to talk about unrelated matters.

Can you lock the old one ?

 

[TopCat]

https://mixmag.net/feature/brexit-touring-djs-electronic-musicians-artists-europe-eu

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

https://mixmag.net/feature/brexit-touring-djs-electronic-musicians-artists-europe-eu

If all you need to carry is a USB stick, great.

 

[Pickman's model]

https://mixmag.net/feature/brexit-touring-djs-electronic-musicians-artists-europe-eu

Your link contains this useful resource that deserves highlighting Mobility Resources for Musicians

 

[TopCat]

ISM Trust

The ISM Trust, the Independent Society of Musicians’ (ISM) sister charity, was created in 2014 to advance education, the arts and to promote health.

www.ismtrust.org

 

[editor]

ISM Trust

The ISM Trust, the Independent Society of Musicians’ (ISM) sister charity, was created in 2014 to advance education, the arts and to promote health.

www.ismtrust.org

Please make an effort to explain what the link is about, especially when you're posting up outdated stuff from last year.

 

[TopCat]

Please make an effort to explain what the link is about, especially when you're posting up outdated stuff from last year.

Certainly.

 

[editor]

Anyone posting up off topic material - or generally fucking about and disrupting the discussion - you will be kicked off the thread because there are plenty of other Brexit threads to talk about unrelated matters.

I've added a bit more clarity to the OP.

 

[TopCat]

ISM Trust

The ISM Trust, the Independent Society of Musicians’ (ISM) sister charity, was created in 2014 to advance education, the arts and to promote health.

www.ismtrust.org

This is an authoritative guide to touring abroad and navigating carnets for equipment with some useful information and links. A how to. It’s from 2021 but is not outdated. A handy resource for struggling bands.

 

[rutabowa]

This is an authoritative guide to touring abroad and navigating carnets for equipment with some useful information and links. A how to. It’s from 2021 but is not outdated. A handy resource for struggling bands.

This bit is possibly v interesting at my level:

Government guidance states that one option for moving musical instruments or equipment which are ‘accompanied’ (carried in an individual’s personal baggage or in a vehicle and transported by that individual throughout the journey) is to use temporary admission to pay no duty on them by going through the green ‘nothing to declare’ channel. This applies to both personal and business use.

Very much depends on how it actually works tho. I think it is what the little bands I know of who are touring at the momentdo... IF it works like that it is basically the same as it was before.

 

[rutabowa]

Ok that is more detail... so he confirms that this portable exemption thing isn't new it is just the same thing that has been round a while

 

[editor]

This bit is possibly v interesting at my level:

Very much depends on how it actually works tho. I think it is what the little bands I know of who are touring at the momentdo... IF it works like that it is basically the same as it was before.

It's out of date though as this post shows.

“Musicians have also been told that if they’re carrying portable instruments then they’d be OK without a carnet, and then we heard from the Musicians’ Union that one of their members had been fined £150 at the French border for not having a carnet.”

 

[rutabowa]

That is covered in detail in the video in the next post above, that beesonthewhatnow posted originally. That guys advice is that yes the portable exemption is valid still. That single reported case of a fine was an example of a customs official getting it wrong, which it is always possible that customs and police are going to be be dicks for one reason or another. But that does not mean that the portable exemption advice is not correct.

It is something that the more people know about in detail, the less likely customs officials will be able to get away with making "mistakes", so it is important that information is out there.

 

[rutabowa]

I am talking to our old tour person this afternoon about this anyway so will report back, he is very experienced with the actual practicalities of small band eu touring... his brief summary based on reality right now on taking personal instruments was "by plane no problem, in a van more complicated but doable".

 

[editor]

That is covered in detail in the video in the next post above, that beesonthewhatnow posted originally. That guys advice is that yes the portable exemption is valid still. That single reported case of a fine was an example of a customs official getting it wrong, which it is always possible that customs and police are going to be be dicks for one reason or another. But that does not mean that the portable exemption advice is not correct.

It is something that the more people know about in detail, the less likely customs officials will be able to get away with making "mistakes", so it is important that information is out there.

Even if all your paperwork is in order, there's still a chance customs officials may massively delay you by insisting on checking the contents of your van with the carnet - which means you have to unpack the entire van and wait for them to go through every item on the list.

This happened to my band crossing the Germany/Austria border before we joined the EU and we nearly missed the gig entirely.

 

[editor]

Seeing as it's a new thread, it's worth reposting this. A charity has been launched aiming to help those artists whose touring plans are being affected by "the excessive red tape of the Brexit deal."

Crazy that a charity is now needed for working, touring musicians though.

"The service will help them better understand the complex requirements from working/traveling abroad, and mitigate against the financial risks now associated with touring, especially in Europe. Calls can cover the likes of visas, work permits, carnets, customs regulations, rules relating to movement and more.”

“In addition, musicians now need extra support to arrange international tours because post-Brexit there is much complexity which can lead to career-ending consequences if the admin is not done right. Widening access to Viva La Visa’s service empowers musicians to make well-informed choices which should reduce risk, improve decision-making and increase confidence to tour internationally.

Help Musicians to provide funding for touring artists affected by Brexit

Help Musicians has announced details of a new fund which will help realise UK artists' domestic, international touring and live plans

www.nme.com

Homepage

Help Musicians is the leading UK charity for musicians of all genres, from starting out through to retirement

www.helpmusicians.org.uk

 

[editor]

Here's how much a carnet can cost:

 

[editor]

This is worth noting too:

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Yep. So that 50 year old guitar your dad gave you...?

It's mental.

 

[editor]

If all you need to carry is a USB stick, great.

It gets worse if you take your laptop

 

[rutabowa]

It gets worse if you take your laptop


View attachment 318727
View attachment 318728

I just checked and that guy did post the next day saying that he didnt actually need to do that, and there has been no further update so I assume it was fine:


It is not fair to post misleading incomplete information, it causes anxiety.

 

[editor]

I just checked and that guy did post the next day saying that he didnt actually need to do that, and there has been no further update so I assume it was fine:
View attachment 318736

It is not fair to post misleading incomplete information, it causes anxiety.

That's not fair at all. I didn't see the later tweet.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

The fact people are even having to consider this sort of thing is fucking insane.

 

[editor]

Here's a touring band's real world experiences of the difficulties that Brexit has created:

 

[editor]

And more about how bands and labels are being fucked over by taxes