Brexit - impact on musicians, touring and the music/events industry

[ska invita]

Tour support at that level has always been a slot the band has to finance.

That may be, but it was the red tape and costs that swung their decision. We've always had to pay for gas and electricity, and yet...

 

[rutabowa]

Going on a 6 week tour as a support would always have been a money pit! I dont think it is comparable to utility bills.

 

[killer b]

it's comparable in a 'it used to cost this much, now suddenly it costs this much' way.

 

[rutabowa]

Only comparable if they were offered exactly the same tour in exactly the same situation 5 years ago (and not even then actually, as petrol prices have gone up etc).

It makes more sense to talk about things that are actually happening. Things that used to be financially viable, but now are not; not things that were never financially viable.

 

[killer b]

Oh come on. There's a load of extra costs and forms that exist now but didn't exist a couple of years ago - sure that's in an environment of other costs going up too, but so what?

 

[spitfire]

Most support tours were never financially viable in the true sense but now they are financially unviable and then some. Tour support only goes so far and all that extra paperwork means someone needs to be paid c. £200+ a day for a period of time before the tour to organise it on top of all the other things that always needed doing.

 

[killer b]

Ask your friends who sell records by mailorder how their european sales are going. postage costs have increased in the last year or so, but I'm pretty sure it's not the general postage cost increases which have seen their orders from europe drop off a cliff.

 

[rutabowa]

Yes there are extra costs. That has been well covered in the last 50 odd pages. I am more interested in what is happening practically right now with touring though.

 

[editor]

Here's how shitty fucking Brexit is still working out for bands right now:

A British band have revealed that they were forced to cancel their live show in Paris at the last minute after their equipment was held up by Brexit red tape.

White Lies, who released their latest album As I Try Not to Fall Apart in February, posted a statement to Twitter on Thursday 7 April, explaining their predicament.

“To our dear fans here in Paris,” the London-formed post-punk group began, “We and our crew have arrived safely this morning to start our European tour. But our equipment has been detained by Brexit legislation leaving England, along with countless other trucks.

Rock band White Lies forced to cancel Paris show ‘due to Brexit-related delays’

London-formed trio are the latest act to be hurt by Brexit red tape

www.independent.co.uk

 

[DaphneM]

White Lies: Ritual

London band returns for album number two, and the record manages to be both wildly overwrought and painfully dull.

pitchfork.com

going by this review I think you could chalk this down to a positive impact of Brexit!

 

[killer b]

I'm sure the new brexit trade barriers are in the mix, but surely the main culprit in delays of getting stuff across the channel in time this week is the P&O situation?

 

[editor]

White Lies: Ritual

London band returns for album number two, and the record manages to be both wildly overwrought and painfully dull.

pitchfork.com

going by this review I think you could chalk this down to a positive impact of Brexit!

Why's that then? Why is musicians being deprived of their livelihood a good thing?

 

[editor]

I'm sure the new brexit trade barriers are in the mix, but surely the main culprit in delays of getting stuff across the channel in time this week is the P&O situation?

The article clearly says: "But our equipment has been detained by Brexit legislation leaving England, along with countless other trucks." It makes no mention of P&O.

 

[killer b]

The article clearly says: "But our equipment has been detained by Brexit legislation leaving England, along with countless other trucks." It makes no mention of P&O.

it isn't an article, it's a tweet by some guys in a band, and I think he must mean delayed rather than detained, because countless trucks haven't been detained by brexit legislation. There is massive queues to cross the channel atm though which is causing delays - these have appeared since the P&O thing happened. Just because they say it's brexit doesn't mean it is brexit.

 

[TopCat]

High winds this weeks too and a broken down euro tunnel train to add to the lack of P & O ferries.
"Bad weather has also delayed some sailings in recent days, just as tourist traffic booms before the Easter holidays, and the traffic backlog was further increased by the breakdown of a Eurotunnel train on Monday."

 

[editor]

it isn't an article, it's a tweet by some guys in a band, and I think he must mean delayed rather than detained, because countless trucks haven't been detained by brexit legislation. There is massive queues to cross the channel atm though which is causing delays - these have appeared since the P&O thing happened. Just because they say it's brexit doesn't mean it is brexit.

What they wrote is pretty clear. And I'm sure that 'some guys in the band' are going to know what actually caused them to cancel the show.
But feel free to reimagine their words if it makes you feel you know best.

 

[editor]

High winds this weeks too and a broken down euro tunnel train to add to the lack of P & O ferries.
"Bad weather has also delayed some sailings in recent days, just as tourist traffic booms before the Easter holidays, and the traffic backlog was further increased by the breakdown of a Eurotunnel train on Monday."

They made it to Paris. Their crew made it Paris. They tweeted from Paris.

 

[killer b]

What they wrote is pretty clear. And I'm sure that 'some guys in the band' are going to know what actually caused them to cancel the show.
But feel free to reimagine their words if it makes you feel you know best.

do you just take every tweet you see at face value, or just the ones that you want to agree with?

 

[editor]

do you just take every tweet you see at face value, or just the ones that you want to agree with?

This is weird. It's not some random tweet, or 'some guys in the band' posting up for the LOLz - Its the band's official account explaining the reasons for the show's cancellation.

Why do you think they're making stuff up or being untruthful?

 

[Yossarian]

do you just take every tweet you see at face value, or just the ones that you want to agree with?

Are you accusing the band of telling ... white lies?

 

[Supine]

Trucks are delayed additionally due to the IT system for transiting goods being down. This is a direct impact of brexit and at least partly causing the tailbacks.

 

[Yossarian]

They finally have their equipment, a day late.

 

[killer b]

This is weird. It's not some random tweet, or 'some guys in the band' posting up for the LOLz - Its the band's official account explaining the reasons for the show's cancellation.

Why do you think they're making stuff up or being untruthful?

What's weird is you just taking stuff at face value without interrogating it. Why would someone exaggerate the effect the most divisive political rupture the country has seen in several generations had on their gear getting to Paris in time for a show? Gee, I don't know.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Any updates on this? I've noticed a lot of small bands organising Europe tours recently.

Yes I am wondering. We have been asked to do a festival in December with a couple of other dates nearby. How much lying would we have to do about the instruments in our luggage, or would it all be totally ligit just to go over without visas if it was just a couple of days ?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Yes I am wondering. We have been asked to do a festival in December with a couple of other dates nearby. How much lying would we have to do about the instruments in our luggage, or would it all be totally ligit just to go over without visas if it was just a couple of days ?

UK E artsinfo - information for artists after Brexit

www.ukeartswork.info

Any questions about EU touring, get in touch with Ian Smith from the above site.

 

[BassJunkie]

If there's one thing worse than Brexit it's the use of the word "Merch" in place of "Merchandise". Yes, this is an old man shaking his fist at the sky.

Brexit fucking sucks. I used to buy records on Discogs from Europe, most of those people no longer sell to the UK.

It sucks for touring bands.

It sucks for the economy.

And I'm yet to have learned what one fucking benefit of it is. Despite asking. I'm just told "Why do you keep asking" or "Wait 50 years". For Fuck's Sake.

 

[editor]

What's weird is you just taking stuff at face value without interrogating it. Why would someone exaggerate the effect the most divisive political rupture the country has seen in several generations had on their gear getting to Paris in time for a show? Gee, I don't know.

So what actual proof have you got that the official band account is lying about all of this for some reason or another?
Why would they lie about it?
Anything?

 

[Pickman's model]

So what actual proof have you got that the official band account is lying about all of this for some reason or another?
Anything?

it's desperate stuff

 

[nogojones]

White Lies: Ritual

London band returns for album number two, and the record manages to be both wildly overwrought and painfully dull.

pitchfork.com

going by this review I think you could chalk this down to a positive impact of Brexit!

I suspect the customs people thought "Oh, it's a band. Maybe they're famous?" had a quick scan through through their youtube channel and fell asleep, thus missing the ferry loading times.

 

[kabbes]

So what actual proof have you got that the official band account is lying about all of this for some reason or another?
Why would they lie about it?
Anything?

If you want to go down that route: what actual proof do you have that their explanation is accurate?