Dear John,

“I feel like I have to choose whether I’m British or a musician.”

That’s what representatives of the music industry told the House of Commons culture Committee yesterday. 

The government’s EU visa arrangements for creative workers, like musicians and their crew, are increasingly coming under fire. Musicians were promised they would have visa-free touring – but the government failed to deliver.

The administrative and financial burden for many young and upcoming artists will be insurmountable. Yet more people are suffering from the government’s barebones trading arrangement with Europe.

Send a message to your MP, and call on them to give the creative industry the boost it needs. Call on them to support visa-free touring for musicians, as the government promised.

The government has left gaping holes in our new trading relationship with the EU. Trade in services, which makes up nearly half of all our exports to the Continent, has been left out of the deal almost entirely.

A reciprocal arrangement with Europe, allowing our artists to tour freely and our venues to benefit from hosting European artists, seems an obvious win-win solution. But the government is more interested in playing a blame game with the EU. This does nothing to help struggling artists.

Few sectors have faced more difficulty during the pandemic than the creative industries, particularly live performers and crew. And the freelance nature of much creative work has meant many workers have fallen through the gaps in support.

Let’s make sure there are still artists and creators left at the end of this pandemic. Send a message to your MP now, calling for visa-free touring for this crucial sector.

If the government is serious about supporting British business, they should be boosting this culturally important sector, one of the fastest growing of 2019, not sacrificing it over a spat with the EU.

Without action, our nation’s culture and our music will pay the price.

Best wishes,