Published
Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 13:35
- We spoke to video technician Tim Brennan, who launched the petition that triggered today's session, and Liverpool DJ Yousef about the ongoing debate.
UK Members Of Parliament will later today discuss touring arrangements for artists and professionals in the European Union.
Today's discussion, scheduled for 4:30 PM GMT, follows last Thursday's e-petition session, where seven music industry veterans gave evidence to the petitions committee, highlighting the impact new work and travel restrictions to the EU will have on touring artists.
Among the group of seven witnesses were video technician Tim Brennan, who has toured with The Chemical Brothers, and DJ and label owner Yousef. In December, just as the Brexit deal was being finalised, Brennan petitioned parliament for a Europe-wide, visa-free work permit for artists and professionals. The petition has received over 283,000 signatures, more than double the amount needed to get the issue debated in parliament.
"I wanted to make people aware that we face a really real threat to our livelihoods as music touring professionals," Brennan told Resident Advisor, "and to highlight why artists, musicians and crew need to be able to tour freely throughout the EU as we did prior to Brexit."
The EU and UK government have so far failed to reach an agreement, which means UK artists currently face differing work restrictions across the 27 EU member states.
"I'm hoping for some kind of creatives' passport," Brennan said, "but having the government just sit up and listen would be a good start."
Yousef, who runs Liverpool party Circus, told the committee on Thursday that more than half of his DJ gigs came from the EU. He explained that the UK was "the hub and the heartbeat of the whole electronic music scene" and that the current travel restrictions may limit up-and-coming artists who lacked the resources to navigate the new arrangements.
"People at my level have managers and agents and stuff like that and we can kind of circumnavigate this, possibly, but then when you're trying to break through the economics of it simply won't stack up," he said.
Yousef fleshed out this point in an interview with RA. "Getting an American visa can take up to a year's worth of work, it's a lot of expense and paperwork," he said. "Even getting a visa for India, Indonesia, Colombia, or for many places in South America, it's at the very least a trip to the embassy in London, no matter where you live in the country."
He added: "With those things in mind, if you can imagine, the same was in place to go to Spain, and then Cyprus, Greece, it could be very complicated for anyone that's experienced. So for anyone that's inexperienced then I can imagine, it could come as quite a shock."
The UK music industry contributed £5.8 billion to the UK economy in 2019 and according to the Incorporated Society Of Musicians, 44 percent of UK musicians earn half their income from working in Europe.
A parliamentary survey launched ahead of the committee hearing found that 81 percent of the 15,000 respondents said they were "very likely" or "likely" to stop touring Europe as a result of the changes.
Some 79 percent said they were "extremely worried" or "very worried" about the future of their job or career in light of the new rules, and 60 percent answered "yes" or "maybe" when asked if they were considering changing their career in light of the changes.
"If we're not allowed to continue working freely in the EU, the UK's economy will suffer," Brennan said. "I think we'll suffer culturally and our influence in other music markets will be lost as well."
Watch Thursday's e-petition committee hearing here.
Watch today's session live at 4:30 PM GMT here.
Photo credit: Anthony Delanoix