In an open letter to Boris Johnson, the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) have demanded that the U.K. Prime Minister put forth a plan for musicians to tour the European Union after Brexit.
Over 300 cultural organizations have signed the letter, criticizing Johnson for the “absence of a clear plan” to get U.K.-based artists back to touring Europe, after the Brexit deal made it considerably more difficult for them to do so. Earlier this year, over 100 artists signed another open letter criticizing the deal, which imposes new tariffs, visa requirements, and other regulations that they argued make U.K. artists touring the EUuropean Union — and European artists wishing to perform in the U.K. — a nearly insurmountable challenge.
“In the absence of a clear plan from your Government, we are proposing four measures to guarantee the survival of our sector,” the letter from the Incorporated Society Of Musicians reads. “Senior leaders in our sector have had numerous meetings with civil servants, where we have presented a range of workable solutions. However, we are extremely concerned by the lack of progress which has been achieved over the last three months to unravel the mountain of costly bureaucracy and red tape which now faces the creative industries.”
Among the proposed solutions: a Visa Waiver Agreement (VWA) with the EU for touring artists and staff, agreements with European countries than don’t offer cultural exemptions for work permits, an emergency funding package to aid artists with new touring costs as a result of the deal, and an easement on road haulage and cross-trade rules imposed by Brexit. Signatories include UK Music, Featured Artists Coalition, the Musician’s Union, BPI, and the BBC.
Read the full letter on the ISM website.
