The United Kingdom has always been a talent factory for world stars of rock and pop – but Brexit has left its mark.
Everyone can sing along when Oasis or the Beatles are struck up. The younger generation of the British music scene has also produced big names like Adele, Ed Sheeran and Stormzy. Not even Brexit was able to slow down this incomparable export hit. At least not at first glance. But it is only in these months, the first big summer of festivals since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, in which organizers can again sell their tickets largely without restrictions, that the full extent of what the British exit from the European Union means for the industry becomes apparent.
“The heartbeat and future of our vibrant industry threatens to get bogged down in Dover through no fault of its own,” pop legend Elton John said in a recent poll. Touring in front of huge foreign audiences in Europe, which has been the norm for British artists for decades, is no longer a matter of course.
In April, for example, the London rock band White Lies had to cancel a gig in Paris at the last minute because their equipment couldn’t make it across the border in time due to bureaucratic Brexit hurdles. “It breaks our hearts to be in this beautiful city but not to be able to perform because of such a banality,” the musicians wrote on Twitter. Other bands had had the same problems shortly before.
This summer, with holidaymakers’ cars and lorries backing up at the Port of Dover due to Brexit passport controls, the risk of up-and-coming talent getting stuck there is literal. But even before a band even gets on their tour bus, there are hurdles to overcome. For example, some vehicles from Great Britain that are used to transport equipment are no longer permitted on tours in Europe. Work permits in EU countries are often a problem: in many cases, musicians are only allowed to work in other EU countries for a limited number of days.
Being only allowed to work 90 days in Europe for half a year is an enormous restriction for many, says the English concert pianist Julius Drake in an interview. The sector is very international and for many opera singers and other classical musicians it is everyday to travel and perform from one country to another. “It’s a lose-lose situation,” ie a constellation that only offers disadvantages for everyone, says Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, who represents the interests of the industry for the UK Music association. Actually nobody has an interest in making it as difficult as possible for musicians to go on tour. On the contrary: both the EU and Great Britain benefit when there is as much exchange as possible. In Great Britain, too, the visa regulations for musicians are actually not a controversial topic. Despite this, apart from a few bilateral arrangements, there is no agreement between London and Brussels.
After all, the issue has reached the heart of British democracy. The British government said it would continue to campaign for better visa conditions and work permits in EU countries that have not yet relaxed their rules. In the election campaign to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Johnson, the issue – like the consequences of Brexit in general – has not played a role so far.
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