Face the Music

 

Travel and working restrictions resulting from Brexit have limited the ability of musicians and other performers from the UK to work in the EU, as well as vice versa. The loss of work and income has been considerable, but the loss of cultural contact and exchange has been equally damaging. The European Movement reports that:

  • Nearly half of UK musicians report reduced EU work since 2021, with more than a quarter losing that work entirely.
  • Average tour earnings have fallen by 45 percent, and 59 percent of musicians say touring is no longer viable.
  • Loss of Creative Europe has weakened funding, networks and co-production opportunities.

This is important to our economy. The creative industries contributed £145.8bn to the UK in 2024. We can’t afford the loss.

The European Movement has produced a report (accessible here) outlining the nature of the damage in more detail, and suggesting ways of reversing the effect of Brexit and opening our entertainment industry up to Europe again, and vice versa. The strategy they argue looks like this:

Track One: negotiate with the EU

The Government should use the UK-EU reset and the next summit process to secure practical arrangements that restore the creative sector’s ability to work across Europe, while also pursuing multilateral solutions on visas and touring rules alongside bilateral negotiations.

  • Agree a short-term mobility and work framework covering touring performers, creatives and associated staff, while tackling the issues hampering their EU counterparts in the UK.
  • Relax cabotage rules affecting both UK and EU touring operations, enabling productions to move equipment across borders without unnecessary restrictions.
  • Join Creative Europe, the EU’s flagship cultural programme, with a commitment to participate in its successor, AgoraEU.

Track Two: act at home

The UK can remove domestic barriers now, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy for UK creatives and for EU cultural professionals working in the UK.

  • Reduce the cost and complexity of ATA carnets for instruments and equipment.
  • Designate St Pancras International as a CITES port for musicians travelling by Eurostar.
  • Clear the A1 certificate backlog and meet the 15-day target for issuing them.

Full details can be found in the report here