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Industry leaders at Great Escape unite to send message to politicians on EU touring – Music Week

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Musicians, artists and industry leaders united at Brighton’s Great Escape Festival to urge political leaders to sweep away the barriers to touring the EU.  
They gathered at the festival to deliver their message via a giant seaside postcard about the urgent need to remove the obstacles facing UK acts touring the EU and EU acts touring the UK.
Among the music industry leaders who showed their support by signing the postcard were AIM (Association of Independent Music) CEO Gee Davy, FAC (Featured Artists Coalition) CEO David Martin, Ivors Academy chair and member of Gomez Tom Gray, MMF (Music Managers Forum) CEO Annabella Coldrick, MPG (Music Producers Guild) executive directors Cameron Craig and Matt Taylor, and Musicians‘ Union general secretary Naomi Pohl. 
They were joined yesterday (Thursday May 15) by broadcaster and chair of LIVE Steve Lamacq, Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix, Labour MP and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music Alex Sobel, PRS Foundation CEO Joe Frankland, and artists Huia and Van Der Rose.
Many others from across the music industry signed the ‚Wish You Were Here‘ postcard with its clear message from The Great Escape, a festival which showcases emerging artists from the UK and across the world. 
The simple message to EU and UK leaders on the postcard reads: “We’re writing to you from the Great Escape festival here in Brighton. We miss being able to share our music with each other and our fans. Please back EU-UK touring.”
UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl said: “The Great Escape is a showcase for exactly the sort of emerging acts that are trying to build their audiences by touring the EU and UK.
“However, they are working on extremely tight margins and the rising costs and complexity facing UK musicians has meant staging even a short EU tour is becoming prohibitive.
“We need swift action from political leaders in the EU and UK to sweep away these barriers to touring so we can get acts back on the road and playing to their fans.“
We need swift action from political leaders in the EU and UK to sweep away these barriers to touring
Tom Kiehl
He added: “We continue to produce amazing artists who are being deprived of the chance to build crucial new international audiences, while fans are missing out on the opportunity to discover some of the exciting and diverse talents emerging from the UK.
“The costs of touring the EU are a real challenge for the entire UK music ecosystem, but at a grassroots level they pose an existential threat. It is crucial that these barriers to touring in the EU and UK are removed so that our world class talent is free to thrive.”
The call for action comes ahead of a key EU-UK Summit in London on Monday, May 19. It will be sent to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and EU and European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Earlier this week, UK and EU music industry leaders joined forces to send an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer and his EU counterparts to warn that the current EU/UK touring arrangements were unworkable.
The open letter – supported by more than 500 signatories from organisations and individuals – outlined how the barriers of soaring costs and red tape means “audiences, artists and venues in the EU and UK were missing out on the enormous benefits which closer cultural exchange would bring”.
Among those supporting the letter – signed by more than 550 individuals and organisations – are Blur drummer Dave Rowntree, British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, Steve Lamacq, British conductor Sir Mark Elder and British oboist and conductor Nicholas Daniel.
Since the UK’s exit from the EU in January 2020, the music industry has faced a number of challenges. These include increased costs and bureaucracy due to requirements for visas, work permits and carnets for touring UK artists, merchandising costs and the need to navigate complex cabotage requirements for trucks and hauliers that support tours in the EU.
PHOTO CREDIT: Joanna Dudderidge
 
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