IDLES, Rina Sawayama and Hot Chip join call for UK government to stop 260 per cent visa increase for touring artists

NME

IDLES, Rina Sawayama, Hot Chip and more have backed a campaign urging the UK government to act on US visa charges.

• READ MORE: Artists say 260 per cent US visa cost increase will make touring impossible – but you can help

Last month, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it was planning to raise touring visa fees for foreign acts by 260 per cent.

Under the DHS proposal, applications for a P visa – which allows acts arriving in the States to perform temporarily – would increase from the current rate of $460 (£375.23) to $1,615 (£1,317).

The longer-term O work visa would also jump from $460 (£375.23) to $1,655 (£1,349).

In response, the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) boosted their #LetTheMusicMove campaign – originally created in June 2021 – to oppose the potential changes, emphasising that the move could result in “crippling costs for UK artists looking to tour North America”.

Now, a number of touring artists have bolstered the campaign with their support.

“After what we’ve been through with Brexit and the pandemic, the implications of these new visa proposals are incredibly worrying for all artists wanting to travel and perform in the US,” Sawayama said.

“I travel with 15+ crew on a tight margin, and any increase in costs sadly gets passed onto concert goers through higher ticket prices, which is not fair. Live music should be democratic and accessible and this is just another blow to the arts sector and the experience of concert goers.”

Adam Devonshire of IDLES added: “Britain is renowned for its hugely profitable musical exports, however with pointless and costly restrictions such as these, British artists will struggle to make a name for themselves in the US, which would be a huge shame. I’m calling on the UK Government to oppose these changes.”

Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, meanwhile, said that performing in the US has been one of the most “important – and significant and enjoyable – aspects of touring for our band”.

He continued: “We’ve been lucky enough to do it for the last 15 or more years. It helped us reach and then, over time, be supported by a very loyal and ever-growing audience. It’s probably the biggest territory in the world for us as a band.

“To make it almost impossible for bands to afford to tour the US when coming from overseas is unthinkable, and will derail so many careers, as well as not allowing new ones to start properly, and will stop fans from being able to connect with live music from bands that they love. It seems like a completely destructive approach and many bands will get together to lobby to prevent this change.”

Ahnansé of Steam Down said that their band have “performed at shows and festivals across the UK, Europe and Latin America, and this year we are hugely excited to be travelling to Austin, Texas for SXSW – one of the biggest stages and showcase events in the world”.

“For a 10-piece music collective, such events are logistically challenging at the best of times, but these new visa proposals would effectively shut the door on projects like ours.”

Further artists and music industry figures recently spoke to NME about the “crippling” damage that will be done to international touring if the price hike for US visas goes through.

fyi: for the north america tour the ultimate very best scenario was that we would spend only £50k with a bare bones crew/prod and make a max of possibly £35k back, the u.s now wants to up our kind of visas 250% to $1.6kpp, so that’s roughly £7.6k more to spend. so we lose £20k

— easy life (@easylife) February 15, 2023

Leicester band Easy Life were forced to scrap their upcoming US tour due to “some insane costs“, with frontman Murray Matravers telling NME of a “bleak” a picture that was already without the “crippling” massive visa price hike.

“We just couldn’t afford it – it’s literally as simple as that,” said Matravers.

Meanwhile, Music Managers’ Forum Chief Executive Annabella Coldrick told NME that it was already too “expensive and complicated” for artists to tour internationally without adding this to the situation.

According to the campaign, a survey of UK music artists and managers indicated that 70 per cent would cancel their US touring schedule under the new plans.

With SXSW in Austin – a significant US festival for new and rising acts – less than two weeks away, the industry is calling on the UK government to intervene and “prevent a catastrophe for British music”.

For more information on the US visa situation, artists can visit the FAC’S #LetTheMusicMove site here.

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