Almost half of UK musicians and workers in the music industry have had less work in the EU since Brexit than before it, and more than a quarter have had no EU work at all, according to a survey.
The impact of Brexit on the music sector had been devastating, said the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), which carried out the survey. Restrictions had impaired the viability of making a living as a musician, it said.
The mezzo soprano Jennifer Johnston said Brexit was “quietly killing our world-class music sector” and its impact could not be overstated. “It is time for the government to pull its finger out and reverse some of the damage being done before it is too late.”
One of those taking part in the ISM’s survey said: “Work has come to a halt … The offer of European gigs simply dried up … My band simply can’t make any kind of living in the tiny UK market, so we basically have folded as a working band.”
Another said: “It’s been impossible to be heard/audition in European opera houses since 1 January 2021. European opera companies are reluctant to audition UK singers since the changes.”
The ISM took testimony from more than 400 musicians and those working in the sector on their experiences since Brexit from 1 January 2021 until April 2023. They were asked to exclude experiences affected by the Covid pandemic during this period.
Four out of 10 of those taking part said they had had work cancelled, and almost as many (39%) said they had been forced to turn down work.
The most frequently cited extra expense since Brexit was for visas and work permits. The cost of carnets – customs permits allowing vehicles to be taken across borders – and other travel costs were also mentioned. “Carnets dramatically increase the time it takes to cross the border, no one at the border really knows what’s going on, the carnet is an unnecessary expense,” said one respondent.
Another said: “An extra day of travel is required to go in and out of the EU … This means the vehicle has to leave a day early for an EU tour, adding an extra day of van hire, extra day of backline hire, extra day of wages for all crew and extra day of wages for all musicians.”
Even in countries that do not require visas or work permits, people in the music sector are limited under the Schengen visa waiver scheme to spending 90 days in a 180-day period in the EU, according to the ISM report, Paying the Price.
“Many of my clients have fallen foul of the 90-in-180-day travel restrictions. Some have lost out on tens of thousands of pounds of work as a result,” said one respondent.
The trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) signed by the UK and EU on 30 December 2020 did not include any specific provisions on short-term travel for creative professionals or support staff.
In 2021, the House of Commons culture committee said this had “created barriers affecting both the movement of musicians and their supporting ecosystem (in the form of visas and work permits) and the movement of goods such as equipment and merchandise”.
The ISM has made a number of recommendations to the government, including negotiating a bespoke visa waiver agreement with the EU that allows UK artists and support staff to work in any part of the EU for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
Deborah Annetts, the ISM’s chief executive, said: “UK music is a great success story and we are rightly proud of it. The chancellor has correctly identified the creative industries as a potential growth market.”
She added: “Brexit should never have meant that musicians cannot share their talent freely with our closest neighbours. This damages our country, our soft power and our precious creative talent pipeline.”
Paul Carey Jones, a freelance opera singer, said: “There’s no doubt that British freelancers are feeling a significant impact to their livelihoods and careers, with the ultimate consequence being that European employers are often choosing to engage competitors from elsewhere.
“As ever, it’s those at the start of their careers, without the backing of an established reputation, who will suffer the most – and the consequent long-term damage to the UK’s position as a global force in the performing arts is incalculable.”
