Bye-bye American pie: high price of visas keeps British musicians off US tours

theguardian.com:

“Breaking” America has been the goal of young British musicians since the days of Beatlemania, but that dream is being dashed. Hundreds of emerging artists could be affected by plans to hike visa fees by 250% – and music industry executives have criticised ministers for failing to act.

The US immigration service wants to raise visa costs from $460 (£385) to $1,615 (£1,352) alongside other changes that artists and their managers say would make it almost impossible for anyone but the biggest stars to perform in the US.

Artists already struggling with Brexit red tape and the impact of the pandemic lockdowns are also being affected by inflation, with a 40% rise in the cost of touring, according to the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Featured Artists Coalition (Fac).

The MMF and Fac have relaunched Let the Music Move (#LetTheMusicMove), a campaign that began in 2021 to fight the effects of post-Brexit trade arrangements, which are still hampering musicians. Trucking firms that transport music equipment have had to register as EU companies, and crew cannot work in the EU for more than 90 days out of every 180. Many firms left the industry during the pandemic.

Annabella Coldrick, the MMF’s chief executive, said a survey of her members last week revealed that 84% had acts planning to tour the US. Of those, 70% would be unable to do so with the proposed fee increase, while 20% said they would delay.

David Martin, Fac chief executive, said: “It’s already extremely challenging to go to the US, and this is going to hugely impact the talent pipeline who have already had a terrible time over the last three years. This is another dent in the ability to nurture that talent coming through from early stage to mid-career.”

Martin said the