UK government shout out “shared European interest” of solving Brexit touring crisis in push for “real progress” in Brussels

The UK government have highlighted the “shared European interest” in solving the ongoing Brexit touring crisis for artists, musicians and crew as they called for more “real progress” at an event in Brussels. See exclusive quotes from DCMS Minister Ian Murray’s speech below. READ MORE: UK touring bands are suffering due to “Brexit fuck-ups and a lack of government control” After the music industry were essentially dealt a “no deal” Brexit with an end to visa-free travel for UK artists and crew wishing to work back in 2020, “catastrophic” predictions of the sector being “screwed over” and facing an existential threat to the talent pipeline have come into fruition and remain unresolved. A report by the Musicians’ Union in 2024 found that 75 per cent of artists had seen a decline in bookings in the EU since Brexit, with 79 per cent unable to make up for the loss of work elsewhere and the majority claiming that touring in Europe was simply “no longer financially viable”. A recent study by UK Music found that the impact of Brexit on touring was only “worsening” with the rate of growth down by more than half on 2023 – despite “record-breaking” income reported by the upper echelons. Wolf A...