Elton John said that the British negotiators over the Brexit had ‘bruised’ an agreement for British musicians and the wider music industry and asked that the government should start negotiations again.
In the Guardian, John writes: ‘Either the Brexit negotiators did not care about musicians, either did not think about it, or did not prepare adequately. They screw up. Ultimately, the British government depends on it: they have to go back and renegotiate.
“The situation we are in today is ridiculous. Music is one of Britain’s biggest cultural exports. It is a £ 5.8 billion industry that was left out of the Brexit trade negotiations when others did not. ‘
His remarks come as pressure on the government to negotiate visa-free work arrangements for artists and professionals in the British creative industries increases. Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage will face questions as MPs discuss the issue on Monday, following a public petition signed by 280,000 people entitled “Seek a visa-free work permit in Europe for tourists and artists”.
Musicians are currently unable to tour Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic, but once they can, they will face new paperwork and costs. Previously, a musician could tour the EU freely, but now has to secure a visa or work permit for each country in which they want to perform, depending on the rules set by each country. Another cost is a ‘carnet’, a list of goods such as musical instruments that may cross borders.
Transport rules, known as ‘cabotage’, stipulate that freight companies in the UK can only make two stops in the EU before returning home, making multiple tours with UK companies impossible; business is likely to be lost for European freight companies that can travel freely between countries.
John described the new rules as’ an administrative nightmare that significantly increases the cost of performing a European tour … I do not want to live in a world where only artists who have been going for decades and who have already sold millions , it can not do. tour properly. ”
In addition to a long-term solution via renegotiation, he called for the creation of a support organization where artists who do not have the kind of infrastructure I have around me can access lawyers and accountants, who can help them with the current situation. The music industry must contribute financially to this. Current government advice is that musicians should investigate the visa requirements of each country.
John also laments the possible loss of cultural exchange. “Transferring your music to a crowd of a culture other than your own, which does not necessarily speak the same language as you, only makes you a better musician,” he writes. ‘As I discovered in the 60’s, you can spend months in a rehearsal room to perfect your artwork perfectly, and you will not learn as much about live performances as in half an hour to win an unknown audience … you write better songs because of it. “
John has long been a staunch opponent of Brexit. In 2018, he said the British public ‘promised something ridiculous that was not economically viable’, and a year later doubled the criticism and told a crowd at a concert in Verona: ‘I am a European. I’m not a stupid, colonial, imperialist English idiot. ‘Back on British soil a few months later he softens his stance and says during a concert in Hove:’ We voted to go out, so we have to go out … we have to heal [and] talk to each other. “
His criticism of the Brexit agreement for musicians follows an open letter he signed in January with artists, including Sting, Bob Geldof and pro-Brexit Roger Daltrey, who said the government had musicians with the Brexit agreement “shamefully failed”.
In an article to be published in the Guardian on Monday, Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood also criticizes the rule changes. “The cost of travel and accommodation is already high, and the extra paperwork and expenses will rise rapidly for a touring band,” he writes. ‘All the incredible theatrical, sound and lighting businesses of the UK that host many of the European festivals may find it much harder to compete with the EU alternatives. And the Dutch, German and French technicians we have been using for decades may not find it worthwhile to work here. ”
He imagines a case of a solo cellist, “who will play in Berlin for a few hundred euros, and sees that her carnet will cost more than the fee – the promoter in Berlin will think twice about the cost and trouble to discuss her rather than an EU artist? ‘
He adds: “It is time for the British Government to acknowledge that it did not do enough for the creative industries during the Brexit negotiations, and then to negotiate the provision for tour in Europe.”
In January, Dinenage said ‘the door is open’ for further negotiations with the EU, following numerous exchanges in which the UK and the EU claim to have made offers about the movement of musicians rejected by the others. She said that any solution “not about a [visa] remission ”.