Touring in the EU

Outbound Mobility within the European Union

We have set out the current position for post-Brexit entry requirements for touring musicians and their crew entering European member states. Please note that this is not legal advice. You should attain expert counsel before planning travel to the EU. (Note: crew is defined as the entourage or travel party related to the performance). Click on the image for full details.

Routes of entry into the UK for EU artists and entertainers

For further information on the routes of entry, please see this document.

Movement of Goods

HMRC guidance on the movement of goods in and out of the UK can be viewed here.

Exporting goods from the UK

For further information regarding exporting commercial goods out of the UK in accompanied baggage or a small vehicle visit this Government website page.
For information regarding exporting goods from the UK to the EU, visit this Government website page.

ATA Carnets

For further information regarding ATA Carnets and how to use them, please see these downloadable documents here:

Brexit and the UK’s Live Music Industry

LIVE is deeply concerned about the impact Brexit will have on the UK’s live music industry on top of a devastating year due to Covid-19 pandemic. Our key areas of concern and asks of Government are below:

1. Musicians and their entourages must be able to continue to work freely across Europe

It is in the collective cultural and economic interest that European governments come together to allow professional musicians and their entourages to travel and work freely across borders without bureaucracy, delays, and additional costs. The UK government must:

Do what they have done for other industries and work with their European counterparts to ensure musicians and their entourages can work across Europe without impediment.
Work openly and constructively with individual member states to agree non-onerous, zero- or low-cost work and travel arrangements for musicians and other industry professionals.
Streamline entry routes into the UK for international artists and their entourages and ensureimmigration guidance for the sector is up to date, comprehensive, and accessible.

2. European touring must be saved by cutting red tape at borders

The UK live music industry relies on an extensive range of specialist haulage and bus companies to carry UK based equipment and personnel essential for Pan-European touring. New arrangements under post-Brexit cabotage and cross-trade regulations will stop multi-stop European tours employing UK registered vehicles, risking the collapse of the UK based concert touring sector and leading to widespread company closures and job losses.

The UK government must support and negotiate an EU-wide cultural exemption, allowing the unfettered movement of specialist vehicles transporting concert equipment and personnel between multiple points.
During the negotiation period the Government must:
- Provide assistance to UK operators able to establish EU bridgehead operations involving re-registration of their vehicles within an EU member state.
- Grant unilateral relaxation (“reverse easement”) of cabotage rights within the UK for newly EU registered vehicles to return and operate freely within the UK.
- Introduce tailored bridging support for own account vehicles & smaller operators.

3. Live Music needs a Transitional Support Package (TSP)

The industry needs immediate support to mitigate the disruption caused by Brexit. The TSP offers a stopgap solution to support the industry while fuller negotiations are ongoing.

The package should include financial assistance and regulatory relief, research, information, and advice alongside support for lobbying and negotiation.
The programme should prioritise emerging talent and those likely to be hardest hit by the new regulations, including smaller operators.
Provide support for all those on stage and everyone involved behind the scenes.
TSP would only be a transitional arrangement. LIVE therefore supports the establishment of a new UK Music Export Office to: (i) encourage development of emerging talent in Europe & beyond, (ii) support exporters of musical talent, related goods & services, and (iii) provideaccessible guidance on tax, legal, regulatory, and other issues to the music touring sector.

Live Music Transitional Support Package (TSP)

LIVE is calling for a Live Music Transitional Support Package which would:

Offer a quick solution for the Government to mitigate the catastrophic disruption to the live music sector caused by Brexit.
Establish a working partnership between the Government and the live music sector until the planned UK Cultural Export Office is operational.
Prioritise emerging talent and those likely to be hardest hit by the new regulations.
Provide support for all those on stage and everyone involved behind the scenes.

The package would consist of five main strands of support:

Support and relief
Research
Information
Expert advice
Lobbying and negotiation

Please click here to view the full details of the Transitional Support Package.

#LetTheMusicMove

Launched on June 23rd 2021, #LetTheMusicMove is an artist-led music industry campaign instigated by the Featured Artists Coalition and the Music Managers Forum pushing for a reduction in the costs and red tape faced by UK musicians and UK music businesses when full-scale live touring of Europe resumes.

More than 1,000 artists are now backing the campaign, including Little Mix, Orbital, Olly Murs, Sampha, Sleaford Mods, Alison Moyet, Nubian Twist, Bicep, AlunaGeorge, Niall Horan, Wolf Alice, Annie Lennox, Biffy Clyro, IDLES, Poppy Ajudha, Radiohead, Anna Calvi, Skunk Anansie, Laura Marling, Faithless, Everything Everything, Graeme Park, Bob Geldof, Katie Melua, Editors, Mark Knopfler, Two Door Cinema Club, Mr Scruff, Kelli-Leigh, Ward Thomas, New Order, Rick Astley, Ghostpoet, Midge Ure, Glasvegas, Anna Meredith, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Nina Nesbitt, Keane, Erland Cooper, The Chemical Brothers, Matthew Herbert, Portishead, Blur’s David Rowntree, Gilles Peterson, Jack Garratt, Dave Okumu, Bill Ryder-Jones, Peggy Seeger, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and many, many others.

The campaign is calling on Government to deliver four immediate actions to help avoid an impending crisis:

An urgent Transitional Support Package to cover new and additional costs for touring artists and crews in the EU
Measures to overcome restrictive “cabotage” rules on UK vehicles touring Europe
A viable long-term plan for UK artists and crew to continue working in all EU-27 countries, without costly permits and bureaucracy
To ensure European artists have reciprocal freedoms and access to perform at UK venues and festivals

Sign up to support the campaign – here.
Download social media assets (from here) & post with #LetTheMusicMove hashtag.
Tell us your post-Brexit tour experiences or case studies – here.
Artists & industry bodies, tell Aleksa if you would be prepared to speak media on this issue.

For further information, please see www.letthemusicmove.org