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.
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.
Back in March, the Labour government pledged “full commitment” to solving the crisis and breaking down barriers to musicians needing to tour Europe. June saw MPs share a new report calling for the government to work closely with the EU and individual member states to break down the problems and put a stop to the devastation being brought upon the live music music industry by Brexit.
Now, with the UK having sailed past the 10 year anniversary of voting to leave the EU, progress continues in Brussels. Last week saw Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Ian Murray speak at the iconic Ancienne Belgique after meeting with senior EU representatives, as well as European legislators and music industry stakeholders.
His speech, made at an evening reception featuring performances from Stardust singer-songwriter Benjamin Diamond, Venus Grrrls and The Snuts, saw Murray celebrate “Europe’s rich and diverse music ecosystem, and the UK’s very important place within it”.
“Music is one of our great cultural and economic strengths,” he said. “There’s not a country in the world that wouldn’t give their right arm for just a fraction of the great music that the UK produces. It brings people together, creates jobs, and gives us a shared language that crosses borders.”
Murray pointed to how the music industry supports over 200,000 jobs in the UK as well as contributing £8billion to the economy, with that success and influence spreading far across borders. Beyond the UK government’s own Music Plan, which the MP said held “a simple ambition for all of us to ensure that people from every background can experience music, build a career in the music sector, and share their talent with the world”, Murray made clear that the future of talent pipeline was dependant on the Brexit touring crisis being solved once and for all.
“We also recognise that the future of music is not something any one country can shape alone, particularly when our European music landscape is so interconnected,” said Murray. “Europe’s strength lies in the depth and diversity of its musical life. Across this continent, artists, audiences, venues, and festivals all play a critical part. Together, they make Europe one of the richest and most exciting places in the world to create and experience music.
“And we must work together to ensure that ecosystem and ensure it remains globally competitive. We saw that ecosystem at its best this summer, with Pulp and Florence + Machine headlining the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, which sounds mad cool to me, The Cure and Gorillaz play in Denmark, Mumford & Sons and Lewis Capaldi play Rock Werchter right here in Belgium.”
He continued: “Not only does this show the power of music to bring people, talent, and creativity together, but it also shows how the UK’s music truly does sound better when it’s shared with our European friends. And that is why I and all of you are here in Brussels today – to underline our firm commitment to cultural collaboration between the UK and the EU, and to help ensure our shared music ecosystem continues to thrive.”
Arguing that the Prime Minister had made “a stronger UK-EU relationship a priority for this government”, Murray shared that Andy Burnham recognised that “our creative industries are not a ‘nice to have’, but a real national and collective strength”.
“But achieving that ambition means being honest about the challenges facing the sector,” the minister went on. “Recently published government-commissioned research reveals that the real-world cost of reduced UK touring in the EU is significant. For the UK, £208million in lost economic value and 2,500 jobs. Across the EU, around £1billion loss and more than 17,000 jobs.
“These figures are a powerful reminder of how closely connected our music sectors are. But behind them are artists unable to reach new audiences, crews losing opportunities, venues missing performances, fans losing the chance to experience music from across Europe, and critically, opportunities for us all to tell each other’s stories through music.”
Doubling down that this was a “shared European interest” and not just a “UK challenge”, Murray said the government and EU counterparts were working hard to “explore pragmatic joint solutions that can make touring simpler and more affordable, particularly for emerging artists, the big superstars of the future”.
“At the same time, the music sector is changing rapidly,” he admitted. “Technology is helping new talent emerge in unexpected places, while audiences have never had easier access to music created everywhere. But too many creative professionals still face precarious working conditions, while the infrastructure on which they rely remains under real pressure.”
The minister added: “Against that backdrop, cooperation matters more today than ever before. So, with our partners across Europe, our partners in industry, and organisations like the Cultural Exchange Coalition, we can turn those shared ambitions into real progress.”
Beyond the lingering shadow of Brexit, pressure continues to mount on the government and music industry to bring about urgent and vital action on issues including the ticket levy for protecting grassroots artists and venues and banning ticket touts.
