August 19, 2019

The ISM has called on the Government to cover any additional costs that musicians will incur when travelling to the EU27/EEA for work in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The ISM says that a no-deal Brexit will cause “major disruption to the UK’s music industry which is worth £4.5 billion to the UK economy”. It says that the lack of transitional arrangements in a no-deal scenario will “result in chaos for many of those who have to travel to the EU for work – and freelance, touring musicians, often on low earnings will be amongst the hardest hit”.

The ISM has calculated that musicians who travel to the EU27 and carry an instrument will incur additional costs of up to £1,000 per year in a no-deal Brexit.

Musicians will be required to purchase carnets, which are temporary international customs documents that allow instruments and sound equipment to move temporarily outside the UK, which cost in the region of £500-700, depending on the value of the goods. It is currently possible to take instruments to countries in the EU for free.

Musicians will also face numerous additional costs including:

• private medical insurance, which would become essential in a no-deal Brexit as EHIC provision would cease;
• Musical Instrument Certificates, which are required for instruments containing endangered species according to CITES (including ivory, rosewood, tortoiseshell), are currently free, but are set to have a charge in 2020 (amount unknown). Examples: some violin bows contain ivory and some guitars contain rosewood;
• musicians who drive to the continent will need to purchase an International Driving Permit costing £5.50;
• if A1 forms become obsolete on 1 November, musicians must also ensure that they are not liable for double deductions of social security payments in other EU countries by contacting the relevant EU social security institution to check; and
• if visas are introduced to work in the EU27/EEA, this is likely to cause “considerable financial and administrative burden to musicians”.

To read the ISM’s press release in full, click here.