Image By Kieran Webber<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brexit is ever looming and the deadline that seemed miles away now is dauntingly close. No Matter what way you voted it\u2019s clear that touring the EU as a U.K based artist is about to become extremely difficult and costly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we talk about how it\u2019s going to possibly change and what the future may look like it is best to understand how touring in the EU looks before we leave. In addition to this we will also look at the estimated costs (estimated being a keyword). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Right, you\u2019re a band and you want to tour the EU. Brilliant, so first up is purchasing a tour van, nothing particularly fancy but something stable. Most bands will opt for some sort of white van\/mini-van second hand*, this will cost anywhere between \u00a34000-\u00a37000. Then you will probably need to do some conversions to make it suitable for driving across countries and with acceptable storage space (a bed if you\u2019re real fancy), that\u2019s another \u00a3500-\u00a31000. So, you\u2019ve got your vehicle, it\u2019s road legal and good to go. Now you need to insure it, this cost can vary based on a litany of reasons (age, years driving etc) but roughly speaking it is in the ballpark of \u00a3500. Okay, so you have your van, you\u2019re insured and you\u2019re ready to tour. Now we need to take in consideration fuel, eating, drinking and the ferry cost to France. All in all that is another rough estimate of \u00a3500. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see before you even set foot in EU territory as an artist or band collectively you have spent a lot of hard earned cash. Thankfully though on the other side is a wave of fans waiting to see you in hundreds of venues around one of the largest continents. Chances are they\u2019re going to buy gig tickets (which you get a cut) and merch (that\u2019s all yours). All of this is at your fingertips and there are no visas, hidden costs and for the most part it\u2019s plain sailing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what touring in the EU currently looks like for most emerging bands and artists. However all this is about to potentially change and it may not be for the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There has been plenty of warning signs in the build up to this and the government has been warned multiple times the disastrous effect the loss of free movement will be to emerging acts wanting to tour the EU. For some the argument would be that you could tour more intensely in the U.K, which is absolutely true, However, for a band to survive and grow, the U.K just isn\u2019t a big enough land mass. Being able to head to the rest of Europe, free of charge with minimal fuss was a dream for U.K based artists. It has now been confirmed that free movement between “EU states will cease from December 31st 2020\u201d<\/a> and Prime Minister Boris Johnson had this to say \u201cToday marks the delivery of our promise to the British people to regain control of our borders and consider new arrivals on the basis of the skills they have to offer and the contribution they can make, not where they come from.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can read the full Government guidelines here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n After this date you will need a visa to visit an EU country. In fact, you\u2019re likely to need a visa for EACH country you visit. Now, as you can imagine for a touring artist not only is this a pain it\u2019s costly. Not to mention that a venue or booking agent is unlikely to pay for these visas, especially as every U.K based artist will need this. Thankfully, Ireland will be exempt from this, so free movement for artists will be in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, big artists such as James Blunt has said that this won\u2019t affect him and he\u2019s not wrong. Bigger artists will be able to swallow these new financial hits but if you\u2019re an emerging band where every penny counts this is a problem. As Mark Davyd, Music Venue Trust CEO put it \u201cYou\u2019ve got James Blunt saying it doesn\u2019t matter and won\u2019t affect him \u2013 and you know what? He\u2019s right. He won\u2019t even notice\u201d.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s still unclear exactly how Brexit will affect musicians based in the U.K but it is clear to see that it may not be positive. However, composer, writer and broadcaster Howard Goodall highlighted the potential changes in a recent Twitter thread (read below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n U.K Based Artists May Struggle To Tour In The EU Post-Brexit\n <\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n