What is Carry On Touring?
Carry On Touring is the umbrella campaign which all those who tour — and rely on touring — can support and sit under. This public-facing campaign brings together voices from across the touring, cultural and creative industries to secure cross-party support for Tim Brennan's petition, signed by nearly 300,000 people, and campaign for a solution to help us get back to work and carry on touring.
Our campaign is about real people affected by the Government's failure to negotiate an exemption in the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA). The strength of the campaign is that it's inclusive and representative — bringing together voices from across the UK cultural and creative industries, trade and representative bodies, and Parliamentarians across the UK and Europe.
What's the issue, and why isn't there an exemption for UK artists and professionals?
The UK Government's failure to secure an exemption — or provision — in the Brexit negotiations for creative artists and touring professionals who rely on touring for a living will have dire consequences for the UK creative sector if no resolution can be found.
Government has said it pushed for a more ambitious agreement with the EU on the temporary movement of business travellers — which would have included musicians and others who tour — but the proposals were rejected.
Now that we've left the EU, everyone who goes on tour is required to obtain work permits in each European country they visit. The cost and administrative burden this places on a sector that's keen to get back to work will have a catastrophic impact on the UK public and performers alike.
Isn't this just about musicians?
No — it's about all creative touring professionals.
Failure to secure an EU-wide cultural work permit and visa-free travel for touring professionals and artists has a huge impact on every touring art form, including theatre, dance, circus, visual arts and music, across both the UK's and EU's cultural economies. Young and emerging artists are hit hardest — many simply can't afford to go on tour under the current rules.
Why is this such a big problem?
The UK's creative industries are a massive success story, contributing around £111.7 billion to the economy — equivalent to £306 million every day.
- All DCMS sectors (excluding tourism) contributed £224.1 billion to the UK in 2018
- They accounted for 11.7% of the UK economy in 2018
- The music industry alone contributed £5.8 billion in 2019
- £1.1 billion of that came from live music in 2019
- 44% of UK musicians earn up to half their income in the EU, largely from live events
The Government needs to act now and show it supports real people, real lives, real jobs.
What is the Government doing to help?
Carry On Touring is calling for clarity, certainty and progress on this issue. We need to know what's happening for the real people, real lives and real jobs affected by it — and so far there's been little of any of the three.
Speaking to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, then-Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden MP said he'd spoken to every EU member state about creative touring post-Brexit, and that "some paid touring activities" would be possible in 17 of the 27 EU countries — adding that the picture seemed "much more positive" than he'd first thought.
That assertion was misleading. It failed to acknowledge the differential access rules and work-permit requirements that still apply even within those 17 countries, or that allowances range from as little as 7 days a year up to 90 days in Germany and France. The reality on the ground remains far harder to navigate than the headline figure suggests.
Our ask remains unchanged: a Cultural Passport — a visa waiver agreement and Schengen-wide work permit with free access. Talks of a UK Music or Creative Office are welcome, but they don't remove the barriers touring professionals and artists actually face.
Why can't the UK Government go back to the negotiating table?
Arguably, they could. Negotiating 27 different bilateral agreements with 27 EU countries isn't going to provide much clarity in practice. Since touring wasn't included in the TCA, there's no real reason the UK Government couldn't negotiate a special cultural passport for creative touring professionals instead.
If no exemption or solution is found, what's the impact on artists and professionals touring the EU?
Without a return to the negotiating table, many jobs and livelihoods will be lost. There will be a massive impact on crew, haulage and production — who won't be going anywhere — at a time when the sector desperately needs a lifeline. Due to the extra cost of red tape and the time involved, it's likely that only major artists will be able to tour, and even for them the cost and bureaucracy will be disproportionate.
This isn't just a UK issue — the value of cultural exchange is huge to both the UK's and EU's economies and social wellbeing. We should be working together to resolve it, and to create rich new collaborations for the generations to come.
What is the solution?
It could be simple. Carry On Touring wants to see a pan-European EU visa and work permit waiver — a Cultural Passport — negotiated urgently.
A Cultural Passport would let all creative artists and professionals carry on touring freely. We believe the current impasse will only be resolved, in any meaningful sense, through a visa waiver / cultural passport agreement with the EU that exempts touring performers, creative teams and crews.
Who is supporting Carry On Touring?
We have some great supporters — UK politicians, artists, technicians, dancers, performers, musicians and composers, industry figures and trade bodies, all backing the campaign. See our About Us page for the people and partners behind it.
Together, we can work it out.