The UK government has called for «real progress» on resolving the post-Brexit touring crisis, arguing that the barriers facing musicians, artists and crew are a «shared European interest» that demands closer cooperation between London and Brussels. Ian Murray, the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, made the case during an event at the Ancienne Belgique venue in Brussels last week, following meetings with senior EU representatives, European legislators and music industry stakeholders.
Murray's speech, delivered at an evening reception that featured performances from Stardust singer-songwriter Benjamin Diamond, Venus Grrrls and The Snuts, framed music as one of the UK's great cultural and economic strengths. «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,» he said. «It brings people together, creates jobs, and gives us a shared language that crosses borders.» He pointed to the sector's support for more than 200,000 UK jobs and its £8 billion contribution to the economy.
The minister was direct about the stakes. Government-commissioned research, he said, shows the real-world cost of reduced UK touring in the EU amounts to £208 million in lost economic value and 2,500 jobs in the UK, alongside roughly £1 billion in losses and more than 17,000 jobs across the EU. «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,» Murray said.
The touring crisis dates back to 2020, when the UK's departure from the EU ended visa-free travel for British artists and crew wishing to work in Europe. The music industry was effectively handed a «no deal» Brexit, and the consequences have compounded. A 2024 report by the Musicians' Union found that 75 per cent of artists had seen a decline in EU bookings since Brexit, with 79 per cent unable to make up for the lost work elsewhere. Most respondents described touring Europe as «no longer financially viable.»
More recent research from UK Music found the impact was only «worsening,» with the rate of growth down by more than half on 2023, even as the upper echelons of the industry reported record-breaking income. The crisis has also raised fears about the future talent pipeline, with smaller and emerging acts unable to afford the paperwork, equipment carnets and multiple tax registrations now required for European shows.
Political pressure has been building. In March, the Labour government pledged «full commitment» to breaking down the barriers. In June, MPs published a report urging the government to work closely with the EU and individual member states to address the devastation wrought on the live music industry. Murray's Brussels appearance is the latest step in that effort, and he used it to underline the government's broader diplomatic ambitions.
«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,» he said. «Europe's strength lies in the depth and diversity of its musical life.» He noted that Pulp and Florence + the Machine headlined Madrid's Mad Cool Festival this summer, while The Cure and Gorillaz played in Denmark and Mumford & Sons and Lewis Capaldi performed at Rock Werchter in Belgium.
Murray tied the touring issue to the government's domestic Music Plan, which he said holds «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.» He also cited Prime Minister Keir Starmer's push for a stronger UK-EU relationship and Andy Burnham's view that creative industries are «not a 'nice to have', but a real national and collective strength.»
For the UK's music community, the Brussels event represents a signal that the issue remains on the political agenda more than a decade after the Brexit vote. Whether it produces the practical changes artists need — from visa waivers to simpler customs arrangements — will depend on negotiations that have so far yielded limited results. Murray's message was that the UK and EU share both the problem and the incentive to solve it. «The UK's music truly does sound better when it's shared with our European friends,» he said.