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News & campaigns
The immediate impact of Brexit on musicians
In recent weeks, as the situation for musicians has become clearer, protecting the viability of performing in Europe has been a top priority for the ISM. We have sought every possible opportunity to campaign for a reduction in the additional costs, delays and paperwork created by the Brexit agreement. We know how concerning this situation is for our members and we are committed to finding collaborative solutions for a sector that is already suffering. That is why we have joined forces with the Musicians’ Union to maximise our impact. Our Chief Executive Deborah Annetts and MU’s General Secretary Horace Trubridge are working closely together and demonstrating a unified voice for musicians. Together with the Musicians’ Union, we have published a report (31 March) with personal testimonies from music professionals who are facing economic disaster as a result of Brexit. It contains 17 named case studies and eight anonymous stories that reveal how new administrative and financial burdens are preventing UK musicians from touring, as Europe begins to reopen after the coronavirus. Read our report: ism.org/news/ professionally-paralysed-brexit-report
We are continuing to call on the government to: • negotiate a bespoke visa waiver agreement with the European Union (EU) that is separate from the trade deal exempting touring performers, creative teams and crews from needing to obtain a visa when seeking paid work • prioritise bilateral discussions with individual
EU Member States that do not offer cultural exemptions for work permits, such as Spain, Italy, and Portugal, as well as those which are financially the most important to UK performers • publish guidance to help the performing arts sector navigate the different requirements for each
European country. The ISM has already compiled a comprehensive overview of these rules, but now we need authoritative Government advice to provide reassurance across the touring supply chain.
We have produced a guide summarising the visa and work permit requirements for UK performers touring in Europe, as part of a range of support and services that we offer. View the ISM visa and work permit requirements guide: ism.org/advice/ eu-work-permit-requirements-for-musicians
ISM’s Chief Executive Deborah Annetts gave evidence to the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee on 16 February on the impact of EU visa and work permit arrangements for creative workers, speaking alongside Lyndsay Duthie from the Production Guild of Great Britain and lighting designer Paule Constable of the Freelancers Make Theatre Work campaign. As calls continue to grow for the government to find a way of restoring frictionless work travel for musicians, the hearing was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate to Government the adverse impacts of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on musicians and touring professionals. Speaking to the committee of MPs, Deborah and the panel provided personal testimonies from individuals across the music industry, a great many of whom relied on work in the EU and now face a crisis of livelihood. The session received widespread media coverage from across the UK, resulting in the ISM securing the most press coverage in its history. View highlights of the evidence session: ism.org/news/ism-evidence-dcms-committee
On 24 March 2021, peers in the House of Lords published a report that said the creative industries need a new agreement to resolve issues with mobility arrangements and moving goods between the UK and EU. The EU Services Sub-Committee report, titled Beyond Brexit: trade in services, used the ISM’s research as part of its examination of the future UK-EU relationship on trade in services. It adopted many of our recommendations in its section on the creative industries, noting that: ‘we agree with the Incorporated Society of Musicians that the UK should enter “bilateral discussions with individual EU Member States that do not currently offer cultural exemptions for work permits”.’ The report also suggested the sector needs new funding to replace the EU’s Creative Europe programme as well as the maintenance of high standards of protection for intellectual property. Read more about the report and its recommendations: ism.org/news/ lords-call-new-brexit-agreement
The following day (25 March) the Prime Minister gave evidence to MPs and said the government was working to find a solution to mobility issues around visas, work permits and moving goods between the UK and EU. When questioned by the Liaison Committee of MPs, Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the creative industries and said that challenges around touring and cultural exports ‘must get ironed out’ as part of ‘a two-way street’ with the EU. Johnson also said that the government was working ‘flat out’ in bilateral conversations with EU member states. This is crucial for securing visa-free touring and work permit exemptions for musicians and other creative professionals. These comments followed questions from Julian Knight MP, Chair of the DCMS Committee ,who also asked about the challenges involved in the return of live performance, particularly related to COVID cancellation insurance. In response, the Prime Minister praised the work of his government colleagues in supporting the return of the sector.
COVID-19 campaigning
The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on the music industry and its workforce. Venues have not been permitted to open due to safety restrictions or, when allowed, it was not viable for them to do so with reduced audience capacity. With over 40% of musicians not having received any financial support, and many more considering leaving the profession, it is imperative that the government protects our world-leading arts sector. That is why the ISM continues to campaign to ensure that musicians will not have to turn their backs on their careers and talents. Following the Chancellor’s Spring Budget on 03 March 2021, the most important decision was the extension of the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), the furlough scheme and the £20 Universal Credit uplift. We were also pleased to see the extension of the reduced VAT rate and further funding for the arts and cultural sectors.
The ISM recently partnered with touring experts Viva La Visa to offer a new visa and work permit advice service to ISM members who work overseas. You can access half an hour of free advice, helping you to navigate the required work permits and visas in the country or countries you are visiting on your next work trip. Find out more: ism.org/visa-service
In recent weeks, we have campaigned for the government to implement these measures by writing to the Chancellor, making a submission to the Treasury as part of the Creators’ Rights Alliance and commenting on the new funding for the arts. Read our response to the 2021 Budget: ism.org/news/ism-response-budget-2021
Over the next few months we will be calling on the Government to remove the obstacles to venues reopening, improve the viability of live performance and help ensure the sector continues to attract and retain talent. This will include our suggestions that were not adopted in the Budget, such as expanding existing support for freelancers, and creating a government-backed reinsurance scheme and new tax relief measures. We are also calling for improvements to the Cultural Recovery Fund. As we start the second year of the pandemic, we know how challenging this period has been for our members. That is why we are more determined than ever to make the government appreciate the contribution of the music sector and how we need urgent, effective support to prevent an exodus of world-leading talent. Read more about our COVID-19 campaigning and our policy asks: ism.org/campaigns/ coronavirus-campaigning
Championing music education across the four nations
The new Model Music Curriculum (MMC) was released by the government in April 2021. It is a non-statutory document for potential use in England’s primary and secondary schools and offers guidance to help specialist and non-specialist teachers deliver music lessons.
The MMC aims to identify ‘the core concepts that are needed for pupils to progress in their study of music’ and demonstrate ‘how pupils can build their understanding of these concepts from year 1 to year 9’. Read our next feature for a summary of our review of the MMC. We received written confirmation from Arts Council England that the Department for Education has committed £79 million in the 2021-22 financial year for music education hubs. This is a welcome reassurance for music teachers and the future of hubs after a difficult year. The funding announcement comes after Schools Minister Nick Gibb confirmed the national plan for music education has been put on hold following the outbreak of COVID-19. The plan was announced in February 2020, just before the pandemic began, and promised to level up opportunities for children from all backgrounds to take part in musical education. In a written response published on 17 March, Gibb said a call for evidence was launched to refresh the national plan but ‘due to the COVID-19 outbreak, analysis of the call for evidence and the refresh of the national plan is currently on hold’.
Indian Takeaway: Ra¯g and Ta¯l basics
Take away a lesson in Indian classical music. Our award-nominated, free online resource brought to you by the ISM Trust and Indian music expert Yogesh Dattani enables you to take away our lesson plans and successfully play or teach a piece of Indian classical music on any instrument. This lesson explores the basics of the melodic (ra¯g) and rhythmic (ta¯l) al) structures of North Indian classical music sargam, as you gradually learn to play a short composition, Sargam Gi¯t. ism.org/indian-takeaway
