Coachella’s Lineup Is Half International Artists — Why Is U.S. Border Policy So Hostile Toward Them?
variety.comPiers Henwood What surprising thing do more than half of the acts booked at the 2023 Coachella festival have in common? Unless they comply with burdensome, expensive, and exploitative administrative requirements, they would be barred from entering the United States to perform, and would have 30% of their payment siphoned off at source.
Why? Because 52% of the artists at this year’s Coachella hail from countries outside the United States, including 56% of the top-billed performers.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inexplicably treats foreign musicians like a potential threat to the republic, while the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treats foreign musicians like a slush fund.
And this has been true for decades, regardless of the political party in power. To be clear, none of this is the fault of Coachella: It’s tied to federal U.S.
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