New Order use SXSW appearance to back #LetTheMusicMove campaign on US visa fee proposals

completemusicupdate.com:

New Order have formally backed the latest iteration of the #LetTheMusicMove campaign after performing and keynoting at South By South West in Austin, Texas earlier this week, urging the US government to rethink plans to hike the price of performer visas.The US Department Of Homeland Security announced plans earlier this year to significantly increase the price of applying for the kinds of visas used by performers when they gig and tour in the US.

Given surging production costs are already making it harder for all but the biggest artists to tour in a commercially viable way, the additional visa costs could make it impossible for many UK acts to play American shows.The UK’s Music Managers Forum and Featured Artists Coalition originally launched the #LetTheMusicMove campaign in a bid to tackle the extra bureaucracy British artists face when touring Europe post-Brexit.

They then reignited the campaign with a focus on the US visa fee increases earlier this year.At the time they explained: “The US visa office has proposed a huge increase to P&O visa fees – the short and long term work visas for creative professionals.

The proposed increase to the current … fee is from $460 to $1,655 (260%) for a regularly processed ‘O’ visa and $460 to $1615 (251%) for a regularly processed ‘P’ visa.