Major artists have joined several UK music industry bodies in calling on the government for an alternative to Brexit.
It follows the postponement of the House Of Commons vote on the government’s proposed transition deal with the EU.
Artists signing the letter to the government drafted by Music4EU include Annie Lennox, Chrissie Hynde, Paloma Faith, Nadine Shah, Public Service Broadcasting and David Arnold.
Industry bodies supporting the initiative include The Musicians Union, The Association of Independent Music, Music Managers Forum, British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors and the Music Producers Guild.
Signatories from the music management sector include Ed Sheeran's manager Stuart Camp, Raw Power and Fleet River Management who represent The Chemical Brothers.
The open letter states that “Brexit represents a significant threat to the UK’s Music Industry” and that “In the Post-Brexit UK, there is a clear risk that reaching consumers and fans will be more expensive, and international markets will be harder to access”.
Sammy Andrews, CEO of Deviate Digital, and co-organiser of Music4EU, said: “Rarely do so many factions within the music industry unite on any subject, but Music4EU’s signatory list so far is a clear indication of the level of concern over the current mess, and how widely it impacts every corner of this sector. Brexit is an unmitigated disaster for Britain’s world-leading music industry.”
Sam Duckworth who performs as Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, added: “It’s a connected age, where diminishing rights and barriers to trade should be a thing of the past. We need to make sure we don’t isolate ourselves from our wider cultural family. Be it sharing a stage, a marketplace or as part of a team, Brexit is causing mass uncertainty. Music is a big part of the economy and is the front line of the warm British welcome. It is essential that we are given clear guidelines, promises and safeguards for this to continue.”
Paul Pacifico, CEO of AIM, said: "In a moment when we need balance most, Brexit seems to play to the most divisive and negative instincts of our representatives across the political spectrum. In this atmosphere of hardening dogma, we must not sacrifice the future of our creative economy and the people and small businesses that are its lifeblood. We can too easily take for granted that British music has a special place in the world and for several decades it has punched above its weight.
"We must take care that any next steps in Brexit do not diminish our potential to excel across both the world’s cultural and commercial landscapes. The music industry delivered £4.5 billion to the economy last year, and yet it feels like so far we have been utterly ignored in the Brexit deal. We, therefore, renew our call on all sides to include the specific provisions we need to continue to thrive."
Music4EU is calling for music industry professionals to add their voice at: https://music4eu.com/letter
The current signatories are as follows:
Paloma Faith
Alan McGee
Annie Lennox
Nick Mason - Pink Floyd
Chrissie Hynde
Carl Barat - The Libertines
Nadine Shah
Stuart Camp - Grumpy Old Management
Dave Rowntree - Blur
Association of Independent Music (AIM)
Beggars Group
Billy Bragg
Music Managers Forum (MMF)
Public Service Broadcasting
Enter Shikari
David Arnold
Jamie Cullum
Musicians Union (MU)
Music Producers Guild (MPG)
Featured Artist Coalition (FAC)
Fran Healy - Travis
Broadwick Live
Kilimanjaro Live
Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM)
Coda
Boomtown Festival
Nitin Sawhney
Fleet River Management
Solo Agency
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors (BASCA)
Blood Red Shoes
British Sea Power
Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
Ben Robinson - From The Fields - Blue Dot / Kendal Calling
Ed Harcourt
Cll Jon Tolley - Banquet Records
Lightning Seeds
Stephen Budd
The Subways
Red Grape music
Peggy Seeger
David Manders - Liquid management
Beach Riot
Ralph Lawson - 20/20 vision recordings
Craig Jennings - Raw Power
Danny Goffey - Supergrass
Revered And The Makers
Mark Davyd
Sammy Andrews - Deviate Digital
Cliff Fluet
Emma Greengrass
Simon Esplen
Alistair Norbury
Paloma Faith
Marillion
Emmy The Great
Danielle Perry - Miss Perry Presents Ltd
Cannibal Hymns
Tigercub
Stephen Taverner - East City Management
Carwyn Ellis - Pretenders
Band Of Skulls
Chris Carey - Media Insight Consulting and FastForward
Ros Earls - 104db management
Jonathan Wood - Ooosh! Tours Ltd
Peter Quicke - Ninja Tune
Laurence Bell - Domino Recording Company
John Giddings - Solo Agency
Amy Bee Sting- Oh My God! It's The Church
Bill Ryder-Jones
Ellie Giles - Step Music Management
Kevin Fleming - Warp Records
Andy Edwards
Mick Patterson
Kat Kennedy - Big Life Management
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