Until March 19, the city of Austin, Texas, once again becomes the music industry capital of the world, as more than 1,400 musicians and bands from around the world, mostly emerging artists, will take part in the musical section of the South by South West (SXSW) festival-conference in the hope of getting noticed. However, a new pitfall could slow down their ardor: the price of work visas given to musicians on tour in the United States could triple as of next fall, an announcement that irritates and worries the music community all over the world. .
Like about twenty Quebec musical projects, the art punk group La Sécurité landed in Austin last weekend to participate in at least one official showcase of the SXSW organized by M for Montreal. Vanille, Totalement Sublime, Le Couleur, Choses Sauvages, Bibi Club, Super Plage and Afternoon Bike Ride, among other local representatives, are also part of the party, marred, we guess, by the projected increase in the price of visas granted by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) which allow international artists to give concerts in the United States.
“It’s worrying,” says Éliane Viens-Synnott, composer and singer of La Sécurité, who also works on show planning at Ambiances Ambigües. “Already the rates for a temporary visa to the United States were high, this increase adds to the difficult climate in which the entertainment industry finds itself today. »
Unlike the situation in the United States, it costs almost nothing for an international artist to obtain permission to give concerts in Canada, or for a Canadian artist to perform on a European stage. So far, obtaining a temporary work visa (there are two categories, O visas and P visas) for the US territory requires a fee of US$460; if the measure proposed last month by the USCIS is approved, this tariff will increase to $1655 (category O, valid for three years) and $1615 (category P, valid for a maximum of one year), an increase of more than 250% — requires one permit per musical project, and will now cover up to 25 individuals, a measure that will affect classical ensembles aspiring to perform in the United States.
The announcement quickly worried associations of professional musicians around the world: in Great Britain, the Featured Artists Coalition denounced this increase, as did the Canadian Federation of Musicians, which received the support of its ally in the south of the border, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
“These drastic increases in fees will stifle international cultural activity and have a negative economic ripple effect on the communities supported by artistic events”, communicated the AFM, relaying the concern of many American actors in the field. “Music is collaborative in nature, offering American artists the opportunity to connect with international artists, who in turn provide those American artists with access to foreign markets. International touring artists contribute to the U.S. economy by filling venues, booking hotels, and paying the many other costs associated with touring, and they also pay taxes. […] on their performance income. »
The problem also affects Michaël Bardier, founder of Heavy Trip, a career management and touring agency based in Montreal and whose artists target the American market: “What is crazy and amazes me, above all, is that it was already very expensive to shoot in the United States. Gold, [la hausse des tarifs] does not yet seem to cool musicians wishing to test the waters and break into this market – at least for artists who already have a certain notoriety. Clearly, this nearly $1,000 hike won’t affect the salaries of established artists like Drake or The Weeknd, Bardier conceives, “whereas if you don’t yet have a footprint in the U.S. market , the situation will become even more difficult — and it already was for artists in the development of their careers”.
Yet they are the ones who form the bulk of the 1,400 projects showcased at SXSW, who dream of carving out a place for themselves on the most important music market in the world. “Concretely, as an artist, the only way I could one day shoot in the United States is if an American agency discovers us within the framework of a showcase like the SXSW”, reasons Éliane Viens-Synnott.
“And as a show agent myself, I work a lot with groups [du Québec] and I encourage them to develop collaborations with American groups, which would open doors for them in this market”, a strategy that is undermined if the price increase becomes a reality. “Everyone really has an interest in creating more sharing with groups from elsewhere. The new rates will make it almost impossible to tour the United States unless supported by a team there. »