Elton John has met with the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in a bid to secure better touring conditions for British artists.
Following Britain’s separation from the European Union, the government failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians and crew in Lord Frost’s Brexit deal.
The move has sparked fears that artists will face huge costs to take part in live music tours around the continent which, according to Elton, will hit new talent the hardest.
David & I will continue to fight for all artists, especially those at the start of their career, who are losing out because of the gaping holes in the UK Government's disastrous trade agreement with Europe.
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) July 6, 2021
We need to act now to save the music industry and support future talent. https://t.co/DxHvDdTGqa
In a bid to amend the new conditions, the Tiny Dancer star and his husband David Furnish took part in a virtual meeting with key figures to discuss free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists.
“Very happy to meet & discuss today with @eltonofficial, who despite #Brexit, is fighting for free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists,” Barnier tweeted, alongside a screenshot from the meeting.
“Citizens, artists, students are the first to lose out from #Brexit. It didn’t have to be this way.”
In his own post, Elton added: “David & I will continue to fight for all artists, especially those at the start of their career, who are losing out because of the gaping holes in the UK Government’s disastrous trade agreement with Europe.
“We need to act now to save the music industry and support future talent.”
Elton previously hit out at the Brexit deal, confirming he and David – who is CEO of Rocket Entertainment – met with Lord Frost to discuss the issue.
“I call on the government to sort this mess out or we risk losing future generations of world-beating talent,” he said in a statement on social media.
“This is about whether one of the UK’s most successful industries, worth £111bn a year, is allowed to prosper and contribute hugely to both our cultural and economic wealth, or crash and burn.”
Elton is set to return to the stage in September 2021 for the rescheduled European leg of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ Tour, which was postponed amid the pandemic.
The jaunt wraps in December, with a North American leg planned for 2022 and more shows in Oceania scheduled for 2023.
