The booking agency Encore Musicians, whose Covid survey we published last August (LINK) , have just done a survey on the impact of Brexit on musicians. 

The following is directly quoted from the  Encore Musicians Press Release. E&OE.

“FINANCIAL IMPACT

Which musicians are most likely to lose out?

The earning figures below apply to musicians who reported earnings from performances in Europe in 2019.

Older musicians likely to lose most

• Those aged over 55 earned the most, averaging a total of £5,419 each from performances on the continent.
• Conversely, those in the youngest age bracket, 18-24 earned on average £1,114 during the same year.
• Overall, increased age correlated with increased earnings suggesting that older musicians are more at risk from travel restrictions.

Classical musicians at risk

• With an average total of £5,713, classical musicians who performed in Europe in 2019 earned the most of any genre. This could be attributed to classical musicians
• Jazz musicians earned the least on average, taking home on average £3,402 from European gigs in 2019.

MUSICIAN SENTIMENT

The opinions below were taken from all survey respondents, regardless of whether they had performed in Europe in 2019 or not.

Low government confidence

• 90% said they were not confident that the government will negotiate a post-Brexit travel deal that works well for musicians
• 89% disagreed with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden’s comment last week regarding the Brexit negotiations that: “it was the EU letting down music on both sides of the Channel – not us”?

Brexit pessimism 

Musicians were pessimistic about the overall impact Brexit will have on the UK music industry:

• 91% said Brexit will have a negative impact on their livelihood as a musician
• 88% said they thought Brexit would decrease the value of the UK music industry
• 19% said they thought it was unlikely they would still be a professional musician in 12 months time

CASE STUDIES

LEAVING THE COUNTRY

“I’m Irish and leaving the UK because of Brexit to live in Germany as soon as the travel restrictions ease.”

Gráinne Gillis, opera singer

CUSTOMS CANCELS THE TOUR

“We have had to cancel a proposed tour in France, Holland and Germany because of cabotage and the bureaucratic costs of arranging customs clearance and appropriate visas. Our engagement calendar is now completely blank because of the Covid restrictions and the future is looking grim. We are considering selling our tour bus and giving up.”

Anonymous, jazz musician”

Source: Press Release from Encore Musicians