The Incorporated Society of Musicians, the UK’s professional body for musicians, has joined with a-n to launch a new collaborative campaign to protect freedom of movement in the EU for all who work in the creative industries.
#FreeMoveCreate represents the coming together of more than 30,000 musicians and artists from across the memberships of both organisations.
The campaign will lobby government and parliament about the importance of freedom of movement while warning of the impact of excessive additional expense or bureaucracy for artists.
It will also provide information to those working in the creative industries, arming organisations and individuals with the facts and figures needed to make the case, and supporting sister campaigns.
The launch coincides with the unveiling of the results of a-n’s recent Brexit-related artists’ survey, which suggests there has been a reduction in opportunities for artists in the last year and a drop in sales through EU routes, as well as an increase in costs.
Jeanie Scott, a-n director, said: “While our 2016 survey and open call told us our members were concerned about the uncertainty Brexit posed for their incomes and practice, our 2017 survey provides evidence these anxieties are now based on real life experiences.
“Travel can play a vital, stimulating role in an artist’s career development, and an open, stable market place is just as important to ensure they can afford the costs of making, selling and distributing their work in the UK and beyond.”
On the need for #FreeMoveCreate, she said: “We must make sure these issues, and our artists’ growing concerns, are heard within the many Brexit discussions and negotiations that will take place over the coming months.
“We know their concerns are shared by individuals across many artforms – which is why #FreeMoveCreate will work to make sure our largely self-employed artist communities across the UK can engage with and contribute to the campaign.”
Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, said that having surveyed members just after the EU referendum result, freedom of movement across all European countries was clearly a key concern.
“Results showed that close on 60% of musicians placed maintaining freedom of movement as their number one priority. Our members travel to Europe upwards of 26 times a year, and the average tour length is seven days but some members are there for 60 days at a time. Our research shows that visas are not the solution and can cause even more problems.
“The issue of freedom of movement is not limited to just musicians – it affects everyone who works in the creative industries, including actors, artists, dancers, directors and technicians.”
For more information on #FreeMoveCreate and to join the campaign visit www.freemovecreate.org
For headline results from the recent ‘One Year On: a-n Brexit Survey’ click here
More on a-n.co.uk:
a-n launches five-year Valuing Artists strategy
A Q&A with… Emma Hart, artist with an eye on the domestic
Becoming an ACE NPO: six visual arts organisations on what difference it will make
