HOT
TAKE
VISAS AND PRS...
This issue, our Hot Take
section covers two issues
dominating festival industry
chatter - PRS For Music’s
rate cut, and the widely
reported difficulties artists
face getting visas into the
UK...
28
Protesting taxes and visa restrictions
STEVE HEAP
General secretary of the Association of
Festival Organisers
I’m never quite sure whether it was the
Greeks or the Romans that discovered, or
indeed invented, percentage, but whichever
it was, it was a great idea.
Up to 11 June 2018 the Performing Right
Society (PRS) had licensed festivals at 3%
of gross ticket income and this has stood
us very well for over twenty years. As
ticket prices go up the percentage goes up
and therefore the PRS on behalf of their
members, were collecting a higher fee each
year that the price of the ticket went up.
However, three years ago the PRS
Board representing all their members
(questionable) decided that this percentage
was not enough and that even though
the price of tickets had continued to rise,
therefore delivering them a higher income,
an increase in the percentage was needed.
Negotiations with a live music consortium
known as LSPs commenced and after
literally dozens of meetings, reams of
correspondence, some hard words and a
final agreement, the new tariff requested
by PRS was put before a copyright tribunal
who agreed to the PRS request and indeed
the LSPs agreement. The battles were
hard-fought, the war probably not really
won by either, except to say that in early
stages PRS quoted many other countries in
Europe licensing live music at 6, 7 or even 8%
of gross takings, so to have now beaten this
down from 3% prior to this tribunal to 2.5%
in some cases and up in others to 4%. More
online at access.co.uk
GEMMA WILSON
Immigration department, Laceys Solicitors
With international music acts contributing
to the £3.5bn UK music industry it is
disappointing that acts across the world are
now facing a Home Office visa disaster; with
2018 predicted to reach the highest level of
refusals for applicants on routes of entry to
the UK for artists and entertainers.
The creative sector has been largely
hit since 2012 with many visa decisions
being moved out of foreign consulates to
Sheffield, the problem has deteriorated
further, with inexperienced staff incorrectly
applying sponsorship guidance when
issuing visas which in our experience has
disproportionality penalised applicants on a
worldwide basis.
It is no secret that the UKVI service in
regard to the creative industry in recent
times has been widely criticised as not being
fit for purpose with more and more appeals
being granted due to simple errors caused by
processing entry clearance officers [ECOs]
not to mention the yearly increase of fees
which presently do not appear to represent
value for money.
It is also incredibly difficult to contact the
ECOs to enquire over a refusal or delay in the
visa application processes. The ECOs become
enigmas and are completely unaccountable
for their incompetence, which has in our
experience cost tour promoters and their
artists tens of thousands of pounds and
massive reputational damage as, apart from
appealing against an incorrect decision,
there is currently no compensation available
for the wrong decision that are often
overturned. More online at access.co.uk