New Order call for US government to scrap visa price hike: “the final nail in the coffin for touring”
New Order have come out in support of #LetMusicMove. The campaign stands against proposed changes to US visa rules that would severely impact touring artists.
In February, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to raise touring visa fees for foreign acts by over 250%. In the proposal, the DHS said that the price of a P visa (necessary for acts arriving in the US to perform temporarily) would increase from the current rate of $460 (£375.23) to $1,615 (£1,317). The O work visa, which allows acts to stay for a more extended period, is set to jump from $460 (£375.23) to $1,655 (£1,349).
Several prominent music artists have spoken out against the proposal. However, the DHS has claimed that the increases are necessary due to insufficient staffing at the Citizenship and Immigration department. UK band Easy Life were recently forced to cancel their US tour due to the “insane costs” of touring in the US.
Now, New Order have criticised the price hike. Following their headline performance at SXSW festival on Monday, the UK band described how essential touring in the US and Canada was to New Order’s development
“The influence of New York club culture has been pivotal to the evolution of New Order, from our initial shows at legendary long-lost venues like Tier 3, Hurrah and the Peppermint Lounge to our recent arena tour with the Pet Shop Boys,” the Manchester band wrote in a statement.
“Being able to perform to North American audiences has been absolutely crucial to us as a band. It’s also why we share the concerns of musicians around the world with these proposed visa increases for international artists,” they added. “For a new band, a 250 per cent increase in visa costs, on top of all the other financial pressures facing artists right now, might be the final nail in the coffin for touring.”
The band concluded their statement by confirming their “support of the #LetTheMusicMove campaign,” through which they “want the US Government to rethink these policy changes and look to alternative measures that encourage greater musical exchange, not less.”
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