02.12.2025: The impact of Brexit on EU touring for UK creators is getting worse, a new survey featured in UK Music’s This Is Music report has revealed.

Our This Is Music report into the economic health of the sector revealed that the UK music industry contributed a record £8 billion to the economy in 2024, with exports revenue hitting a new high of £4.8 billion. You can read more about the report here.

But while the £8 billion contribution made last year represented a record high, the rate of growth was down by more than half on 2023.

Furthermore, for the third consecutive year, UK Music has surveyed music creators on their experiences of touring the EU following Brexit. And the picture is still bad and is getting worse.

Of those surveyed, 32% were affected by the UK leaving the EU, up 4% from 28% in 2023. Of those affected, 95% experienced a decrease in earnings, up 8% from 87% in 2023.

Most of the biggest factors affecting artists have shown no improvement, or even worsened, in the three years this survey has been running. Consistent with previous years, the impact of Brexit is most acute amongst lower earners and those music creators building their career for the first time. Music creators at this level are micro businesses, and with minimal resources available to them, the impact of Brexit often makes touring the EU untenable.

Additionally, PRS for Music data shows a stark decline in small and medium-sized live performances reported by its members since Brexit. Between 2019, the last year in which UK musicians had freedom of movement rights pre Covid, and 2023 there was a 27% decline in live performance claims for EU festivals and events with a capacity of under 5,000.

Reduced touring opportunities not only directly affect artists and crew unable to tour, but also songwriters who see reduced royalties where their works are no longer being performed by UK artists at concerts and festivals in EU countries.

The same issues that apply to touring also apply to other forms of work undertaken by music creators in the EU. Consistent with previous years, many respondents who are UK-based songwriters, composers, and producers noted a decline in production and composition work from EU-based clients. UK-based Musicians and DJs are also not being booked for cruise ship, hotel, and resort work.

Leaving the EU: The Broader Impact

The impact of leaving the EU has affected all sectors of the music industry, not just touring artists. This includes music merchandise companies, direct-to-fan e-commerce, independent record labels, music management companies, tour production companies, recording studios, and more. These companies, many of which are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), have some resources available to them to help mitigate the impact of Brexit, but the challenges are significant, and in aggregate, a drain on the economic performance of the UK music industry.

A number of trends emerge:

1. Increased costs The costs can be direct, such as duties, or indirect, such as increased employment costs or additional costs incurred with external advisors to navigate the impact of Brexit.
2. Increased red tape Multiple companies complain of increased red tape and the drain on staff time. Employment growth in the sector has slowed for various reasons, adding even more pressure on the music industry workforce.
3. Mental health Allied to the point above, several music industry employers commented on the impact Brexit has had on their employees’ mental health. This is especially acute where physical product and cross-border transactions make up a significant proportion of a company’s business.
4. Solutions take value away from the UK Where SMEs have found solutions, this often means taking economic value away from the UK, such as opening a European subsidiary, using European-based suppliers, road crews, musicians, and so on.The combined impact of EU restrictions and US visa costs and bureaucracy is placing the UK at a severe disadvantage, compared to EU and US artists who have unfettered access to large markets. The Government can help remove these barriers.

   You can view the survey findings in full below.