Paying To Play: fanclubwallet on the Price of Touring the United States as an International Artist
Hannah Judge AKA fanclubwallet via Bandcamp
Editor’s note: The following interview originally aired on First Crush on CKCU 93.1 FM (Ottawa, Canada) on Friday, February 24th, 2023 and was produced by the author of this article.
Editor’s note (March 4th, 2023): Since the release of this article, the deadline to submit feedback to the Federal Register regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed increase to visa rates has been extended to March 13th, 2023.
While the concept of "paying to play" is unfortunately nothing new in the music industry, especially for emerging artists, its harsh reality has risen to a whole new level.
In early February, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced proposed increases to performer visa fees that would make touring in the United States significantly more expensive, if not completely inaccessible, for international musicians.
In order to legally enter and tour the United States, international musicians are required to obtain P-type and O-type visas. Should the new rates come into effect, musicians will have to pay at least 250% more for the mandatory paperwork. As cited in Stereogum, P-type visa costs would skyrocket from $460 to $1,615, and the O-type visa from $460 to $1,655 (this is USD, by the way).
Not only will musicians be further inundated with the debilitating financial burden of touring, but the state of the North American music industry at large—and the hundreds of thousands of creative workers it employs—is under threat.
This news has driven musicians to take to social media to recruit supporters in lobbying the Department of Homeland Security to keep touring in the United States possible for international acts.
Also Cool had the chance to speak with Hannah Judge, AKA fanclubwallet, an Ottawa-based indie artist, on the issues facing Canadian musicians in the current cultural climate and how the community can show up to help keep touring possible for artists from our own music scene and beyond.
Listen to our conversation below. Supporters have until March 6th to oppose the move by leaving a comment on the Federal Register website here!
fanclubwallet
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Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.