First Crush
Friday February 24th, 2023 with Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter
Paying To Play: The Price of Touring the United States for Canadian Musicians with fanclubwallet

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. Earlier this month, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced proposed increases to visa rates that would make touring in the United States significantly more expensive, if not completely inaccessible, for international artists. So, how much does it cost for a local musician to tour the United States? Why is this integral to a "successful" career in the music biz? What can we do to support musicians lobbying the Department of Homeland Security? I 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. Use your voice! Leave a comment for the Department of Homeland Security on how these proposed changes will completely deplete the music industry of talent and jobs and make touring virtually impossible to international artists: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/04/2022-27066/us-citizenship-and-immigration-services-fee-schedule-and-changes-to-certain-other-immigration#open-comment Find out more about P and O Type visas here: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/p-2-individual-performer-or-part-of-a-group-entering-to-perform-under-a-reciprocal-exchange-program https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/o-1-visa-individuals-with-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement Follow Hannah: Bandcamp: https://fanclubwallet.bandcamp.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fanclubwallet/