US officials deny visas for British pop stars (not famous enough)

[T_i_B]

Source: Daily Telegraph

British performers are being forced to cancel American tours after being denied visas, often because United States officials do not consider them famous enough.

Singers such as Lily Allen, the Mercury Prize-winning band the Klaxons and the London indie rockers Mystery Jets are among the performers suffering visa problems.

Anticipated American tours by at least three British bands this month have been cancelled or rescheduled because of visa issues. In addition, at least 10 tours by other hyped British acts have been scrapped due to visa problems over the past year, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Despite having huge support in America, many British musicians are failing to qualify for the P-1 class visa traditionally given to acts who can prove they have been "internationally recognised" for a "sustained and substantial" amount of time. However, performers now can become the hottest property on the music scene almost overnight without the large back catalogue and track record of fame normally used to secure a US work visa.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/17/nvisas117.xml

[Mythsaje]

1. That's just stupid...

Though, I have to admit, I'm sure they would've loved to stop those four clean-cut kids from Liverpool from coming over when they had the chance.

:evilgrin:

[Demeter]

3. But In Keeping With Bush Policy

"If it's stupid, we do it. If it's monumentally stupid, we do it overnight!"

[aquart]

5. So they wouldn't have let the Police in that first time

When they performed in an empty CBGB's. "Not famous" is putting it mildly. But that changed.

[Webster Green]

2. The US is becoming more like the old Soviet Union every day.

Fucking unbelievable!:mad:

[KT2000]

4. Would love to see

the dorks that are making these decisions.
We are becoming such a backward nation - pathetic.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Putting Lily Allen in tha list is a bit misleading

As a WSJ story on this says, she was a bit different (it was talked about here on DU at the time):

In Ms. Allen's case, it wasn't lack of recognition that caused her visa problems. According to her manager, Ms. Allen had a one-year visa that was valid until Sept. 25. But it was taken away on Aug. 5 when she landed in Los Angeles. Her manager says he thinks the visa might have been revoked because Ms. Allen had been arrested in London in June after an altercation with photographers. USCIS says it does not comment on individual cases. Ms. Allen declined to comment.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118980966247828081.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

But the rest of it does sound as if they're being stupidly restrictive. It seems they're taking the attitude 'musicians are all the same - these ones will take away gigs from their US equivalents'. I can see there's some basic hurdle to be cleared - you'd have to show someone in the USA has heard of you, and is setting up concerts that are selling tickets - but this sounds ridiculous.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

7. Time to smoke out the fundie in that woodpile.

I have handled immigration for new British and European bands in the past and I can tell you that this reeks of someone with an agenda that goes beyond the norm. Usually, it is a matter of getting your applications in and paying the fees and that's that. This, however, sounds like a coordinated effort to keep bands out of the country. A fundie mindset and agenda would most likely account for that. Gotta kill off that demon Rock and Roll.

There is no clear reason for this beyond an ugly little agenda.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. they should only have to hop over the wall from Mexico?

only kidding

[divineorder]

9. The Whole Fame criterion seems ridiculous

Why can't a struggling band come over and see if they can generate a following or not? If they can't make it in say, two years, then perhaps they should leave. And what about performers that only appeal to a limited following anyway-like poets, or certain ethnic groups?

The State Department-or any bureaucracy shouldn't be in the business of determining "fame" anyway. The people in the cubes are at least a generation removed anyway from rising trends in music (or art or literature or whatever) and have no clue. Nor can they determine if U.S exposure may be just what's needed to kickstart a fading career either.

Not only that, but this has an anti-liberal bias to the extreme. Cultural commissars love to keep out Cuban artists, Muslim writers, anybody who doesn't toe the conservative line politically. I chalk this up to fundies in the State Department who hate the fact that their culture does not export very well either domestically or internationally.

[Mike Daniels]

10. I find it hard to believe that Euros Childs from Gorky's Zygotic Mycni has a significant fan base

in the US but he's appearing at some small club in DC later in the fall.

I don't know how one measures fame for the purposes of obtaining a visa but I'd think it's set pretty low if Euros can get one.

[Mike Daniels]

12. The US culture doesn't export well domestically or internationally?

That's funny.

I guess all those bands touring Europe and made in Hollywood films released overseas are barely managing to keep profits in line with expenses?

[divineorder]

13. What I'm Talking About

Is the culture of the fundies that man the desks that make these decisions. Who likes Thomas Kinkade outside of the US? Europe has pretty much rejected fundy religion and the culture it holds dear-and I believe that generates a certain amount of resentment. Not to mention the sympathies many foreign artists may have toward left politics that are more critical of us policies as well as culture.

[blogslut]

11. I know nothing about the other two

But wasn't Lily Allen charged with assault in Britain that was why the US wouldn't give her a Visa?

[uppityperson]

14. We're listening to them there so we don't have to listen to them here.

what a crock

[AnneD]

15. It's a total embaresment....

hubby as a touring musician from America is welcomed in other countries, yet our country treats foreign artist like shit. I am just embarrassed to tour. I never thought I would me embarrassed to be an American overseas. When we travel-we stay with old friends that know us and do not go out so freely as we once did. Because hubby is Indian and I am American leaves many scratching their heads, but it is so had to explain the unexplainable. We are cutting off our nose to spite our face.