The Musicians’ Union (MU) has confirmed its support for Britain remaining part of the European Union (EU).
The organisation pointed to ‘at least three European Copyright Directives’, which have been responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of its members and ensuring that they receive remuneration for the use of their work.
It said in a statement: ‘Whilst the copyright regime in this country is far from perfect, and further adjustments are urgently needed, the MU is confident that the situation for musicians would be far worse were it not for the EU Directives.’
Elsewhere, the organisation said the open borders make touring both easier and less expensive for musicians, while EU health and safety legislation has meant that the job of being a musician has become safer.
EU workers’ rights legislation have also improved the working life of musicians in the UK, it added.
The MU expressed concern that European legislation which has protected musicians in the areas of copyright, health and safety and workers’ rights would be watered down or removed entirely if Britain were to leave the EU.
‘The effect that Brexit would have on musicians in Britain is not entirely clear and would depend on the terms negotiated,’ it said.
‘We could expect touring to become more difficult and potentially see British musicians having to apply for visas in order to travel within Europe. Given the cost and difficulty many musicians face in obtaining visas for work in countries such as the US, this would be very unwelcome.’
The organisation pointed to ‘at least three European Copyright Directives’, which have been responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of its members and ensuring that they receive remuneration for the use of their work.
It said in a statement: ‘Whilst the copyright regime in this country is far from perfect, and further adjustments are urgently needed, the MU is confident that the situation for musicians would be far worse were it not for the EU Directives.’
Elsewhere, the organisation said the open borders make touring both easier and less expensive for musicians, while EU health and safety legislation has meant that the job of being a musician has become safer.
EU workers’ rights legislation have also improved the working life of musicians in the UK, it added.
The MU expressed concern that European legislation which has protected musicians in the areas of copyright, health and safety and workers’ rights would be watered down or removed entirely if Britain were to leave the EU.
‘The effect that Brexit would have on musicians in Britain is not entirely clear and would depend on the terms negotiated,’ it said.
‘We could expect touring to become more difficult and potentially see British musicians having to apply for visas in order to travel within Europe. Given the cost and difficulty many musicians face in obtaining visas for work in countries such as the US, this would be very unwelcome.’
