America is Fucked

Out of context: Reply #1261

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  • kingsteven3

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/ste…

    This was announced a while back but coming in to force October 2nd. The increase is from $460 to $705, or $1,440 for a fast-track application which may not seem like much but bands in Europe generally use local companies to sort the paperwork that have their own charges on top. When you add flights, tour backline hire and driver/ tour management - touring the states was already a cash hole for many mid level bands...

    Crucially the applications will take longer to process too (even the fast-track applications moving from 15 calendar days to 15 working days) ... From personal experience the last time the indie band I played in were invited to SXSW we had 3 shows lined up in Austin and half a two week tour planned around it. Visa applications (non fast-track) were costing £2k for 3 people (we were quoted 5k by firm in Dublin for the same). Of course you also have to book your flights and spunk a couple grand in other non-refundable charges months in advance of actually having your visa applications granted - We'd even been offered funding from the british council to cover flights, but the funding was dependant on the successful visa - it was a choice for us between potentially being a couple of grand down for a US tour or Recording and Pressing another LP and touring Europe (while making a small profit) already a no brainer for most... Given how fucked the music industry is now i'd say this is the final nail in the coffin for many well known bands touring the US.

    kingsteven 3Permalink
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    • Quietus? I read this yesterday, seems entirely fucked in the head. Simply not spending as much on viagra for military personnel would easily negate the cost.face_melter
    • hah, yeah i screengrabbed the quietus article and then realised all the info i read was linked via another site to the forbes article...kingsteven
    • That's not that bad considering u get to be in the mutha fuckin usa. Unless u don't want to be heredeathboy
    • "durrr, what is band" the point is no, you bourgeois fuck.kingsteven
    • 200 bucks is supply and demand (arbitrarily by gov) buddy. got something everyone wants you can raise the price. or just need more capital wasting money ondeathboy
    • leftist ideals and looking for any non voting/ non demo to fleece to pay for it.deathboy
    • haha, big supporter of the govt now are you db? the entire point is that the demand does not exist.kingsteven
    • fuckboy, next time you think about commenting on something you know nothing about remember this important message: get fucked, you fucking clown.face_melter
    • Actually immigration into the US is #1. I'd say that is what people might deem "demand"deathboy
    • and think of it this way king. can you make more investing 200 here vs where you are at?deathboy
    • and as the country keeps getting more socialist it will have to clamp down even farther on immigration policies becuase of dead beats and costsdeathboy
    • i fully love who hate the price and ignore the reward while people risk there lives on the border to come illegally and work as off knowing the rewarddeathboy
    • i'd take those types any day over your commie ass.deathboy
    • but im happy your commie ass gets burned by gov bureacracy vs capitalism you hate. Makes you sound like a capitalism supporterdeathboy
    • i lived in the US for years dickhead, settled back in ireland with all the other retirees :D not all trade is capitalism, im posting to inform americans of akingsteven
    • cultural drought, when a ton of european groups choose to ignore the american market. because europe is a dream to tour in comparison.kingsteven
    • But u don't have us citizenship and don't want to pay price to come back. If nothing big to gain don't come backdeathboy
    • U want to call w here because u see value. Is is not more than if pay?. If not it's not fair n your best interestsdeathboy
    • well i don't know what you're getting at here at all i can go on a holiday whenever i want. bands play where they are asked to play and promoters, venues, tourkingsteven
    • support staff locally profit from them doing so. it drives a grassroots economy and is rarely profitable for the musicians... a futile existence, making stuff.kingsteven
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