For decades, immigration laws have stood in the way of the music you love – this is how

Photo courtesy of Don Roth

Nicholas Boston for The Imdependent (United Kingdom) looks at how the immigration laws in the United Kingdom have affected popular music in the country:

“In the UK, concern is high and mounting that post-Brexit immigration policy and red tape will turn Britain’s music business from the global industry it currently is into a parochial one . . . .  This concern focuses primarily on freedom of movement of British musicians and vocalists to the European Union and vice versa. But it is neither new nor confined to the question of touring. Immigration control has influenced, in some cases defined, British music for at least a century, industry experts and scholars say. It has done so by blocking entry to performers, whether by individual, musical genre, or nationality; or by interning, surveilling or deporting certain groups of residents deemed at different intervals to be threats or burdens to the nation. This encumbered the creative expression of musicians who were a part of those communities.”

The immigration woes of John Lennon of Beatles fame reveal that the U.S. immigration laws have affected American music listeners.  Although the United States does not have a Brexit issue, the Trump administration has severely tightened immigration restrictions.  The administration also has sought to deport rapper 21 Savage and barred entry into the United States to other musicians.

The administration’s immigration policies have been criticized.  Immigration protest songs are discussed in this story.

KJ