Breaking the US market has always been tough for Australian musicians, but a recent 250 per cent spike in visa fees means acts looking to tour now face staggering obstacles before they’ve even packed their bags. When Zach Hamilton-Reeves, lead singer of five-piece Northeast Party House, travelled to the US this month, he was shocked to discover the overall cost of obtaining visas. Melbourne band Northeast Party House recently spent around $20,000 in fees and administration to travel to the US.
It wasn’t just the application fee, which has jumped from $US460 to as much as $US1655, but also the legal representation to lodge it and administrative tolls like the premium processing fee ($US2805) to expedite it in time to make your booked events. “It was literally $20,000 for the privilege of going and playing three shows,” he says. Esti Zilber, executive producer at Sounds Australia, which helps local acts export their music and is lobbying the government on this issue, says she’s receiving constant emails from artists who are struggling with these financial and logical stresses.
“People have the funding to get themselves over there and back ...
but they haven’t factored in a $15,000 allowance for visa processing. It was never that exorbitant before,” she says. Will rising costs “close the door” on the next Kylie or Troye Sivan? Credit: Mackenzie Sweetnam/Erik Melvin “These visas are throwing a real spanner in the works for our artists to be able to access on.
