Still standing: Elton’s backing for musicians

I loved Elton John’s tweet and opinion piece in the media this week highlighting the devastating impact of Brexit on emerging new talent in the music industry.

You need influential people like Elton to use their voices to raise awareness of the challenges that will arise from Brexit.

Elton pointed out that music is one of our greatest cultural exports. It contributed £5.8 billion to the British economy in 2019 – who knew? – but was left out of the Brexit trade negotiations when other industries weren’t. You would have thought we would have picked up on that.

I loved him saying how much he still studies the music industry and listens to new artists, how they are the lifeblood of the industry. His stories of starting out as a supporting act on the Reeperbahn – Hamburg’s entertainment and red-light district – and of having a hot dog thrown at him in his early days as a solo artist in Paris are anecdotes to remember. Performers can only learn about engaging with audiences by going out and doing it.

But post-brexit, having to apply for work visas and the costs attached to that – that previously weren’t there – will be prohibitive for many young aspiring musicians.

As Elton says, he is older, established and wealthy and has people around him who can put everything in place for him, but for those who need a leg up it is going to be incredibly difficult.

There will be many more pitfalls attached to Brexit that most of us just weren’t aware of. We are only a few months in and already the cracks are starting to appear.

While we’re on the subject of Elton, did you see the ad he made with Michael Caine promoting the Covid-19 vaccination programme? It’s fantastic. Elton shows his funny side as he appears to audition for the ad but is upstaged by Michael Caine. I loved the producer’s put-down at the end: “Tell the little guy we won’t be needing him.” It’s great to see superstars allowing themselves to be the butt of a joke to encourage people to have the vaccine. To send out this very serious and potentially life-saving message in such a light-hearted way using two of Britain’s best loved figures is a touch of genius.