# For all you guys who skip your Canuck pals $5 show...



## budda (Oct 29, 2016)

Maybe Canada should start charging $500USD per person to enter the country to play - we'd see some income!

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/canada-u-s-musician-work-permit-1.3823526


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## eyeswide (Nov 1, 2016)

God damnit.


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## GunpointMetal (Nov 1, 2016)

That is ....ing ridiculous.....
Because everyone knows touring artists are rolling in it....


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## aesthyrian (Nov 1, 2016)

Great, so ya better catch Protest The Hero this Dec. before they go broke and can't come back.


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## budda (Nov 2, 2016)

aesthyrian said:


> Great, so ya better catch Protest The Hero this Dec. before they go broke and can't come back.



I'll assume that's sarcasm, since that band is the members' primary source of income as far as I know


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## cwhitey2 (Nov 2, 2016)

This it's sad.


No bands from Canada will come to the U.S. now );


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## Element0s (Nov 3, 2016)

For what little good it may do, there is a petition online to scrap the performance visa.

https://www.change.org/p/scrap-the-p2-visa-for-canadian-musicians-trying-to-tour-the-united-states

Really hope something changes in our favour. Lots of bands out there are finding creative ways to hop the border for their gigs which is very cool and punk rock until someone gets caught, fined and banned from the country for 5 years.


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## budda (Nov 3, 2016)

cwhitey2 said:


> This it's sad.
> 
> 
> No bands from Canada will come to the U.S. now );



The serious bands will still find the money and come play. I play the states more often then I play Ontario let alone the city I live in (or the city we're based in). Unless we're on a bigger bill though, it's tough to get a really good draw. Always at it though.



Element0s said:


> For what little good it may do, there is a petition online to scrap the performance visa.
> 
> https://www.change.org/p/scrap-the-p2-visa-for-canadian-musicians-trying-to-tour-the-united-states
> 
> Really hope something changes in our favour. Lots of bands out there are finding creative ways to hop the border for their gigs which is very cool and punk rock until someone gets caught, fined and banned from the country for 5 years.



I believe the AFM are in talks right now, but I think that's to *actually* decrease wait times - I don't think there's anything they can do about the 42% upcharge.

If only clubs raised their guarantees accordingly...


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## GunpointMetal (Nov 4, 2016)

budda said:


> If only clubs raised their guarantees accordingly...



Now that's funny. Sometimes I can barely get a guarantee from a promoter who KNOWS he using us to put people in front of some mid-level, no-promotion touring act. I'm supposed to play for free because I'm from here, even though we're the only ones putting people in the room? Cha----OK....


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## budda (Nov 4, 2016)

Just decline those shows.

Point is, Canadian bands just got dealt a ....ty hand. Sadly it wont change people's behaviours in going to cheap/PWYC shows for out of town/country bands.


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## GunpointMetal (Nov 4, 2016)

budda said:


> Just decline those shows.
> 
> Point is, Canadian bands just got dealt a ....ty hand. Sadly it wont change people's behaviours in going to cheap/PWYC shows for out of town/country bands.


Yeah for sure dude. I'm that guy who still tries to get to all the dive-bar/basement touring shows I can and will gladly pay the cover. Unfortunately, the amount of people willing to do that is dwindling a lot of places anyways it seems.


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## xwmucradiox (Nov 9, 2016)

FWIW the hassles for American bands trying to play Canada are substantial as well. Lots of Canadian bands I know just say they're going on vacation and borrow gear from an American band they tour with. Merch is ordered in the US to make things simpler. So on and so forth. Tons of bands I know have been outright turned away at the Canadian border because one member stole food from a 7-11 or something 15 years before.


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## budda (Nov 9, 2016)

xwmucradiox said:


> FWIW the hassles for American bands trying to play Canada are substantial as well. Lots of Canadian bands I know just say they're going on vacation and borrow gear from an American band they tour with. Merch is ordered in the US to make things simpler. So on and so forth. Tons of bands I know have been outright turned away at the Canadian border because one member stole food from a 7-11 or something 15 years before.



Tell me again how that costs them hundreds of dollars per year to go though.

Oh right, it doesn't.

Bands know the consequences when they illegally enter any country to perform for money.

American bands face less hurdles trying to enter Canada to play. That's the truth of it.


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## xwmucradiox (Nov 9, 2016)

budda said:


> Tell me again how that costs them hundreds of dollars per year to go though.
> 
> Oh right, it doesn't.
> 
> ...



Canada taxes merch at the border and turns people away by surprise. That costs hundreds of dollars in missed shows. Or if you're going through Canada to get around the great lakes it can cost a ton of money in gas and days of driving. None of my Canadian friends in bands had to deal with getting those performance permits. Some of them did full US tours with American bands and did really well. You just have to know how to tour and get around hurdles like that.


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## dhgrind (Nov 9, 2016)

i personally enjoy the 5-20 dollar shows. small venues, clubs, dives, bars, coffee shops. way more fun than some mega-arena where i'm beyond arms reach of the musician. However thats just what i'm used to going to.

that permit is stupid.


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## budda (Nov 11, 2016)

xwmucradiox said:


> Canada taxes merch at the border and turns people away by surprise. That costs hundreds of dollars in missed shows. Or if you're going through Canada to get around the great lakes it can cost a ton of money in gas and days of driving. None of my Canadian friends in bands had to deal with getting those performance permits. Some of them did full US tours with American bands and did really well. You just have to know how to tour and get around hurdles like that.



All of your friends who don't have P2's risk getting banned from the US. For any reason. Just because they didn't get caught doesn't mean it's a good idea 

It's essentially like driving without a license: you can do it, but once you get caught you're really going to wish you hadn't.

The US taxes merch at the border too. The US turns people away too (I have been pulled in on first day of tour, which is why we leave early). If you are planning for 3 days of driving to get around a body of water, it is up to your band to budget for that and plan shows accordingly.

Canadian bands still get the short end of the stick on this one.


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