At the outset of yet another Trump presidency, and after months of the politician's inflammatory anti-Canuck rhetoric, Densil McFarlane has some urgent advice for Canadian musicians, saying with a rueful laugh, "Get your visas! Get that application in, right now!"
The vocalist for the Toronto punk band the OBGMs says that's because — after the once 45th (and now 47th) president's threats to restrict the Canadian border, claiming drugs and migrants are moving south too freely — many of our musicians may be cut off from a market that is essential to their livelihood.
"We need them more than they need us," McFarlane tells Exclaim! over the phone about the touring market ties between Canada and America. He explains musicians that aren't as fortunate to be based in venue-rife Toronto like him benefit majorly from the far denser US.
McFarlane adds, "I can drive 24 hours and still be in Ontario, but in the States I can go from New York to Philly, maybe even Raleigh in that time. Also, the Canadian music industry isn't really receptive to new musicians until they break somewhere else. So we need to tour America, we need to make connections there, we need to be there until we have an ecosystem that cares here in Canada — and that will take a long time."
Dan Boeckner has a similar outlook. A BC-born indie rock darling who has toured steadily in the US for 20 years with his bands Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs and Operators, as well as his eponymous solo project and as a touring meme of the Arcade Fire, Boeckner has a unique perspective in this regard: he living in Montreal during the 2000s Canuck indie boom, and has since resided south of the border in L.A., New Orleans, and now Ohio. (Most of his colleagues are in the US now, plus it is far more affordable to purchase property there than in his home country these days, he says).
Boeckner furthers McFarlane's points by saying musicians from comparatively sparsely populated Canada can "only develop so much of a fan base in Saskatoon or Winnipeg. The sheer dominance of the American entertainment economic engine makes it necessary to go play there if you're serious about making a living, and not relying on the Canadian grant system."
Essential as touring stateside is, Boeckner says doing so has become more costly than ever under the outgoing administration. This makes Boeckner think things won't get much worse under Trump — though, now that fees have gone up, he's certain there's likely no going back to cheaper rates. He's more concerned about ideological spurred boycotts or gig cancellations over issues like whether or not an act is, for instance, pro-Palestine.
Boeckner now calls it "completely unaffordable for anyone who doesn't come from some kind of generational wealth, or hasn't saved up, I would say $10–12,000 to get visas for their band. The biggest barrier to entry is and has always been work visas. Yes, there's a lot of talk about the election of Trump, but under the Biden administration, O-1, P-1 and P-2 visa costs skyrocketed. They went up during Trump 1.0, but then they went up again during Biden."
Boeckner is referring to the types of visas Canadian artists need to apply for to work in the United States. According to the website for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, O-1 visas are for applicants "who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics." Meanwhile, the P-2 visa "applies to you if you are coming temporarily to perform as an artist or entertainer, individually or as part of a group."
The fees for such "non-immigrant workers" increased by 129 percent as of April 1, 2024, according to USCIS, in a notice that points out, "Unlike many other federal agencies, we are almost entirely fee funded."
What's more, Boeckner says several of the processing centers for these visas have been shut down, with only two remaining in California and Vermont, respectively. He says that could result in a wait of about eight months for applicants, unless they can opt for an exponentially costlier expedited rate. He adds, "I just can't think of young bands having the money to do that. And a label is not going to drop $15–20,000 on your band to go to the States, in my experience."
But getting visas to perform in the U.S. has not been easy since greater restrictions were enforced post-9/11, says one Canadian musician who spoke on condition of anonymity (for fear of future repercussions on their visa applications). They recall an innocent era where Canadian musicians' touring vans or buses would pull up to the U.S. border and brandish a letter of intent from their record labels or a studio detailing how they were traveling to record an album, which could get them across the border. Or, if these bands were playing festivals, they would easily be waved through. They say, "But if they busted you playing any other shows than the festival, you could get a five-year ban, because you're essentially illegally working in the United States. And I'm sure people still try to sneak in. But post-9/11, it's just become more and more difficult to do that."
Another anonymous Canadian musician from another band put a finer point on it: "If anything with how the dollar is or will be affected, I'm sure there will just be more incentive to sneak down to play in the States."
Liana White, executive director of the Canadian Federation of Musicians tells Exclaim! via email that those challenging circumstances could worsen after the inauguration day this year: "Potentially, though we do not anticipate seeing immediate change on the non-immigrant Canadian work visa applicants, for at least the first six months after the installation of the U.S. President-elect, there could be furthered delays in processing. Any additional processing delays, should they occur, would most likely be a result of increased vetting of visa applications and higher security to ensure no fraudulent submissions. We do not anticipate standard processing fee increases."
Regardless of the outcome politically, and even after the cumbersome visa process, McFarlane says challenges abound.
"Hopefully you get approved [for a visa]. But hotels, gas, everything costs more," McFarlane says of how inflation is yet another current hurdle for musicians on the road. "The cost of a ticket for an artist at my level may not cover the cost of me getting there. The sad reality is that being a touring musician, even the way it was two years ago, is now dead."
And yet, McFarlane can't deny Canadian musicians have at least one advantage over their American counterparts.
"The fact that there is a system for Canadian musicians to be funded is beautiful. These things existing is essential to the lifeblood of Canada. Like, the Toronto Arts Council has been very, very helpful to us," McFarlane says, before citing organizations like the Ontario Arts Council and FACTOR as prime examples for other musicians. And while such government support for the arts has long been hotly debated in Canada — and is sure to be more so in 2025, given the Conservative Party of Canada's lead in the polls — McFarlane calls for a fresh perspective. He adds, "When people talk about tourism, they're not talking about something concrete. They're talking about the arts!"
McFarlane then takes on a faux-politician or lobbyist tone: "We're selling the arts here. 'Come see our beautiful art here. Come see our beautiful food here.' So any government — conservative, liberal, whatever — should prioritize funding these things. Because this is our export."
Bleak as all this may seem, Boeckner has some heartening and practical advice for Canadian musicians planning to perform in the US. First: keeping hard copies of visas on hand is a must. "You can't really assume anyone working CBPS [Customs and Border Protection] knows what they're doing with artists' visas."
His other tips to make touring stateside more manageable: "Manufacture your merch in the US and pick it up there. Be prepared to take 30 percent of gross off any budget you're working up to account for American tax withholding on shows. Tour the Midwest — it has many beautiful cities within driving distance, with great crowds."