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Banquet Records have announced that they have resumed sales to Ireland and mainland Europe after receiving “clarity” in regards to Brexit trading arrangements.
The Kingston-based record store previously paused all orders to Europe on December 16 due to the uncertainty over Brexit, saying in a tweet: “Thanks in advance for your patience while we work to find a solution to the difficult, avoidable position we’re in.”
The worrying prospect of a No Deal Brexit was avoided on December 30 after MPs voted in favour of Boris Johnson‘s trade deal with the EU, and that development has now led to Banquet receiving the “clarity” they needed in order to confidently resume shipping to EU countries.
“With clarity around orders to Europe, we can resume accepting orders from EU countries,” the store said in a statement issued earlier today (January 4).
HAPPY NEU YEAR
today we resume shipping to Europe pic.twitter.com/FdlX2Z4uYk
— Banquet Records (@BanquetRecords) January 4, 2021
While a No Deal Brexit has been avoided, the consequences of Brexit on touring musicians and their crew compelled numerous industry figures to speak out recently on what needs to be done in order to prevent “catastrophic” damage to the sector.
“The key figures at the heart of this Government have spent half a decade talking up Brexit, extolling its virtues and hailing the benefits of leaving the EU in ‘making Britain global’,” David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition, told NME last month.
“We’re not very global if our artists and musicians can’t tour easily across our closest and most culturally aligned, neighbouring countries. It is time for the architects of Brexit to put their money where their mouths are and prove that Brexit can be a success and not a catastrophe for our industry.”
Back in November, the UK’s so-called “Festival of Brexit” was awarded £29 million in funding to help stage its planned event in 2022.
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