The Visa Limbo
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Enhanced security measures prompted by the September 11 attacks have made it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for many international artists to visit the U.S. Over the past few months Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes, Buena Vista Social Club spin-off the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, and Syria’s great Arabic classical group Ensemble Al-Kindi have had to cancel performances and appearances in this country for the same reason Ghobadi did. Though all of these artists had previously visited the U.S., they were thwarted this time by vaguely defined and ever changing visa regulations, extensive processing delays, and increased expenses. Arts presenters in the U.S. have begun to reconsider future bookings–already tours by important Cuban artists like Los Van Van, Los Munequitos de Matanzas, and Pablo Milanes have been canceled under the assumption that the performers wouldn’t get security clearance in time. The effect of all this on America’s exposure to international music could be devastating.
This procedure was hardly flawless. Critics complained that federal employees didn’t have the aesthetic wherewithal to judge artistic merit. And the INS was taking up to four months to process visa applications, which made it tough to book tours. In June 2001 the INS instituted premium processing, guaranteeing an answer within 15 days, for a fee of $1,000–an $870 markup from the regular price.
According to Soffer, the World Music Institute has lost tens of thousands of dollars; a Los Angeles Times story claimed that each cancellation was costing UCLA, a major presenter of international cultural events, “$5,000 to $30,000 in advertising and promotional costs absorbed and profits foregone.” These losses may prove crippling to presenters in secondary markets; lacking the ethnic diversity of Chicago or New York, smaller cities already present a greater financial risk to tour presenters. Now, says Scott Southard of International Music Network, a Massachusetts-based booking agency that represents about 20 acts from outside the U.S., “they’re simply not going to take the risk and try to develop that market.” This could eventually have an impact on big cities as well. According to Southard, the secondary markets make tours by artists such as the Afro-Cuban All-Stars and Youssou N’Dour financially feasible. He also suggests that if artists can’t tour here to promote their records, labels may be less inclined to work with them.
