Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The British & the Press Section

This article describes the problem of British indie bands getting visas to perform in the US. This reminds that only since I started reviewing CDs that I actually go to the "press" section of a band's website. I usually avoided them since they were mostly hi-res promo shots, press releases and links to reviews that I had already read. But now with artists like Lily Allen and Klaxons rising to a level of popularity that leads to a US tour, they don't have enough years under their belt to convince the visa office that they've been "internationally recognized" for a "sustained and substantial" amount of time. Now these Press sections, formerly only useful to reviewers and members of the, well, press, now act as depositories for the proof of popularity they need to secure a visa.

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