Music, Finance, and Kittens

…always kittens…

Since I only got three responses about this on Facebook, I thought it may get more traction here. I’ll post a picture of some kittens if it will help…

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The US Department of Homeland Security just outlined changes to the Citizen Immigration Services Department. They are proposing an increase of visa amounts from $460 per person to $1615 for international artists who want to come to the US to tour, which includes Mexico and Canada. Many groups from those two countries work the states frequently and this fee increase will make it almost impossible to perform here. This proposal would be a devastating blow to a music touring economy that is already suffering and will severely hurt the domestic music community. What is unfair is that the administrative burden of processing a visa for a superstar who commands a million dollars a gig is the exact same as that for a singer-songwriter who makes $500. It is grossly unfair to levy the same fee on them over and above the existing federal tax they pay on income earned in the United States.

You have an opportunity NOW to make your voice be heard BEFORE March 13th. Click here and ask that they reconsider raising fees that will discourage touring musicians from coming to the U.S. Please SHARE this post!

And in the interest of fair and balanced, here are pics in the ongoing Borderlands Selfie Series…#4. We had several LFK folks with us on Sunday, too, along with the usual participants in the Sunday Sessions Social Scene.

Great to see and visit with Bill and Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle from LFK!

Also great to see Rusty and John Shelton, also from LFK

Dennis Domer from LFK was back for his second visit this year

Paul Becklund, avid music fan and Sunday Session regular

Ruth Cañamar and Noe Gamez, both Sunday Session regulars

Andy and Jamie have started coming back to Sunday Sessions in recent weeks

The ever-present Frank Sanzo

Jared, Lorcan, and Claudia, long-time Sunday Sessions regulars

And I’ll just mention here that this blog is free for all to read but I just received a yearly subscription fee from a generous reader. Thanks much, (you know who)! I won’t be put off if you’d like to donate, too. Mine is set up as an $8 monthly subscription or $80 annually. No worries either way but the greenery is always welcome.

And now…