Julien Doré is not the first to face administrative difficulties in performing in the United States. FKA Twigs, Cat Stevens, Soko, and the Belgian group Tukan have all been in the same situation. This is because artists must have a temporary work visa to earn money from an activity in the US.
To obtain this visa, artists must go through a lengthy and costly administrative procedure. This includes approximately $1600 per person, fees for a lawyer to create a file, and taxes collected by the concert venue, amounting to 30% of the revenue. In the end, hundreds of thousands of dollars are needed.
Not only is money required, but artists must also provide proof of renown. In other words, they need to show that they are well-known enough to perform in the US. Some have even tried to obtain letters of recommendation from teams of other artists familiar with the US to try to get the visa.
Add to this a very severe immigration policy with much stricter controls regarding temporary work.
In short, the United States imposes a headache on European artists, depriving them of a portion of their American audience.
