UK Music Calls for an EU Customs Exemption for Music Parcels

UK Music and the Association of Independent Music want the British government to negotiate a customs exemption for music products. Their example is an ordinary fan purchase: a vinyl record, a T-shirt and a poster shipped from the UK to the EU, attracting €9 in duty.

The arithmetic comes from a distinction that gets lost in talk of a parcel fee. Since 1 July, an interim €3 duty has applied to small consignments valued below €150. The Council of the EU says it is levied on each different tariff category within the parcel. Putting everything in one box does not make the categories disappear. Handling charges are separate.

The organisations argue that direct sales help smaller labels invest in artists, while additional costs cannot always be absorbed. Their statement names Ezra Collective among its examples of British acts. The group's own store sells a shirt bearing the title “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing”; its album is available through Bandcamp. Music and merchandise connect the same listener to the same band through different objects.

The Council frames the reform around fairer competition and the need to manage small imports. The music organisations ask what that means for supporting an individual artist. In their example, adding a poster leaves the reason for the purchase intact. It changes the duty.