Initiative-Musik presents this crucial session for artists considering performing at Austin's legendary South By Southwest conference. Presenting will be James Minor, head of SXSW Music Festival, and Mathew Covey, Executive Director of Tamizdat.

Matthew Covey will be at the Reeperbahn Festival: September 20, 2:30-4:00, Wunderkind Q&A September 22: 1:30-2:30, Legal Mentoring Sessions

Shelley Pinker will speak about U.S. visa issues for performing artists, Day 3: About Sustainability

October 28: Matthew Covey and Ashley Tucker of Artistic Freedom Initiative present, Supporting Artists At-Risk Networking Session October 28: Tamizdat and On The Move present The Policy of Progress: The State of Advocacy for a More Diverse Cultural Sector

Tamizdat at APAP | NYC 2024 Legislative Briefing: Sunday January 14th 4:00-5:00 PM Trianon Ballroom, 3rd Floor Description forthcoming

Tamizdat at APAP | NYC 2024 Visa Mobility Panel: Monday January 15th 12:30-1:30 Presenting international artists in the U.S. is complex and costly, and the legal barriers caused visa laws and procedures is a perennial barrier that can feel almost insurmountable for artists, agents, managers, and presenters. This panel brings together professionals with expertise and […]

U.S. musicians’ visas are notoriously hard and expensive to get. This panel will bring together the combined wisdom and experience of booker Paula Abreu (McCarter Theatre Center), immigration attorney Will Spitz (CoveyLaw), singer-songwriter Sui Zhen, and moderated by a leading expert in international artist mobility Matthew Covey (Tamizdat), and will present a session rich in […]

Tamizdat is excited to join our partner organization On The Move's third annual Cultural Mobility Forum 2024 in Caernarfon, Wales and live streamed by HowlRound. As part of its multiannual programme co-funded by the European Union, each year On the Move proposes a Cultural Mobility Forum to collectively investigate international artistic and cultural mobility trends. […]

Tamizdat is finalizing details for autumn conferences including Reeperbahn, Ireland Music Week, Amsterdam Dance Event, and WOMEX. Stay tuned for more information and dates, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Tamizdat's Matthew Covey and SXSW's James Minor present on the visa process in the USA, breaking into the US market, and what makes a successful SXSW band application. Join in-person in Berlin-Mitte or on Zoom by registering here!

Tamizdat is honored to organize the panel "Barriers of Entry to African Artists Touring Internationally" at Amsterdam Dance Event this October 16th, 2024. Find out more about the conference and get your tickets here!

Tamizdat's Matthew Covey presents "Touring the US and Visa Applications" at Ireland Music Week 2024. Learn more about the conference and get your tickets here!

Tamizdat is happy to take part in the Central, North, and South American Networking Session The Eagle Meets the Condor: Multifaceted perspectives across the continents at WOMEX 2024 in Manchester. Exact time and date TBA. Learn more about WOMEX 2024 here!

Tamizdat is excited to take part in the Mundial Mentor Café at Mundial Montréal this November. Learn more about Mundial and get your tickets here!

A check in on the holistic health and sustainability of the performing arts ecosystem with agents, artists, press, legal, funders to understand its moving parts to strengthen them. It looks like tough times ahead but arts workers are always on the frontline of the battle making change, resisting oppression, creating bridges, building partnerships and strengthening […]

With a complex range of national, state, and local shifts and issues impacting support and conditions for the arts, arts professionals need up-to-date advice on advocating effectively in the current and coming climate. Cultivating relationships, planning and securing engagements, accessing resources and funding, and navigating legislative issues impacting our business will require a new and […]

A Panel Featuring: Grace Blake (Programming Director, City Winery NYC) Matthew Covey (Executive Director, Tamizdat & Partner, CoveyLaw) Meiyin Wang (Director of Programming and Producing, NYPAC) Presenting international artists in the U.S. is complex and costly, and given the substantial changes in the last year with new and more complex fees and new protocols for […]

A Conversation with Cathy Fink, Joy Bennet, Jennifer Roe, and Matthew Covey Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel, 1201 René-Lévesque Blvd W, Montréal, Quebec H3B 2L7, Canada. Salon ABC - Level B Canada and the US share a 8800 km-long border, and they also share a vibrant folk and roots music scene that isn’t restricted by […]

At Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel, Jarry - Level A A Conversation with Cecile Glunt (CWA Management), Danielle Devlin (Canis Major Music), Abyan Gurase (Covey Law). Before signing on the dotted line, what is required for visas and tax in Canada and the United States? Before you confirm your tour, be sure you know the […]

Tamizdat is proud to participate in the panel Breaking Barriers: Advocating for fairer US Artist Visa Processes at GERMAN HAUS on the Terrace of Speakeasy,  412 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701 This Panel is Presented by: German Music Export by Initiative Musik & EMEE Artists searching for a development in their international careers face growing […]

Tamizdat is proud to be hosting the panel Songs of Resistance: Music’s Political Power at SHARPE Festival & Conference, Bratislava. For more information, see the SHARPE Festival & Conference website. Panel: Songs of Resistance: Music’s Political Power Host: Matthew Covey (Tamizdat, USA) Speakers: Ana Marjanidze (3:AM / TRANSFORMA, GE), Nasra A. Omar (Artist / Arts […]

Tamizdat will be present at this year's Cultural Mobility Forum, an initiative of On The Move. On the Move's Cultural Mobility Forum collectively investigates international artistic and cultural mobility trends. As a unique knowledge platform, the network works together with its members and partners to design thematic panel discussions and contextualise global mobility issues. Find […]

As international performers encounter evolving requirements at the U.S. border, artists from abroad are navigating new complexities and uncertainty when touring and working in the United States. Join us for an informative and timely webinar, presented in collaboration with APAP, Tamizdat & CoveyLaw, featuring three leading immigration attorneys—Lee Clark, Matthew Covey, and Will Spitz—as they […]

Tamizdat's Matthew Covey is delivering a short presentation, Fear & Reality: Immigration Enforcement and Live Music in New York City, at the 2025 New York Music Month Conference at the NYU Skirball Center in New York. If you are at the NYMM, make sure to check it out.

Tamizdat is proud to announce that we have been granted observer status to attend as a participant to the Fifth edition of UNESCO's Civil Society Forum. The Civil Society Forum takes place in the context of the 10th session of UNESCO's Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the […]

Tamizdat's Matthew Covey is proud to be working together with Marie Fol on a series of gatherings called the Live Arts Lab. At Music Week Poland in 2025, this invite-only, closed-door mini-summit will bring together policy makers and industry leaders to explore ways that law, policy, industry best practices, and consumer initiative can create fairer […]

Tamizdat's Matthew Covey is proud to be moderating a panel for Music Week Poland, at the Polish History Museum in Warsaw, Conference Room 2, 10:00 AM on the 28th of June, 2025. The US remains a priority market for many musicians, but it’s hard to know when it’s the right time in a musician’s career […]

Tamizdat's Executive Director will be moderating a panel on Contracting & Equity at Music Week Poland this week, June 27th, at 14:30 at the Polish History Museum, Conference Room 2. Contracts & Equity: Using contracts to make a fairer music sector Across the music and performing arts industries, there is a growing call for equity, […]

As federal immigration policy priorities continue to evolve, live performance venues across the country face a number of new challenges. Knowing the law and having a plan are critical for keeping our institutions, staff, contracted artists, and audiences safe and in compliance with the law. This webinar will also include an update regarding artist visas […]

Sign up to attend the session here The US remains a touring destination for many international artists, despite many artists’ going concerns about the expense and risks associated with the US artist visa process. Attorney Will Spitz of CoveyLaw and Tamizdat will give a reality-check for artists considering going to the US to tour or showcase: what […]

Please join Tamizdat at Music Week Ireland on Friday October 3rd at 12.30 in Dublin. For more information, please navigate to the conference website and programme. Before you leave for the U.S., you’ll need to get your visas in order. We chat to venue bookers, agents and more as they share their tips and insights […]

Join Will Spitz (Attorney, CoveyLaw/Tamizdat) and Jess McAvoy (Performance Artist & Songwriter) next week as they discuss the complexities of US artist visas. Visas, Borders & Burners: What Artists Need to Know About Travel to the US Mirror Bar at Arlo Williamsburg Hotel Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 12:00 PM From rising costs to changing immigration […]

CoveyLaw and Tamizdat are teaming up to provide a monthly webinar providing updates and chances to ask questions about current US visa issues. Kicking off this series is “US Artist Visas: Delays, Denials, and Disruption - Is it getting harder to get a visa to tour in the US?” on October 15, 2025 at 11:00 […]