musicians to tackle us red tape musicians  groups are to tackle us visa regulations which are blamed for hindering british acts  chances of succeeding across the atlantic.  a singer hoping to perform in the us can expect to pay $1 300 (£680) simply for obtaining a visa. groups including the musicians  union are calling for an end to the  raw deal  faced by british performers. us acts are not faced with comparable expense and bureaucracy when visiting the uk for promotional purposes.  nigel mccune from the musicians  union said british musicians are  disadvantaged  compared to their us counterparts. a sponsor has to make a petition on their behalf  which is a form amounting to nearly 30 pages  while musicians face tougher regulations than athletes and journalists.  if you make a mistake on your form  you risk a five-year ban and thus the ability to further your career   says mr mccune.   the us is the world s biggest music market  which means something has to be done about the creaky bureaucracy   says mr mccune.  the current situation is preventing british acts from maintaining momentum and developing in the us   he added.  the musicians  union stance is being endorsed by the music managers  forum (mmf)  who say british artists face  an uphill struggle  to succeed in the us  thanks to the tough visa requirements  which are also seen as impractical. the mmf s general secretary james seller said:  imagine if you were an orchestra from the orkneys  every member would have to travel to london to have their visas processed.    the us market is seen as the holy grail and one of the benchmarks of success  and we re still going to fight to get in there.  it s still very important  but there are other markets like europe  india and china   added mr seller. a department for media  culture and sport spokeswoman said:  we re aware that people are experiencing problems  and are working with the us embassy and record industry to see what we can do about it.  a us embassy spokesman said:  we are aware that entertainers require visas for time-specific visas and are doing everything we can to process those applications speedily.   we are aware of the importance of cultural exchange and we will do our best to facilitate that   he added.