Entering a post-EU referendum UK is "difficult and humiliating" for performers at the Womad world music festival, according to an organiser.
Chris Smith told Radio Times that due to the visa process, it had become hard to attract foreign musicians to the festival, held annually in Wiltshire.
He also blamed politicians and said the situation "genuinely broke his heart”.
Womad (World of Music Arts and Dance) was founded by the musician Peter Gabriel and first took place in 1982.
But people who have been invited to the UK as an "expert" in their profession can get a Permitted Paid Engagement visa, at a cost of £93.
According to the government, this allows the applicant to take part in "arts, entertainment or sporting activities including broadcasting", along with various other professional activities.
The visa does not permit the holder to carry out paid work that is unrelated to his or her main job, or for the applicant to live or study in the UK for extended periods.
