Daan(24)

I make electronic music under the name DAAN and had been DJing at festivals in the Netherlands and Belgium for a few years. But the British music scene — from Manchester's Warehouse Project to Fabric in London — that was where I wanted to be. Liverpool, the birthplace of the Beatles, felt like the perfect place to develop my sound further.

Finding a visa as a musician is tricky. You can't just get a Skilled Worker visa as a DJ — you need an employer to sponsor you. My solution was the Global Talent visa via Tech Nation (now part of DSIT) in the digital technology category. My music is entirely digitally produced, I develop my own synthesiser software and have a portfolio of innovative projects. After three months of waiting I received the endorsement.

Liverpool is incredibly affordable for a creative city. I rent a studio apartment in the Baltic Triangle for £550 per month — an area full of creative businesses, galleries and clubs. In Amsterdam a comparable space would cost triple. The city invests heavily in the creative industry, and there are grants available through Arts Council England.

The music scene here is tight-knit and supportive. I played my first gig within two months at a club on Seel Street. The promoters are approachable, the audience is enthusiastic, and there's a real culture of collaboration between artists. I now have a monthly residency at a club and collaborate with local producers.

Financially it's exciting as a musician. I earn through gigs, Spotify streams and music production for other artists. As a self-employed person in the UK you need to register as self-employed with HMRC. Self Assessment tax returns are done annually, and you pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance contributions. The first year is tax-free up to £12,570 thanks to the personal allowance. I use an ISA (Individual Savings Account) to save tax-free.

Liverpool has given me more than I expected. It's not just the music — it's the mentality. Liverpudlians are the warmest people I know. They're direct, funny and incredibly loyal. The city is smaller than Amsterdam but feels bigger because of the energy. My tip for creative Dutch people: the UK is still the centre of the music industry, and outside London the opportunities are bigger and costs lower.