The future of live music is at stake. Draconian licensing laws are strangling Britain’s grass root music scene and shutting out fresh talent. The Government must overcome its lethargy and take action.
Current laws require venues have a license before hosting live music. The problem is that this law is being enforced to the nth degree. One school in Daventry was fined £20,000 for holding a musical without an entertainment licence, according to Guardian online.
Elsewhere, a charity concert for a teenager with cancer was prohibited after an organiser forgot to fill in the correct forms.
Young people and new bands trying to launch their music careers rely on small venues to air their stuff and get the practice and notice needed to move up. The current rules often make this impossible.
Well respected artists such as Sting are concerned about the damage being caused. He told the Guardian a review of licensing laws is vital:
“Small venues are disappearing because of short sighted licensing legislation, and that vital creative ground, which has served music so well over the years, will disappear forever. They cannot be replaced by X Factor, which merely clones existing entertainment stereotypes. We desperately need music pubs and music clubs, They are a vital part of our cultural landscape.
Government lethargy
According to the Government, 8,000 extra live music licenses have been issued since the introduction of the 2005 Licensing Act.
However, these licenses are often constrictive and moreover this figure doesn’t show how much live music is actually performed. British Market Research recently reported a 5% fall in licensed gigs at smaller venues.
Ministers have pledged to exempt pubs and bars of up to 100 people capacities from licensing laws – but nothing has been done. If too much time is wasted, the problem will not be resolved until the next general election, automatically pushing the issue to the back of the next government’s cupboard.
Saying that, not all ministers are apathetic. The culture, media and sport select committee recently reported concern over the stringent enforcement of the law.
Licensing minister Gerry Sutcliffe has offered his help in attempting to convince other minsters to moot the issue of exemption for smaller venues.
And Tim Clement-Jones, a Liberal Democrat peer, has drafted a private members bill that would exempt a range of venues up to 200 capacity: “It is extraordinary that no timetable has been given and the government has gone quiet”
