Little venues could score big names with new rules

Published 01st Jan 2010

The Green Note, a small café in the heart of Camden, North London has played host to hundreds of intimate concerts over the past few years and has attracted big-name artists, including Amy Winehouse and Leonard Cohen, to sing to a handful of diners.

However, other cafés, town halls, churches and pubs have been deterred from following a similar route, largely because of the cost and bureaucracy involved in hosting live events and impromptu concerts. At the heart of this is the 2003 Licensing Act, which has been roundly criticised for contributing to the decline in venues hosting live music because of its complexity.

That could all change after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) revealed that it had bowed to pressure to exempt small venues holding live music performances for up to 100 people from the requirement for a licence.

Gerry Sutcliffe, Licensing Minister, said: “Going to see a band or singer is a very important part of many people’s lives and we’re keen to do what we can to support audiences and musicians. An exemption for venues with 100 people or less would benefit many small venues, particularly unlicensed premises such as village halls and cafés, which may currently be put off by licensing requirements.”

The size of the venues that are set to be exempt has proved contentious with the Musicians’ Union, which is lobbying for gigs with 200 people or fewer to be free of licence requirements, as many are struggling to survive amid the economic downturn. The Half Moon, a pub in Putney, southwest London that has offered live music for 50 years and hosted early concerts by The Rolling Stones and U2, is one live music venue that is threatened with closure because of mounting debts.

A spokesman for the DCMS said it had to “strike a balance” between supporting small venues and concerns about noise and disruption in surrounding residential areas.

The proposals, which have to be approved by Parliament after a 12-week consultation, were backed by pubs which have the most to gain if live music can be used to entice people out on a quiet night.

Martin Rawlings, director of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), said: “The BBPA welcomes any measures that can help pubs overcome existing barriers to putting on live music, helping musicians to reach audiences, while at the same time boosting business, particularly during these difficult times.”

The cost of hosting live music events was reduced last year for pubs and bar owners after the DCMS cut the cost of amending alcohol licences to an £89, one-off fee, compared with £225 previously.

The proposals are good news for pubs that can put on “open mic” nights or entice local musicians to play for less and with a minimum of fuss. It is also good for restaurants that were only allowed to offer “incidental” music under the previous rules, whereby the live show is not the main reason to attend the venue.

The main benefit will be for less traditional venues, such as village town halls or churches, that previously had to apply for a “temporary event” licence and fill out forms, including a Risk Assessment submission with personal details such as the birth dates and addresses of the artists performing. The venue also had to pay a £21 fee for each event and was restricted to only 12 performances a year.

Horace Trubridge, assistant general secretary of the Musicians’ Union, said: “Pubs and restaurants are often wary of putting on live music at their venues because they think they will need to change their licence or fill in a lot of paperwork.”

The potential licence changes include some limitations for small venues; the exemption applies only to performances held indoors between 8am and 11pm. It has also been suggested that the changes will include the power to revoke the exemption for premises if there are problems with “noise, nuisance or disorder”.

The clause is a spanner in the works for venue owners when dealing with local residents who object to noise.

Source: ' Times '

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