link to sign petition is here.. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/licensing/

 

Government Plans To Lisence Live Music. READ!

Body: The Government have recently passed laws in the UK to try and suppress live

music and dance. Pubs which could previously offer work to solo singers or

duos now have to pay for a special licence and can only have 12 of these per

year. Even school Xmas concerts need to be licensed.

 

If you don't know there is a UK government web site where anyone can now

start a petition and that's what is being done. we've just received the

following email which explains things more clearly and gives the site

address . If you care about keeping music live please take the time to sign

the petition...link to sign petition is here..

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/licensing/

 

The live music/licensing e-petition now has nearly 4550 signatures.

It currently stands at no.17 in the list of 1,702 petitions on the

Number 10 website: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/licensing/

 

This is good, especially in just under a month - and there are five

more months in which people can sign. (CLOSING DATE: 11 June 2007).

But the petition needs to do much better to make an impression on ministers,

and to encourage DCMS to implement music-friendly amendments.

 

The petition is for everyone, not just musicians. Please consider

signing if you haven't already done so. If you have signed, encourage

friends to sign.

 

Points to remember about the new legislation:

 

a.. The unlicensed provision of even one musician is a potential

criminal offence (although some places are exempt, including places of

public religious worship, royal palaces and moving vehicles). Max penalty:

£20,000 fine and six months in prison.

 

b.. The rationale is to prevent noise, crime and disorder, to ensure public

safety, and the protection of children from harm.

 

c.. But broadcast entertainment, including sport and music, is exempt - no

matter where, and no matter how powerfully amplified.

 

d.. In the transition to the new regime, bars with jukeboxes, CD

players etc were automatically granted a license to play recorded

music; but their automatic entitlement to one or two musicians was

abolished.

 

e.. For the first time, private performances raising money for charity are

licensable.

 

f.. School performances open to friends and family are licensable -

they count as public performances.

 

g.. Under the old regime all premises licensed to sell alcohol for

consumption on the premises were automatically allowed up to two live

musicians (the 'two in a bar rule').

 

h.. In December, DCMS published research confirming that about 40% of these

have lost any automatic entitlement to live music as a result of the new

Act:

 

'Very few establishments that wanted a new license were denied it, and many

who were previously limited to 2-in-a-bar now have the ability to stage

music with 2 or more musicians... This contrasts, of course, with the fact

that 40% of establishments now have no automatic means of putting on live

music (i.e. they would have to give a TEN).'

 

['Licensing Act 2003: The experience of smaller establishments in

applying for live music authorization'; December 2006', paragraphs

6.1.1 and 6.1.2 'Conclusions', p54; Caroline Callahan, Andy Martin,

Anna Pierce, Ipsos-MORI]

 

'TEN' stands for Temporary Event Notice - in effect a temporary

entertainment licence. Only 12 are allowed per premises per year.

They cost £21 each. See the full MORI reports on this site:

 

http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_...ec_summary.htm

 

link to sign petition is here.. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/licensing/

Thanks everyone. Please email this to everyone you know, post it on other

forums, myspace it, whatever you can do.

 

(i took this from the KT Tunstall forum btw)

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!! It's hard enough for solo acts to get gigs these days without discouraging landlords even more from hiring them. Thanks so much for posting. You can bet I'll sign and spread the word!

 

EDIT: Damn! You have to be a British citizen to sign. Oh well, I know lost of those.

What a pointless piece of legislation, what I love though, is that 'moving vehicles' are exempt! I'm totally having a concert in my mini, that'll show 'em!

Yeah, I passed this email around to a lot of people last week ;)

 

I was a little pissed to say the least.

This sums up our country IMO.

Passing pointless laws all the time, when they should be tackling bigger issues.

And this law doesn't benifit anyone.

Its the first i've heard of it though. :thinking:

This is fucking nonsence.

LOL...Can I play the gig in your mini?

 

(Actually, that would be a great way to protest the legislation...have alot of solo musicians and duos get their friends to give them a drive around the House playing live music in cars to draw attention to how ludicrous this is. If I lived in England, I would SERIOUSLY organize this. Think of the publicity!!)

this is stupid.