Unfortunately, we have had to reschedule the latest MusicTank event: Live Music: Licensed to Thrill? to enable the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) to participate.
Mark Du Val - Director of Policy, LACORS, will now be joining our panel discussing Noise Abatement Orders and the event will take place on Tuesday 13 October.
The panels, which also include a discussion on Form 696, consist of some key people in the debates, including regulatory bodies, the Met Police, venue owners and live promoters. The current line-up, subject to confirmations following the rescheduling are:
Panel 1: The Licensing Act & Form 696
Keynote: John Whittingdale MP - MP Maldon & Chelmsford East and Chairman, DCMS Select Committee
Diane Baxter - National Organiser - Live Performance & teaching, Musicians' Union
Dominique Czopor - Owner, The Boiler Room, Guildford & Founder, we:Live
Adrian Studd - Chief Inspector, Metropolitan Police
Panel 2: Noise Abatement Orders
Keynote: Kent Davis - Owner, The Rainbow, Digbeth
John King - Musician / Independent Campaigner
Lisa Lavia - Managing Director, The Noise Abatement Society
Mark Du Val - Director of Policy, LACORS
Chairman: Keith Harris
Please update your calendars. If you want to come or want more details on the event, please just ask.
Full up-to-date details of the event are:
Date: Tuesday 13th October 2009
Time: 18.30 - 21.15 hrs
Venue: The Basement, MCPS-PRS Alliance
Location: 29-33 Berners Street, London, W1T 3AB.
Nearest Tube is Goodge St. (Northern Line), Alliance is at Mortimer St end of Berners St.
Price: £35 standard, £25 MusicTank Members, £30 trade body members (AIM, BACS, BPI, MMF, MPG, MPA, MU, PRS For Music, PPL)
Price includes complimentary drink on arrival, and post-event transcript
All places MUST be booked and paid for in advance via Welcome to MusicTank — MusicTank
Live Music: Licensed To Thrill?
The live music business is in rude health. Despite the recession, record numbers of people are attending gigs, and last year revenues from live music overtook those from record sales, with £1.39billion generated from live music – up 16% on 2007 – whilst record sales revenue fell 6% to £1.309billion.[1]
But it is strong roots that facilitate success further up the chain, and not all is rosy at the grassroots of our live music industry. In July the government rejected widely supported recommendations from the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee regarding changes to the Licensing Act of 2003, including exemptions for small venues and, as highlighted in MusicTank’s July editorial (NOT IN MY BACK YARD — MusicTank), noise abatement orders are having a destructive impact on small venues across the UK.
This session will investigate the impact that the Licensing Act and noise abatement orders are having on small venues and music performers - we shall also hear from those who support the measures that are in place.
Noise is a massive issue for residents local to music venues. Nobody, let alone those with a young family, wants to be kept up at all hours by loud music in the club across the street. Some say that the venue should go, others say the residents should ‘like it or lump it,’ but, rather than generate a stalemate, the session will explore amicable resolutions that allow residents to get a good night’s sleep, while giving up-and-coming acts the chance to entertain and hone their craft.
In the Digbeth area of Birmingham particularly, noise abatement orders have been a common subject of news and conflict. When the Abacus apartments opened next door to The Spotted Dog, a pub that has put on live music outdoors for over 22 years, three complaints of noise were made and a noise abatement order subsequently issued by Birmingham City Council. This reduced the venue’s ability to continue as a business and robbed residents who had moved into Abacus for the local music scene of a key reason they moved to the area.
More recently, The Rainbow pub, a music venue further down the road in Digbeth, received one complaint before being threatened with a noise abatement order. Despite offering to replace their roof with a £30,000 soundproof top and over 22,000 supporters, the venue was issued with its noise abatement order – constricting its ability to raise the required funds to satisfy the complainant or continue providing an invaluable platform to artists.
Form 696 and the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee’s recommendations to the Licensing Act need less of an introduction. But with the Metropolitan Police recommending the form’s use to other forces across the UK, it seems apt to sensibly highlight the issues the form intends to prevent and the issues it causes and see what concessions can be made.
The form requires promoters at some 100-plus venues in London to provide detailed personal information to police if they want to stage a music event and has come under accusations of racial stereotyping.
UK Music CEO Fergal Sharkey said that Form 696, “is a wholly unnecessary impediment to live music and has become a mandatory licensing condition on more than 70 premises in 21 London boroughs. UK Music has been vocal amongst musicians, civil liberty campaigners and members of the public who want to see this counter-productive and morally questionable risk assessment form scrapped.
“Music is a vital part of all UK culture: we should all celebrating that, free it from bureaucracy and make this country a richer and more vibrant place.”
This is a point that has been supported by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has pinpointed creative industries as a vital part of the British economy, more important than ever in the current recession, saying that, “culture in the UK helps to define and shape and deepen our lives as individuals [and] also makes a significant contribution to our nation’s prosperity.”
This statement is backed up by the figures: music in London alone puts in excess of £1 billion into the UK economy[2] and the government has pledged to increase the number of jobs in the industry too, with music industry jobs being part of a £1.1 billion investment announced in the latest budget.[3]
With this in mind, the problems raised by the Licensing Act become more important. UK Music and publicans argue that the act impacts on the ability for small pubs and venues to afford licences by requiring licences for the smallest live performances. They say that the time and money required to handle the bureaucracy of the process makes it impractical to get through.
As such, calls from the Select Committee to remove the needs for licenses for acoustic sets from two players or fewer and venues of under 200 were widely supported, with The Publican magazine launching its own ‘Listen Up!’ campaign to try and persuade politicians to change the licensing rules so that beleaguered landlords can attract more customers with live music. And despite a separate petition requesting licensing exemptions for small venues featuring prominently on Number 10’s website, with over 7,500 signatures, those proposals were rejected by the Government, who argue that it would not increase the number of live music venues.
These grassroots venues are the hub of our music scene and, without them, there will be nowhere for tomorrow’s superstars to learn their craft and develop their passion. An amicable solution is paramount to our future.
Such a solution was found in Australia, where the music sector has campaigned to help venues in similar situations to the noise abatement order effected locations across the UK. Now developers of properties adjacent to existing live music venues to take responsibility for sound-proofing the apartments. Likewise, new venues opening in a residential area have to fit in with its pre-existing circumstances and can be closed for making too much noise.
In this age of promoting creativity, can a happy medium be found for developing and promoting new musical talent while safeguarding the interests and needs of the wider community?
About MusicTank
MusicTank is the UK's music business network, an initiative of the University of Westminster, set up with the support of 14 UK music industry organisations.
MusicTank aims to foster new collaborations and circulate innovative ideas, best practice and cutting-edge strategies to increase innovation and productivity across the business. Regular think tanks bring hot topics into sharp focus and help pinpoint the opportunities created by disruptive technologies.
MusicTank conferences deal with everything from record production to copyright review while occasional social evenings blend the entertaining recollections of music business virtuosos with the opportunity to develop valuable industry contacts.
MusicTank aims to override traditional partitions by providing improved access to expert knowledge via Welcome to MusicTank — MusicTank, the leading music business web-site, offering free industry discussion on new business techniques alongside useful reports and comments from leading lights.
MusicTank offer complimentary memberships to members of the press. This includes the MusicTank newsletter, event discounts for friends and full access to the members’ area of the website, including exclusive content, such as mp3 downloads of MT events past and present, full event transcripts and all MusicTank reports and research, including critically acclaimed reports such as Beyond The Soundbytes (Peter Jenner); Meet The Millennials (Terry McBride) and MusicTank's Filesharing report, Let's Sell Recorded Music! (Sam Shemtob - Associate Director, MusicTank). There are many other third party reports available too.
Welcome to MusicTank — MusicTank
[1] ‘Adding up the Music Industry for 2008’, Will Page, PRS for music
[2] ‘The Value of Music in London' from Cultural Trends 38, 2001, published by Policy Studies Institute
[3] Plans for more than 5,000 new jobs in culture, music and creative industries unveiled by Andy Burnham and James Purnell, media release, accessible at: Plans for more than 5,000 new jobs in culture, music and creative industries unveiled by Andy Burnham and James Purnell
Mark Du Val - Director of Policy, LACORS, will now be joining our panel discussing Noise Abatement Orders and the event will take place on Tuesday 13 October.
The panels, which also include a discussion on Form 696, consist of some key people in the debates, including regulatory bodies, the Met Police, venue owners and live promoters. The current line-up, subject to confirmations following the rescheduling are:
Panel 1: The Licensing Act & Form 696
Keynote: John Whittingdale MP - MP Maldon & Chelmsford East and Chairman, DCMS Select Committee
Diane Baxter - National Organiser - Live Performance & teaching, Musicians' Union
Dominique Czopor - Owner, The Boiler Room, Guildford & Founder, we:Live
Adrian Studd - Chief Inspector, Metropolitan Police
Panel 2: Noise Abatement Orders
Keynote: Kent Davis - Owner, The Rainbow, Digbeth
John King - Musician / Independent Campaigner
Lisa Lavia - Managing Director, The Noise Abatement Society
Mark Du Val - Director of Policy, LACORS
Chairman: Keith Harris
Please update your calendars. If you want to come or want more details on the event, please just ask.
Full up-to-date details of the event are:
Date: Tuesday 13th October 2009
Time: 18.30 - 21.15 hrs
Venue: The Basement, MCPS-PRS Alliance
Location: 29-33 Berners Street, London, W1T 3AB.
Nearest Tube is Goodge St. (Northern Line), Alliance is at Mortimer St end of Berners St.
Price: £35 standard, £25 MusicTank Members, £30 trade body members (AIM, BACS, BPI, MMF, MPG, MPA, MU, PRS For Music, PPL)
Price includes complimentary drink on arrival, and post-event transcript
All places MUST be booked and paid for in advance via Welcome to MusicTank — MusicTank
Live Music: Licensed To Thrill?
The live music business is in rude health. Despite the recession, record numbers of people are attending gigs, and last year revenues from live music overtook those from record sales, with £1.39billion generated from live music – up 16% on 2007 – whilst record sales revenue fell 6% to £1.309billion.[1]
But it is strong roots that facilitate success further up the chain, and not all is rosy at the grassroots of our live music industry. In July the government rejected widely supported recommendations from the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee regarding changes to the Licensing Act of 2003, including exemptions for small venues and, as highlighted in MusicTank’s July editorial (NOT IN MY BACK YARD — MusicTank), noise abatement orders are having a destructive impact on small venues across the UK.
This session will investigate the impact that the Licensing Act and noise abatement orders are having on small venues and music performers - we shall also hear from those who support the measures that are in place.
Noise is a massive issue for residents local to music venues. Nobody, let alone those with a young family, wants to be kept up at all hours by loud music in the club across the street. Some say that the venue should go, others say the residents should ‘like it or lump it,’ but, rather than generate a stalemate, the session will explore amicable resolutions that allow residents to get a good night’s sleep, while giving up-and-coming acts the chance to entertain and hone their craft.
In the Digbeth area of Birmingham particularly, noise abatement orders have been a common subject of news and conflict. When the Abacus apartments opened next door to The Spotted Dog, a pub that has put on live music outdoors for over 22 years, three complaints of noise were made and a noise abatement order subsequently issued by Birmingham City Council. This reduced the venue’s ability to continue as a business and robbed residents who had moved into Abacus for the local music scene of a key reason they moved to the area.
More recently, The Rainbow pub, a music venue further down the road in Digbeth, received one complaint before being threatened with a noise abatement order. Despite offering to replace their roof with a £30,000 soundproof top and over 22,000 supporters, the venue was issued with its noise abatement order – constricting its ability to raise the required funds to satisfy the complainant or continue providing an invaluable platform to artists.
Form 696 and the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee’s recommendations to the Licensing Act need less of an introduction. But with the Metropolitan Police recommending the form’s use to other forces across the UK, it seems apt to sensibly highlight the issues the form intends to prevent and the issues it causes and see what concessions can be made.
The form requires promoters at some 100-plus venues in London to provide detailed personal information to police if they want to stage a music event and has come under accusations of racial stereotyping.
UK Music CEO Fergal Sharkey said that Form 696, “is a wholly unnecessary impediment to live music and has become a mandatory licensing condition on more than 70 premises in 21 London boroughs. UK Music has been vocal amongst musicians, civil liberty campaigners and members of the public who want to see this counter-productive and morally questionable risk assessment form scrapped.
“Music is a vital part of all UK culture: we should all celebrating that, free it from bureaucracy and make this country a richer and more vibrant place.”
This is a point that has been supported by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has pinpointed creative industries as a vital part of the British economy, more important than ever in the current recession, saying that, “culture in the UK helps to define and shape and deepen our lives as individuals [and] also makes a significant contribution to our nation’s prosperity.”
This statement is backed up by the figures: music in London alone puts in excess of £1 billion into the UK economy[2] and the government has pledged to increase the number of jobs in the industry too, with music industry jobs being part of a £1.1 billion investment announced in the latest budget.[3]
With this in mind, the problems raised by the Licensing Act become more important. UK Music and publicans argue that the act impacts on the ability for small pubs and venues to afford licences by requiring licences for the smallest live performances. They say that the time and money required to handle the bureaucracy of the process makes it impractical to get through.
As such, calls from the Select Committee to remove the needs for licenses for acoustic sets from two players or fewer and venues of under 200 were widely supported, with The Publican magazine launching its own ‘Listen Up!’ campaign to try and persuade politicians to change the licensing rules so that beleaguered landlords can attract more customers with live music. And despite a separate petition requesting licensing exemptions for small venues featuring prominently on Number 10’s website, with over 7,500 signatures, those proposals were rejected by the Government, who argue that it would not increase the number of live music venues.
These grassroots venues are the hub of our music scene and, without them, there will be nowhere for tomorrow’s superstars to learn their craft and develop their passion. An amicable solution is paramount to our future.
Such a solution was found in Australia, where the music sector has campaigned to help venues in similar situations to the noise abatement order effected locations across the UK. Now developers of properties adjacent to existing live music venues to take responsibility for sound-proofing the apartments. Likewise, new venues opening in a residential area have to fit in with its pre-existing circumstances and can be closed for making too much noise.
In this age of promoting creativity, can a happy medium be found for developing and promoting new musical talent while safeguarding the interests and needs of the wider community?
About MusicTank
MusicTank is the UK's music business network, an initiative of the University of Westminster, set up with the support of 14 UK music industry organisations.
MusicTank aims to foster new collaborations and circulate innovative ideas, best practice and cutting-edge strategies to increase innovation and productivity across the business. Regular think tanks bring hot topics into sharp focus and help pinpoint the opportunities created by disruptive technologies.
MusicTank conferences deal with everything from record production to copyright review while occasional social evenings blend the entertaining recollections of music business virtuosos with the opportunity to develop valuable industry contacts.
MusicTank aims to override traditional partitions by providing improved access to expert knowledge via Welcome to MusicTank — MusicTank, the leading music business web-site, offering free industry discussion on new business techniques alongside useful reports and comments from leading lights.
MusicTank offer complimentary memberships to members of the press. This includes the MusicTank newsletter, event discounts for friends and full access to the members’ area of the website, including exclusive content, such as mp3 downloads of MT events past and present, full event transcripts and all MusicTank reports and research, including critically acclaimed reports such as Beyond The Soundbytes (Peter Jenner); Meet The Millennials (Terry McBride) and MusicTank's Filesharing report, Let's Sell Recorded Music! (Sam Shemtob - Associate Director, MusicTank). There are many other third party reports available too.
Welcome to MusicTank — MusicTank
[1] ‘Adding up the Music Industry for 2008’, Will Page, PRS for music
[2] ‘The Value of Music in London' from Cultural Trends 38, 2001, published by Policy Studies Institute
[3] Plans for more than 5,000 new jobs in culture, music and creative industries unveiled by Andy Burnham and James Purnell, media release, accessible at: Plans for more than 5,000 new jobs in culture, music and creative industries unveiled by Andy Burnham and James Purnell
