Good news for small live music venues

11th January 2010

Categories: Rules, Regulations & Licenses

Live music performances for 100 people or less will no longer need to be licensed.

The proposals, recently announced by licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, mean that it will make it much easier for a wide range of venues, including unlicensed premises such as cafes and record shops as well as licensed pubs and clubs (even if their license doesn't include provision for staging entertainment), to put on live music, and to help musicians who want to play to a live audience.

This is great news for smaller entertainment venues, pubs, restaurants, cafes and bars who are keen to stage entertainment to tie-in with major tourist events or simply just offer something extra to encourage local and tourist trade throughout the year.

To ensure that any concerns from people living close to venues are taken into account, the exemption would only apply to performances that are indoors, and take place between 8am and 11pm.

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

The consultation is available on the DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) website.

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