Thank you for the music... you're nicked

Submitted by on 16 January, 2003 - 6:43

From Bolshy - Jan 2003 issue
A bill is currently before parliament that will, if passed, effectively outlaw pub sessions, charity events at local venues and force small music venues to close.
It will not only hold the promoters at fault – the performers may also be prosecuted, even if they believed the venue to be licensed. The laws are buried in a bill that is mainly about allowing pubs to stay open longer, and thus will not receive much coverage.
The exact wording of the bill is ambiguous, referring to ‘entertainment facilities.’ This means that as well as pubs and clubs, recording studios, practice rooms and even private functions may need licenses. The bill will also drive up the price of licenses, by implementing a fixed price. This means that the license for someone playing an acoustic guitar in a pub will cost the same a Glastonbury Festival. Clearly, they won’t be cheap.
Sending people to jail for playing live music is something Cromwell and his Protestant fundamentalist government did in the 1600’s, and represents a destruction of our culture. Making something like the ringing of church bells a licensable act is just plain daft. Write to your local MP or, better yet, get involved in revolutionary politics and bring the whole rotten system down!
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