Deregulated Entertainment

Before taking her first steps into the legal world, this Kat provided thirsty audiences with beverages in small independent music venues and occasionally put on shows. Musicians would pile in for soundcheck in the afternoon, sit around for five hours and play to, in the most part, appreciative peoples. Beer was spilt, ear drums were burst and the seeds of legends were sown. It was a happy, albeit sticky, time.  The realities of putting on gigs, however, were not always so carefree. The overwhelming fear that no one would attend, having a knock on effect on the ability to pay the band, could quite often be allayed by the appeal of a particular venue. The licensing arrangements were indeed something of a nightmare, but no more. On Monday 1st October, the Live Music Act 2012 amending the Licensing Act 2003, came into effect in England and Wales. No longer will performances of live amplified music in on-licensed premises and workplaces with a capacity of up to 200 people require a specific license (between the hours of 8am and 11pm). Better still, there will be no audience limit for performances of unamplified live music in any location.

The deregulation of live performances in small venues is being heralded by most as a boost for musicians and the wider UK economy. In a Department for Business, Innovation & Skills press release, Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians said:

We all know how important live music is to both working music professionals and to those just starting out in their career. The previous regime made it increasingly difficult to put on live music gigs and saw all kinds of venues threatened with fines. 

Now, musicians will be free to earn a living and hospitals [live concerts in hospitals? Doesn't sound beneficial to convalescence], schools and other venues including pubs will finally be able to put on live concerts without have to seek permission to do so from a council.

Noise and safety implications have been raised by some, perhaps overly, concerned individuals and groups. But for this Kat, it is one area that was deserving of deregulation.