Today it has been announced that small venues of under 200 people will no longer need to apply for a license to host amplified live music events. The new legislation goes on to specify that there is no limit for the number of people you can admit (subject to limits imposed by Health & Safety laws) for unamplified music events.
The law came into effect today (1st October), so you can start planning your events straight away.
In summary, you are able to put on live music under the terms of the Act if:
- You are based in England or Wales
- You have an alcohol licence (although this is not always a requirement)
- There will be fewer than 200 people in the audience (for amplified music)
- There is no audience limit for unamplified music
- The live music will not take place between the hours of 23.00 and 08.00
There are few other stipulations, but it’s well worth checking out. The PRS have done some research that suggests that pubs who regularly feature live music can earn a third more by using that as a draw than those without.
The Musician’s Union have put together Live Music Kit that is essentially a guide to getting your own events under way.
Elbow’s Guy Garvey sums up nicely, by saying of the new legislation:
British music is one of our proudest exports, and every-one involved with raising this issue and voting in its favour should be enormously proud. Now let’s get drunk and have a sing!
Don’t forget that you can set up your own events for free at Ticketlab.