Boost for live music as government announces plans to exempt small venues

Live music performances for 100 people or less will no longer need to be licensed, under proposals announced by Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe.

An exemption from the Licensing Act for small live music events would make it easier for a wide range of venues to put on live music, and help musicians who want to play to a live audience. Currently anyone wanting to put on live music must have a premises licence, a club premises certificate or a temporary event notice, although there are some exceptions for incidental, background music.

An exemption would ensure that all licensed premises such as pubs and clubs would be able to put on small scale live music, regardless of whether or not their existing licence included a provision for staging entertainment events. Unlicensed premises such as cafes, restaurants, village halls and record shops would also be able to host events without the need of for a licence.

But to ensure that any concerns of 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. Residents and responsible authorities such as the police would have the power to call for an exemption to be revoked at a specific venue if there was cause for concern.

For more information, visit www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/consultations/6499.aspx.