Shaun Woodward, the Minister for the Creative Industries indicated that the figures were encouraging and this proves that venues are understanding the new system.
The DCMS (The Departure for Culture, Media and Sport) commissioned Ipsos MORI to survey small venues to gauge whether they are taking advantage of the new rules brought in under the Licensing Act 2003. The survey looked at 2,101 establishments, most with a capacity of fewer than 500 people (including pubs, restaurants and village halls) to ascertain how many have a license to put on live music.
Below is the result of the survey:
63 per cent have either obtained a music licence (61 per cent) or put on live music via other means (2 per cent) - compared to 60 per cent under the old laws;a quarter (25 per cent) of premises now have a license to put on music for the first time;of the small proportion (7 per cent) of venues that used to operate under the 'two in a bar rule', around 70 per cent now have live music licenses; fewer than 2 per cent had their live music applications refused.Shaun Woodward said:
"It's early days. But this survey is encouraging. And shows smaller venues getting to grips with the new laws on licensing.
"Small venues provide the lifeblood of the music industry. That's where top selling artists such as the Kaiser Chiefs are discovered and cut their teeth. It's good to see that so many smaller venues have applied to stage live acts. And a quarter chose to do so for the first time.
"Of course it's not just about making the big time. There's a huge range of musicians performing for pleasure or simply to earn a living. They rely on small venues. So it is good news that so many that used the two in a bar rule can now stage anything from solo jazz guitarists to the London Philharmonic Orchestra."
published: 11/12/2006 01:31