The full extent of the restrictions pubs are facing over live music has been revealed in a new report by music campaigners.
The Publican recently launched the Listen Up! campaign to make it easier for pubs to host live music. And a study of pubs in St Albans has revealed just how difficult it can be for pubs to host gigs.
The Welwyn Hatfield Live Music Forum report examines the licence conditions of 85 pubs permitted to host live music in and around the St Albans area in Hertfordshire.
Under the Licensing Act, more than half of pubs in the area have restrictions on the number of gigs they can host, while 35 per cent are restricted on the number of musicians that can perform, the report reveals.
Amazingly four pubs have a restriction on the genre of music which can be performed.
John King, a guitarist and one of the report's authors, said he was "stunned" to discover that pubs were operating under so many restrictions.
"What's really surprising is that St Albans is held up as an example of a good licensing authority," he said.
King also suggests the report shines a light on the reality of government statistics which show how many pubs host live music.
"It's one thing pointing how many are licensed for music, but there are still restrictions in place on how many performers they can have, times and genres of music," he said.
However in a lengthy response St Albans City and District Council has branded the report "misleading".
Lesley Cameron, the council's principal licensing officer, said: "Where conditions are attached to live music licences they are not all necessarily imposed at the instigation of St Albans City and District Council.
"Some licensees seek to self-impose conditions in a bid to ally the concerns of residents about noise."
She added that many pub companies submitted "generic" applications when the licensing laws changed, offering conditions such as "no more than two performers".
Cameron continued: "When considering the terms of a licence a balance needs to be made between the concerns of residents and the plans of the licensee."
But Richard Bridge, a musician and founder of the Performer Lawyer Group, believes the situation is being mirrored across the country.
"Councils and local and national government have absolutely no intention of listening to rational argument about the issues around live music," he said.
"They have taken the position that all live music needs to be licensed. You can show them until you are blue in the face all the speedy measures the authorities can take to control noise or nuisance, but they carry on regardless.
"The dice is loaded against the publican in these situations because a council can throw money at it."
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