Sensible change in the law for live music in England and Wales
Law has been changed in England and Wales so that venues with a capacity of fewer than 200 people will no longer need a licence for live amplified music.
UK Music, which claims to represents the music industry, estimates that the Live Music Act could enable 13,000 more venues to start holding live music events.The Act also allows live unamplified music to be played in any location. The Act allows live music to be played between 08:00 and 23:00.
The change was introduced to Parliament through a Private Member’s Bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat Don Foster, in order to amend some of the bureaucracy imposed on gigs by the incredibly badly thought out 2003 Licensing Act. The success of the Bill is a relatively rare example of a House of Lords Private Member’s Bill making it into law.
