I fear its not really about paying a session fee. The issue is for the premise owner. Under the new Act the Licensee has to fill in the "music" bit of the statement of purpose as part of the application for a licence. Music does not cost anything extra but the Chairman of Sam Smiths may instruct all licence holders not to fill in this bit to avoid PRS fees for piped music etc.

It is a a lot of bull I know. If its any consolation a bar pwner in Portugal had to obtain 21 licences to run his bar - one for beer, one for wine, one for music, one to stick up signs and one for his contraceptive machine in the bog etc. so maybe things are no better elsewhere!

In the Yorkshire Post the other day (editorial) the Government claimed the new system was less complex but the application for a licence was 24 pages long and cost up to £500 , as opposed to the current £30 for 3 years!   Sam Smiths chairman will not be enthusiastic about this I fear!