Thank you Penny. I'm part of the phoenix fan club myself - just need to chop the 500 year membership rule (throw yourself on a fire every night is my motto) - perhaps we could sing a song for you :)

I don't think there are any non-family shareholders.

Sams owns more land, property and interests in thing that it can stay afloat longer than I (and perhaps most of us) can stay alive. If the Chairman decides something he has every right to. He also has every right to grant anything he chooses to within the law.

I understand from previous things that the chairman is a good and proper person and that he is very good at responding to direct communications - whether he writes back what you or I might want to hear is a different matter (the chilling of beer /banning of alcopops are two examples where I know people have had response).

I've hummed in the Plough at Whitby. I am planning to go and see Grace Notes on monday at Nellies. And after a really enjoyable sunday in Monks Walk was looking forward to going to Nellies one sunday because I believe it is even better.

There will be a reason(s) as to why this decision has been taken. If it is one that no-one has any influence on there is nothing to be lost by a) finding out what that decision is and b) seeing if that decision can be changed.

For the pub we drink in it probably - at present - does not seem shrewd economic sense in that we go regularly and have spent a good few quids over the last few years. In the total history of the pub it is probably neither here nor there. I only go to the Plough in Whitby in Whitby folk week so I don't know what the rest of the year is like. Nellies I would guess it would hurt.

After that I don't actually know any Sam Smiths pubs that play live music reguarly apart from one rumoured in Sheffield.

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS NOT KNOWING HOW WIDESPREAD A PROBLEM (OPPORTUNITY) THIS POTENTIALLY IS

Aside from the more global licensing issues that others are much more au fait and involved with, two things did strike me -

If we are talking about very few pubs then the costs are very little to Sams and so it is sortable at a LOCAL level because there are no great issues of principle involved and no great cost issues to the brewery. If there are (say) half of the (quoted) 200 Sam Smiths pubs who want to put on live music then there is huge demand (which is good).

Having been in the Plough in Whitby week that is a LOT of money involved. I dare say Nellies has made a few quid off the music (inc jazz etc) over time. Our local pub I reckon it will hit my £3K-5K in turnover in the coming year and we are truly a tiny place.

My overall feeling is that it is something worth exploring and pushing further. It doesn't strike me that where we (specifically) are at the moment is in anyone's interest - not the customers; not the brewery; not the council; not the government.

So it must be sortable