The recent story from Mr Gall, of a pub's PEL charges increasing 500% in
one-fell-swoop - came on the same day as I received a block e-mail from a
well established live music pub venue, The Running Horse in Nottingham.

This week, the Running Horse received a telephone call from The PRS
(Performing Rights Society), announcing that the pub's annual PRS charges
are to rise from £1670.40 to £3298.00 (+ VAT.). No arguments. The reason
being given is that - having been recently reassessed - this venue promotes
and encourages musicians to play - who also write their own original
material as well as playing covers.

As a result, the pub - which struggles to keep going and to keep audiences
coming on narrow margins - may have to close. It's not a folk venue, but a
blues venue presenting electric and acoustic blues from the UK and the USA
(relevant here nevertheless) with tickets from around the 2 quid up to 10
quid (for something special) mark.

If it closes down, there'll be some 360 less live performances, with 360
less opportunities for live acts - many of them local musicians - who'll
earn nothing further from this venue, nor have a place to play. Doubly sad
when in the past year under its new management, it has managed to
re-establish itself with live music after years of being run-down.

Forgetting that the pub also provides an outlet for bands to sell their CD's
to a specialist audience, where will such closures of live venues like this
leave the artistes and bands (or the workers from the PRS) and anyone else
connected with the music biz - when there is no-one and no-where left to
play live?

How does the PRS justify these hiked and hyped charges. How does the PRS
actually distribute the money it collects? No-one seems to know... What
makes me think that the very artistes that the RH presents, will be the last
bods to receive any of the monies collected? Over the years, I've heard
nothing good said by anyone about this organisation.

Isn't it about time that the Michael Jacksons, Paul McCartneys, Elton Johns
Eminems and the many other up and coming billionaires quit being so damned
greedy and put something back into music?

Isn't it also about time we collectively stopped pandering to them and
refused to go on paying the glamour queens who can afford to squander their
'hard earned' millions on mindless trivialities.

Then ...in the same week, the very same venue also had notice from the
Council which put their PEL in question. This was regarding an 'anonymous
complaint' from an alleged neighbour, regarding noise levels. As a result
their late music license has been withdrawn to appease Council officials.

The venue which has had very good relations with all its neighbours
especially over the last year or so, has gone to great lengths to educate
and control patrons and performers to noise levels inside and outside.
Surprised, it has since done further research with all its adjoining
neighbours - all of whom were surprised and also of whom none have
apparently made any such noise complaint.

I wonder how long it will be before the The Running Horse and other venues
like it, are forced to drop live music altogether in favour of perhaps big
screen football, or kareoke and pool tables. So much easier to make money
too.

Who on earth would ever want to run a live music venue in this climate of
attack and of being milked dry? Who said live music was slowly dying? It's
increasingly looking - for one reason or another - that way.

Greed and stupidity!

CR