Please circulate the following.

See below for the text of a joint press release issued on Monday 2 June 2003 by the Musicians' Union, English Folk Dance and Song Society and the Association of British Jazz Musicians. It incorporates the text of their joint letter sent to all MPs on Friday 30 May 2003:

Musicians warn MPs: Licensing Bill 'will be a disaster for the performing arts'

The Musicians' Union (MU), English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), and the Association of British Jazz Musicians (ABJM) have sent a joint letter to MPs warning that the Licensing Bill 'will be a disaster for the performing arts' unless the Government makes further amendments.

MPs are due to debate the Bill in two weeks' time, but in an unusual move Culture Minister Kim Howells has invited all MPs to a briefing on Tuesday 3rd June specifically to address entertainment licensing issues.

The Minister has claimed that concerns are based on 'misinformation' being circulated about the Bill. However, the MU's legal advisers have concluded that the Licensing Bill remains incompatible with musicians' right to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The problem stems from the arbitrary licensing requirements. For example, under the Bill a pub landlord who is not licensed for 'regulated entertainment' would be guilty of a criminal offence if providing a piano for public use or for one unamplified performer.

However, jukeboxes, big screen broadcast entertainment, and powerful sound systems are automatically allowed anywhere. The maximum penalty for unlicensed entertainment is a £20,000 fine and six months in prison.

The text of the joint letter follows:

Dear Sir/Madam
LICENSING BILL - RESTRICTING THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Government's new Licensing Bill will be a disaster for the performing arts. Indeed, going against its own much-heralded 'inclusivity' banner, this draft legislation is perhaps the most 'exclusive' piece of legislation drafted by a Labour government. Hailed as an 'improvement', this hodge-podge of proposals actually extends the arbitrary discriminations of the old licensing regime. For example:

It allows a full-scale stand-up comedy show with stage, lighting and amplification, but insists that you must have a licence to perform a play (and 'play' could include Punch & Judy);
It allows 'big screen' broadcasts and amplified jukeboxes anywhere, but insists that live performance is licensed (unless so much in the background it might as well be muzak);
It allows a play, dance, disco or musical performance in a place of worship or garden fete, but insists on a licence when the same events are held in a school or restaurant.
It allows the above, but insists that traditional song and dance on village greens should be licensed.

We need your support to prevent a bad old law being replaced by a bad new one. To help restore the balance, the Government should take the following action:

Remove licensing control over small-scale events in the open air, whether on public or private land;
Re-introduce a small events exemption covering music, dance and plays in premises where events cease at a reasonable hour;
Exempt un-amplified live music;
Drop the proposal which would prevent a piano for public use in a pub unless licensed, but would allow 'big screen' music and sport as well as amplified jukeboxes.

We hope that you will help us to help Ministers see the error of their ways and prevent England and Wales becoming a juke-box driven monoculture of mass entertainment. Scotland? Well, if you cross the border, none of these nonsenses apply!

Yours sincerely...

~ ~ ~

The Musicians' Union (MU)
The MU was established in 1893 and represents over 31,000 musicians working in all sectors of the music business. As well as negotiating on its member's behalf with all the major employers in the industry, the MU offers a range of services tailored for the self-employed by providing assistance for full-time professional, semi-pro and student musicians of all ages. Contact: John F Smith, General Secretary, on 020 7840 5502
Website: www.musiciansunion.org.uk

English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS)
EFDSS is the key national body working to support, promote and develop the folk arts in England. It represents the interests of all folk artforms, with a particular focus on music, dance and song. EFDSS maintains the nation's principal library and archive for folk arts and customs, the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and operates a range of advisory, educational and support services for folk groups, the general public and over 4500 active members.
Contact: Mark Gibbens, Development Officer: 020 7485 2206; email: this into your post:

mark.gibbens@efdss.org


Website: www.efdss.org

Association of British Jazz Musicians (ABJM)
Founded in 1987, the ABJM is a pressure group representing the interests of jazz musicians in the UK.
Contact: Chris Hodgkins on 07950 522 041
Website: www.abjm.org.uk