Written By: Adriana Zahirovic
Have you ever been to a live performance? The exhilarating feeling of being at your favourite artist’s concert is incomparable to simply streaming their music. Despite increasing dependence on income streams, live performances remain popular with more than 30 million people attending live music events in 2023, creating an immense cultural impact whilst positively contributing to the economy. Although seemingly in high demand and an exciting experience for both artist and attendee, the music venue sector is facing an on-going crisis with London losing over a third of its grassroot music venues in the last 10 years.
So what does this mean for the scene? Why should music venues be protected? What will this mean for music venues in the future?
Music Venues
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance, varying in size and location to accommodate capacity and suit the genre of music performed. Music venues are vital to the music scene, providing a place for friends and family to enjoy their favourite musicians, but also giving artists a platform to perform, connect with their fanbase and reap the rewards of their talent. Each year popular venues like the O2 Arena and Alexandra Palace play host to the likes of D-Block Europe, Stormzy, Central Cee and Little Simz, with audience numbers ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 people. Burna Boy’s incredible return to the UK at the London Stadium last month has proven that audiences and music fans are just as eager to see their favourite artists as they are to support live music and connect with the energy of in-person performances. Football stadiums are also getting in on the action, with Tottenham Hotspur stadium hosting Beyonce, Wizkid and more recently Travis Scott for worldwide tours.
The Law
Venues must ensure they comply with the laws and regulations regarding alcohol sales, noise disturbances, maximum capacity, and fire safety. Licences must also be obtained from local councils as set out in The Licensing Act 2003 as failure to comply could result in hefty fines and a loss of licence.
The licensing landscape for venues has changed over the years, particularly when it comes to smaller venues. Form 696, introduced by the Greater London Metropolitan Police in 2005 after several shootings at venues across London, required promoters and licensees across 21 London boroughs to submit detailed information 14 days in advance of an event. The form requested an array of information including the names, addresses and phone numbers of all performers, a description of the music genre, as well as the ethnicity of the audience. The latter requirement sparked complaints concerning racial profiling and was subsequently removed from the form in 2009. The form was put in place to help aid the Met police to monitor safety and make recommendations for higher risk events, however it disproportionately affected artists from the grime, garage and bashment genres, creating a false impression that these genres were more dangerous.
Check out part two of this series next week, where the discussion looks at the impact of Form 696 and the state of play for music venues now.