The following from Hamish Birchall

Caterers' contempt for musicians is legendary.  After performing for some 
lavish banquet, musicians are often led away into a dingy annex for a plate 
of stale sandwiches and a packet of crisps.   Even if the contract 
stipulates a hot meal this is no guarantee - a fact which leads to many 
tense confrontations between bandleaders and the head chef.

How ironic then that access to employment for thousands of musicians now 
lies in the hands of local government officials trained not in the arts, but 
in... food science.

Perhaps that explains why the Musicians Union is somewhat reticent about its 
participation with the LACORS live music working group.  The union has made 
no public announcement about this important development.  LACORS, by 
contrast, issued this statement on 5th June:

'A working group has been set up to promote the options for putting on small 
scale live music in licensed premises. At its first meeting the group agreed 
to focus on promoting examples where premises have made use of the 
"incidental music" provisions in the Licensing Act 2003 i.e. where music is 
ancillary to the main purpose of visiting the venue such as restaurants and 
bistros. These case studies will be available during the summer, and will 
complement the Musicians' Union practical advice and guidance to putting on 
live music.
'Moving forward the group will also be looking to maximise the benefits of 
DCMS' forthcoming "minor variations" process, due to be implemented in July, 
which will allow venues to apply to add live music to their licence quickly 
and at low cost. The working group is comprised of representatives from the 
Musicians' Union, the British Beer & Pub Association, LACORS, the LGA, DCMS 
and is jointly chaired by Mark du Val, Director of LACORS and Danny 
Longstaff, Chair of the MU Executive Committee.'

See: http://www.lacors.gov.uk/LACORS/ContentDetails.aspx?id=21745

LACORS (Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services) is of course 
the shadowy quango that has consistently and successfully opposed new 
exemptions within the Licensing Act for small-scale gigs. Implicitly they 
support a regime which criminalises a piano in a bar or a small private 
fund-raising concert in a school, unless first licensed. The rationale for 
this position is, they say, to protect the public.  In reality, it is more 
about administrative convenience and jobs for council licensing officers.

Mark du Val is a food science graduate and former environmental health 
officer.  Charlotte Meller, LACORS contact officer for the working group, 
also has a background in food science and previously worked for the Food and 
Drink Federation.

ENDS