The following from Hamish Birchall

Monday 10th August 2009 - Sharkey backs pub gigs campaign

      Feargal Sharkey, chief executive of UK Music, is backing a licensed 
trade campaign for new exemptions within the Licensing Act to make it easier 
for pubs to host live music:
      http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=64740

      Called 'Listen Up!', the campaign was launched online last Friday 7th 
August by The Publican magazine. In a YouTube video within the article, 
Sharkey fiercely criticises licensing red-tape, adding:

      '... those little rooms in the backs of those little pubs are vital 
ingredients, are fundamentally important and the foundation of what is one 
of the most successful industries in this country, and that is the British 
music industry. So personally I think it's time we've got up, we've stood 
up, we've said what we think and get this completely illogical, 
overburdensome, completely nonsensical bit of legislation changed, and the 
quicker that happens I think the happier we'll all be.'
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsjl1sZuVfU

      Significantly, The Publican also reports that John Whittingdale MP, 
Conservative chair of the all-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee, 
intends to table a House of Commons debate on the subject in October. The 
Publican recently reported Mr Whittingdale's outspoken condemnation of the 
government for failing to implement the Committee's recommendations for live 
music:
      http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?storycode=64692

      The Publican's campaign calls on the government to implement those 
recommendations: exemptions for venues up to 200 capacity and for one or two 
musicians, and scrapping of the controversial Met Police Form 696.

      However, the article omits to mention the Lib Dem private members bill 
by Lord Clement-Jones, announced on the Lib Dem website on 31 July, which - 
if enacted - would achieve the campaign objectives:
      http://www.libdems.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?title=Lord_Clement-Jones_launches_a_Bill_aimed_at_reviving_live_music_in_England_and_Wales_&pPK=de2e5760-043e-4572-8384-67ce48374fcc

      There is no mention either of the Number 10 petition backing the 
Culture Committee recommendations for live music. This has gained an amazing 
4,000-plus signatures in two weeks, already putting it within the top 30 of 
over 5000 petitions:
      http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/livemusicevents/

      Nor is there any mention of the Number 10 petition to Scrap Form 696, 
now with over 17,000 signatures putting it within the top 10:
      http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Scrapthe696/

      Sources at The Publican said they will shortly include links to these 
petitions and are planning a Facebook campaign site. They also indicated 
that party political angles will be addressed in September, when most MPs 
return from holidays. Feargal Sharkey has already given his support to the 
Lib Dem Bill on behalf of UK Music:
      http://www.ukmusic.org/policy/151-dcms-fails-to-support-british-music-industry

      ENDS

      Hamish Birchall