The Live Music Act comes into force

From today, Monday October 1, venues with a capacity of under 200 people will no longer require a licence for live music events.
The Live Music Act which came became an Act of UK law in March, has been launched by the government to free small venues and businesses from red tape, which ministers say will encourage grass roots music and give the sector more freedom to grow.
Business Minister Michael Fallon said: “From today businesses are freed from the red tape that holds them back.
“We’ve set ourselves the challenging target of scrapping or reducing a total of 3,000 regulations. I’m determined to slim down regulation and make Britain an easier place to start and run a business,” Mr Fallon added, describing the previous rules that affected local gigs and small live performances as “over-the-top bureaucracy that stifles community groups and pubs”.
The Act came about through a private member’s bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat Lord Don Foster, to ease the bureaucracy some felt had been imposed on venues and promoters by the 2003 Licensing Act.
Music industry body, UK Music, estimates that the changes could enable around 13,000 more venues to start holding live music events.
Live unamplified music can also now be played in any location under the act opening the door for creative acoustic players to stage guerilla gigs in inventive new public venues.
Last week, the Musicians’ Union launched a Live Music Act help kit to assist venue owners, promoters and players get up to speed with the new Act and its changes. Click here to find out more about the help kit and download a free .pdf version of the guide.
What do you make of the new Live Music Act? Will it help you as a musician or live music promoter?