Latest news with #musicvenues
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Pubs and venues to be protected from noise complaints
Pubs and music venues will be given protection from noise complaints under planned changes to licensing the reforms, developers seeking to build near venues would be told to soundproof buildings, while permissions would be fast-tracked for new businesses or expanded outdoor areas in designated government hopes the changes will also make it easier to open new bars in disused shops, as well as promote outdoor drinking, al fresco dining and live the government said the changes would bring "vibrancy" to struggling town centres, the Conservatives said Labour's tax policy was responsible for "crippling the hospitality industry" in the first place. It comes after several well-loved pubs and music venue were left facing possible closure over noise complaints, leading to campaigns in some December, Moth Club, an independent music and comedy venue in east London, launched a petition challenging plans to build a new block of flats next door, over fears it could be shut down."Without being able to make noise, we can't make money," its manager told the BBC at the Manchester, venue Night and Day Cafe was subject to a three-year legal battle with the council over noise complaints lodged by a neighbour in was eventually permitted to continue operating as a nightclub with noise-limiting restrictions in government also hopes a planned reform of nationwide licensing regulations will help to reverse the decline in the pub industry by making it easier to open new British Beer and Pub Association says the number of pubs in the UK has steadily decreased every year since 2000, and estimated that 378 pubs would close in 2025 across England, Wales and Scotland, amounting to more than 5,600 direct job Tuesday, pub chain Brewdog was the latest to announce cuts, with 10 bars across the UK closing due to "rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures".Chancellor Rachel Reeves said "pubs and bars are at the heart of British life" as the government launched a consultation on the added: "For too long, they've been stifled by clunky, outdated rules. We're binning them, to protect pavement pints, al fresco dining and street parties - not just for the summer, but all year round."Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: "Though any cutting of red tape for hospitality businesses is welcome, this is pure hypocrisy and inconsistency from Labour."He accused Labour of "crippling the hospitality industry by doubling business rates, imposing a Jobs Tax and a full-on strangulation of employment red tape".
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Music venues subject to noise complaints to get ‘greater protection'
Music venues that are subject to noise complaints by nearby residential developments will be offered 'greater protection' under new government plans. The measures, which are set to be introduced under the national licensing policy framework, would mean developers taking responsibility for soundproofing flats and apartments near existing pubs or music venues. The changes are designed to stop the kinds of rows that have seen pubs and gig venues dogged by complaints from people who live in homes built within earshot. Night & Day cafe in Manchester was issued a noise abatement notice by Manchester city council in November 2021 due to complaints from neighbours about loud music at night. The nearly three-year-long row concluded with the venue being told to impose restrictions that limited noise late at night to a reasonable level. The case has led to a growing concern among venues on new developments being built locally, opening up the opportunity for noise complaints from future tenants. The Music Venue Trust said earlier this year that one grassroots music venue closed every two weeks in 2024. Plans for a new office block next to the Prince Albert pub in Brighton were approved on appeal in January, after being refused in November 2023. A petition against the scheme garnered more than 22,000 signatures, claiming the pub was at threat of permanent closure, with DJ Fatboy Slim performing at the venue in 2023 to highlight its cultural importance. George Taylor, a co-landlord of the Prince Albert, said that he saw restrictions imposed on the new offices as a 'win', including a requirement for them to close at 8pm when music typically starts at the venue next door. He said he wanted to see more independent monitors in place to support venues in the UK, including within the new soundproofing measures being introduced. Taylor said: 'With the soundproofing, in theory it sounds great but to manage and look after it, it's supposed to be an independent person. If it's the company that built the building that hires the person to do it, they could be biased as they are on their payroll.' He added: 'Our point is that once the building goes up and if they haven't done the soundproofing, the council won't make them rip the walls down and put it in.' London-based gig venue Moth Club has also seen support from a 20,000-strong petition against two separate planning applications for new blocks of flats beside it. The venue said the blocks, which are due to be considered by Hackney council in the coming months, would have 'devastating consequences' for the future of the club. The new protection will be ushered in under the 'agent of change principle', with the Department for Business and Trade saying it will consider further options to support established venues under the new framework. Other measures in the overhaul include simplifying the process of opening and operating hospitality venues, scrapping local rules that delay small businesses from opening. The business and trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said: 'Red tape has stood in the way of people's business ideas for too long. Today we're slashing those barriers to giving small business owners the freedom to flourish.' New 'hospitality zones' are also envisioned, with more leniency on permissions for street parties and extended opening hours to usher people back on to high streets. Speaking on the new changes, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said pubs and bars were 'at the heart of British life'. Reeves said: 'For too long, they've been stifled by clunky, outdated rules. We're binning them – to protect pavement pints, alfresco dining and street parties – not just for the summer, but all year round.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Festival promoter brands Royal Albert Hall levy scheme ‘ludicrous'
The promoter behind the Isle of Wight Festival has criticised the plan for a £1 levy on arena and stadium tickets that would help support grassroots venues. This week, it was announced that the Royal Albert Hall in London would become the first 5,000+ capacity arena to commit to the LIVE Trust's £1 contribution supporting grassroots music across the UK. From 1 October 2025, the price of tickets for commercial rock and pop concerts at the venue will include a £1 contribution, which will raise an estimated £300,000 per year for the LIVE Trust to support grassroots venues, promoters, festivals and artists. The levy was proposed by the Music Venue Trust as a way of protecting the many small music venues around the UK – a vital platform for emerging artists – that are under threat of closure. However, industry veteran Giddings – who has represented artists including The Police, Lady Gaga, The Corrs and Westlife, as well as promoting major tours by artists such as Madonna and The Rolling Stones – was dismissive of the venture, saying he believes it will not be of benefit to live music fans. 'I think the whole thing is bloody ludicrous,' he told The Independent. 'The fact is, you sell a ticket when you're a promoter, and it costs £15, £50, whatever. There's a booking fee, and now they're talking about an extra fee to go to small venues. But that's not the [Royal Albert] Hall or the artist caring about small venues: that's charging the general public. It's costing them more money for a ticket.' A recent Music Fans' Voice survey showed that 93 per cent of fans agreed that £1 from every arena and stadium ticket should go to a fund that directly supports grassroots venues. Meanwhile, data from LIVE revealed that 125 such venues were forced to shut down in 2023, while 78 festivals were cancelled the following year. Tour dates have also seen a 50 per cent decline over the past three decades, as the regional grassroots system collapses. The typical tour circuit has halved in the past 30 years, from 22-date tours in 1994 to an average of just 11 dates last year. 'It's disgusting that [they're] trying to make themselves look good when they're not helping at all,' Giddings said of the venue scheme, while questioning how the funds from the levy would be distributed among the UK's grassroots spots. He said that instead, artists themselves should do more to support the venues they first played in as emerging acts: 'If [bands] really care about small venues, they should go and play in small venues that helped them in their careers early on, and let the small venue keep all of the income. That's what they should do. 'And that way, you give the money directly to the venue. You're advertising the venue. It's a good PR story for the group. Everybody benefits.' Giddings, who was named Festival Promoter of the Year at the FestForums awards in February, continued: 'Every artist in this country, band or single artist, has been through those small venues, and they've helped them in their career. That's where they [train] and learn how to do it, and they should go back and help them directly.' A number of artists have already pledged their support to the Music Venue Trust scheme, including pop band Coldplay, who are donating 10 per cent of their earnings from their 2025 tour to the organisation. Their involvement came after the British metal band Enter Shikari donated £1 from every ticket sold for their OVO Wembley Arena show in February last year. US pop star Katy Perry, who played some of her first UK shows in small venues such as Water Rats and Scala, contributed £1 to the MVT from every ticket sold for the UK leg of her Lifetimes tour. Responding to Giddings's comments, Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, told The Independent: 'Obviously I appreciate that John has not been as close to these extensive and protracted discussions about the necessity of a grassroots levy as some of his colleagues in the Concert Promoters Association or at Live Nation. 'That's a shame, because all of the issues and potential objections John raises have been fully covered, debated, and collectively resolved. The whole live music industry is united behind delivering the grassroots levy, and the way that we have agreed to do that is that everyone – promoters, ticketing companies, venues, agents, managers and artists – will all play their part in delivering it.' He added: 'The lead taken by the Royal Albert Hall has been warmly welcomed right across the industry. It shows real leadership and it's a very positive step in making the levy a reality. The grassroots levy that the whole industry has agreed to, and the leadership shown by the Royal Albert Hall in moving that concept forward, is the positive change we need.'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I had to watch Justin Timberlake from a car park'
A concert-goer who "had to watch Justin Timberlake perform from a car park" has said music venues need to do more to make sure they are accessible to disabled fans. Sara Stacey had booked tickets to see Timberlake and Olly Murs headline last week's Chelmsford City Live festival when they went on sale in September. But she said she ended up leaving Timberlake's gig early after watching the start of the set from behind a wire fence in a car park because of a lack of accessibility inside Chelmsford City Racecourse. The Essex venue has apologised and asked Ms Stacey for her advice to prevent similar issues in the future. The 39-year-old from Wickford said she had visited the racecourse before without issue, but her experience meant she decided not to return to see Olly Murs perform on Sunday. "I'd been trying to get tickets for Justin and Olly at the O2, but disabled tickets are so hard to get, so when I saw they were coming to Chelmsford, I thought it was brilliant," she said. However, when she got there, she said as there was gravel on the ground instead of hard flooring, her powerchair got stuck. She said she returned to the car park because "that was the only place I would be able to go to see it". She added: "I stayed for a little bit and got really upset that I wasn't able to see it. I've been able to see more of it from people's recordings than in real life." Ms Stacey, a diversity and inclusion officer, said she had never faced accessibility problems at any music venue before and would be taking the racecourse up on its offer for her to return and give advice. Chelmsford City Racecourse said it was "deeply disappointed" it could not resolve Ms Stacey's issues on Friday night. "Inclusivity to all our events is something Chelmsford City Racecourse takes very seriously, and as Sara has previously experienced, we have a good track record of delivering accessible events," it said. "For Chelmsford City Live, we aimed to deliver more accessible provisions than ever before, which is why we are deeply disappointed we didn't meet Sara's needs." The racecourse previously apologised to Timberlake fans who reported facing long delays as they tried to leave the concert. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Fans 'stranded' after Justin Timberlake concert Justin Timberlake fans travel from US to Essex for concert Why are so many world-famous music stars performing in Essex? Chelmsford City Racecourse
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Justin Timberlake fan 'had to watch Essex gig from car park'
A concert-goer who "had to watch Justin Timberlake perform from a car park" has said music venues need to do more to make sure they are accessible to disabled Stacey had booked tickets to see Timberlake and Olly Murs headline last week's Chelmsford City Live festival when they went on sale in she said she ended up leaving Timberlake's gig early after watching the start of the set from behind a wire fence in a car park because of a lack of accessibility inside Chelmsford City Essex venue has apologised and asked Ms Stacey for her advice to prevent similar issues in the future. The 39-year-old from Wickford said she had visited the racecourse before without issue, but her experience meant she decided not to return to see Olly Murs perform on Sunday."I'd been trying to get tickets for Justin and Olly at the O2, but disabled tickets are so hard to get, so when I saw they were coming to Chelmsford, I thought it was brilliant," she when she got there, she said as there was gravel on the ground instead of hard flooring, her powerchair got stuck. She said she returned to the car park because "that was the only place I would be able to go to see it".She added: "I stayed for a little bit and got really upset that I wasn't able to see it. I've been able to see more of it from people's recordings than in real life."Ms Stacey, a diversity and inclusion officer, said she had never faced accessibility problems at any music venue before and would be taking the racecourse up on its offer for her to return and give advice. 'Good track record' Chelmsford City Racecourse said it was "deeply disappointed" it could not resolve Ms Stacey's issues on Friday night."Inclusivity to all our events is something Chelmsford City Racecourse takes very seriously, and as Sara has previously experienced, we have a good track record of delivering accessible events," it said."For Chelmsford City Live, we aimed to deliver more accessible provisions than ever before, which is why we are deeply disappointed we didn't meet Sara's needs."The racecourse previously apologised to Timberlake fans who reported facing long delays as they tried to leave the concert. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
