Government's 'misleading' music figures questioned
The government released "misleading" figures about the number of live gigs being hosted in bars, clubs and restaurants, a market research watchdog believes.
A survey carried out by MORI on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), showed that 1.7 million gigs had taken place in bars, clubs and restaurants whose main business is not music.
The survey was intended to show that the UK live music scene was flourishing ahead of the new Licensing Act and that venues - including pubs - would be encouraged to put on more live music under the new regime.
The DCMS has maintained that the new legislation will make it easier for pubs and other venues to stage live music.
But according to the Market Research Standards Board (MRSB) the 1.7 million figure was inaccurate because it included venues such as hotels, churches and community halls.
Hamish Birchall, a live music campaigner, conducted his own investigation into the figures that prompted the MRSB investigation.
He claims the figure should be at least 25 per cent lower.
"The key objective of the research was to see how the existing licensing arrangements had affected live music," he said.
"When they (MRSB) asked to see the people they had surveyed, it showed that a lot of other venues had been included to beef up the figures."
A press release issued at the time by the DCMS was later changed to include the term "other venues" in relation to where the gigs had been staged.
However, a DCMS spokesperson said: "This press release was not set out to misinterpret the research or mislead the public.
"When it was sent to journalists it included the executive summary of the MORI research which clearly gave a breakdown of all the types of venues surveyed.
"The press notice was amended on the DCMS website shortly after. This was not a fundamental change and it did not change its meaning."
Sue Bickerdike, licensee at the Arena Tavern, in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, believes the new Act will not encourage pubs that don't already have live music to put it on.
"It might have been made easier for pubs, but I don't think it will mean more pubs host bands," she said.
"For some pubs it just wouldn't work."
