More pubs showing live music, says government research

Two-thirds of pubs, bars and nightclubs have a licence to stage live music, says a new report from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

The research conducted by Mori revealed that more than 60 per cent of smaller venues have a licence to put on live music following the introduction of the new licensing laws.

The minister for licensing Shaun Woodward said that the figures were encouraging. He said: "It's early days. But this survey is encouraging. And shows smaller venues getting to grips with the new laws on licensing.

"Small venues provide the lifeblood of the music industry. That's where top selling artists such as the Kaiser Chiefs are discovered and cut their teeth. It's good to see that so many smaller venues have applied to stage live acts. And a quarter chose to do so for the first time.

Feargal Sharkey, chairman of the Live Music Forum, said: "This picture is encouraging and confirms much of the evidence that the forum has uncovered. We know that the majority of venues - large and small - can now put on live music and that's fantastic news.

"But there's always room for improvement. The forum will publish its final assessment of the legislation with recommendations on how the Government can make our live music industry even more successful early next year."

The survey looked at 2,101 establishments, most with a capacity of fewer than 500 people (including pubs, restaurants and village halls).

DCMS said:

* 63 per cent have either obtained a music licence (61 per cent) or put on live music via other means (two per cent) - compared to 60 per cent under the old laws;

* a quarter (25 per cent) of premises now have a licence to put on music for the first time;

* of the small proportion (seven per cent) of venues that used to operate under the 'two in a bar rule', around 70 per cent now have live music licences; and

* fewer than two per cent had their live music applications refused.