Licensing Act not to blame for drop in pub gig attendances

The Licensing Act is not to blame for a drop in attendances at pub live music gigs, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has claimed.

A new DCMS report revealed that while the overall number of live music licences has increased by 10% since the implementation of the Licensing Act in November 2005, attendances at pub gigs had fallen.

Attendances at gigs held in medium or large venues increased by 26% but fell 2.7% at pubs and bars.

But the Government said the Licensing Act was not to blame. "The two main quantifable reasons behind the relative changes in venue size are the fall in the actual number of potential small venues, mainly pubs and bars, and the greater emphasis on promoted events at large venues due to the fall in the profitability of recorded music," it said.

It pointed to British Beer and Pub Association figures that 5,134 pubs had closed in the last three years. "As well as the recession, the pub industry has been affected by the smoking ban, introduced in 2006, and increased sales of alcohol in supermarkets."

It added: "Overall, the live music sector is thriving. However, this growth has been concentrated at medium and larger venues, and there has been a fall in the adult population who attend music at smaller venues.

"Evidence suggests that this is not due to live music licensing but wider economic factors such as the decline in the overall numbers of pubs and bars, and changes in the live music industry itself, responding to the falling profitability of recorded music by promoting events at large venues."

The Government is currently proposing a live music licensing exemption for premises with a capacity under 100.

Lord Clement-Jones has tabled a private members bill calling for an exemption for venues with a capacity of under 200 and a return to the the two-in-a-bat rule for unamplified music.