The Live Music Forum was founded in June 1993 and for years made a great contribution to Hastings Live Music scene and beyond through publishing Music Files, a free event guide which became a blueprint for imitations along the South Coast during the 90's.
In 2003 the Licensing Act became law and matters became serious as thousands of live gigs were lost in smaller venues. The DCMS made a clumsy attempt to set up a 'Live Music Forum' with Feargal Sharkey as Chairman. In November 2006 Feargal said that our warnings of damage to live music in smaller venues were unfounded. Speaking at the Institute of Licensing conference in Brighton, he said that the “widespread belief that the 2003 Licensing Act would damage the industry” had proved unfounded. '“We can't find any evidence for the plague of locusts that was forecast,” he said. “More than 95 per cent of local authorities have been even-handed and professional – and in some cases in difficult circumstances.” (Hamish Birchall circular 111 http://www.livemusicforum.co.uk/text/hbbulletin111.htm).
As growing evidence of the licensing Act's damage on live music rolled in, Feargal Sharkey parted company with the DCMS and their copycat live music forum to become head man at UK Music a new organisation installed to represent the interests of the Music Industry.
As the live music situation worsened in the UK we heard of an Australian solution to a similar problem in New South Wales where campaigner John Wardle had successfully fought for a "Small Gigs Exemption". Through the Live Music Forum website, and Hamish through his bulletins, we introduced the idea of a Small Gigs Exemption here in the UK, as a means to repairing the damage caused by the Licensing Act 2003. Before long this became the main demand of the live music lobby and we eagerly await the honouring of Liberal Democrat and Conservative promises in the same direction.
PL June 2010
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