The UK has started to pass a licensing bill stating that all musicians, who play live, public music, no matter where it is shall have to purchase a license to do so. Penalties for playing music publicly without a license are jail and a huge fine.
If you are a UK resident, sign the petition!
If you aren’t a UK resident, post on the forums; your names will be submitted separately from the petition, but the more people who care to sign and stop this, the better!
This is dangerous to the civilized world!! This must be stopped at all costs and quarantined to England, be it the rest of the world governments find out about it.
It seems that my signature below has a lot more meaning than when I entered it for the first time!!!
Hi,
It all has to do with what’s known as a public entertainment licence. The pub or bar requires this licence if it intends to have a group or band to entertain. As far as I know this latest ruling was the result of trying to simplyfy the need for the PEL licence, but has turned into a “sledgehammer to crack a nut” scenario. If you check out Hobgoblin’s UK website it has more information.
We all seem to legislate, enforce, monitor that which is easy and relatively harmless. A lot more difficult to go after really hard, pernicious stuff that matters, like terrorism.
I believe this rule might break some European regulation.
I would suggest your musicians associations contact a lawyer, file a lawsuit within Europe.
And do start an immediate musicians’ strike, for Pete’s sake! Go play elsewhere, anywhere within Europe where you’re free to work like Europeans after all!
Unfortunately, the petition is restricted to England, Wales residents only.
Pity–letting others sign it might have had an influence on the tourism offices.
Like I, who loved visiting Cornwall (still officially England…) will not even stop there without music. Now, England will be my mere forced embarcadero to IoM, or the necessary thruway towards Scotland. The fastest, the better. I’ll miss visiting Cornwall, Northumbria but hell…
Paul Salvaire
121 imp. St Pierre
44420 Mesquer
France, Europe.
[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2003-01-07 18:37 ]
Most Americans would be surprized to find out that Brits pay a licence for their TV sets. A licnence to play the Bodhran…sounds like a good idea to me!
On 2003-01-07 18:22, PhilO wrote:
We all seem to legislate, enforce, monitor that which is easy and relatively harmless. A lot more difficult to go after really hard, pernicious stuff that matters, like terrorism.
Philo
Don’t worry, Philo. Mr Blair’s government is also your most obedient ally for the “crusade” currently a-drumming a-fifing.
What would take more courage to levy a tax on music might be on the computers and CD-writing software, which are killing the music labels, especially the smaller ones, through computer piracy…
I have always treasured our constitutional right to Free Speech here in the U.S. Requiring folks to pay a fee and obtain a license to sing or speak or express themselves in public is a step into tyranny.
Music is no longer owned by the aristocratic classes. It belongs to the all people. Governments may tax commerce; but, they have no right to tax the free exchange of ideas. Music connects folks beyond mear words and is a cornerstone of many communities. By requiring licensure, they basicly say the the communities right to bond through music or public entertainment will exist only by permission of the government and to the profit of those currently in office.
If passed, I sincerely hope the people actively pursue steps to demonstrate to government their foolishness. Starting with every military band. Insisting that all participants bear the penality. And should your legislators, sing “God save the Queen” without license at the openning of some function at the entrance of the Queen, I hope they all have the opportunity to pay their fine and do their time. With the jails filled with troops and legislature, perhaps sensibility will return.
To each and every soul dwelling in England and Wales, I hope you can ensure your rights to …
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Enjoy Your Music,
Lee Marsh
[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2003-01-07 21:36 ]
When I was over there last year I kept hearing public service announcements talking about television licenses. They were warning folks to register their televisions, if I understood correctly. It sounded as if they had to pay an annual fee to the gov’t for each tv they owned, including computer monitors. What next, an oxygen tax? You UK C&Fers, did I get that right? Is there an annual tax/fee on televisions?
On 2003-01-08 00:20, blackhawk wrote:
It sounded as if they had to pay an annual fee to the gov’t for each tv they owned, including computer monitors. What next, an oxygen tax? You UK C&Fers, did I get that right? Is there an annual tax/fee on televisions?
A tv is hardly like oxygen, but in most European countries there is a television licensing law in operation. But on the bright side the licence fee goes towards financing the public broadcasting system. And whatever else you may think the BBC [and to an extend it’s counterparts in other countries] is a fair attempt at quality broadcasting.
Yup, there’s a radio and TV (not PC monitors) licence in Singapore as well. And it’s not per radio/TV. It’s per dwelling place/vehicle. Not a lot. The money goes towards - ummm - something that seemed good and reasonable when I read it(brain turning to mush: I just read abt it when I paid my licence)
They send each dwelling place/car owner a notice abt the fee and what it’s for, and leave it to you to pay the same if you own said appliances. So you could just ignore the notice if you were prepared to take the risk of them finding out. As far as I know, they hardly, if at all, check on people or cars, or enforce this law.
As for the BBC, I listen to the BBC World Service, and like their news reporting and analyses. And their other programmes. I’ve even been known at times to listen to their cough, mumble radio soap operas. Anything that finances the BBC can’t be that bad.
On 2003-01-08 00:20, blackhawk wrote:
When I was over there last year I kept hearing public service announcements talking about television licenses. They were warning folks to register their televisions, if I understood correctly. It sounded as if they had to pay an annual fee to the gov’t for each tv they owned, including computer monitors. What next, an oxygen tax? You UK C&Fers, did I get that right? Is there an annual tax/fee on televisions?
Yep, there is. Ostensibly to cover the BBC’s costs as it does not receive funds from advertising being a national broadcaster. It’s been noted however that the BBC is doing very nicely thank you from sales of its shows, broadcasting rights, etc etc. Take the latest David Attenborough show (“The Life of Mammals”) - a simply brilliant piece of TV that will have been sold to as many as 80 countries or more, at a decent price. The debate continues.
Regarding the musicians’ licencing, this is a typical piece of Labour government over-bureaucratising and over-taxing. They may talk like the peoples’ friend, but they just tax away regardless. We might have the lowest income tax in Europe, but England is still one of the most expensive countries in which to live thanks to all the other “bitty” taxes introduced.
On 2003-01-07 18:41, C4 wrote:
This sounds rather scary..Does that include singing without instrument backup..Hmmm what about humming to oneself in public…Where will it all end?
Or singing in Church? And will the school choral societies be required to obtain a permit? I hope they refuse Britney Spears a licence, though.
Same here in France. TV annual tax. But we do have 2 public channels free of ads . And I guess Arte would have a hard time supporting itself otherwise.
But we also have a special tax on TV sets + VTR’s, also on new blank cassettes, on CD-R and RW’s, etc.
Then a special organization collects a tax from all public places playing music (be it radio) ; this supposed for the musicians, except they have to pay royalties on registered tunes and lyrics to the same org, and what they recollect for their own is miserly, except for the Top 10 gang…
Anyway, what can you expect from the country who invented the VAT ?
(edited to add that here tories and labour widely agree on more taxes, so it’s not like a political issue. Just a personal one )
BTW : Nick, I sent you a private message.
[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2003-01-08 10:12 ]
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