UK Government Backs Down On Live Performnce Licensing

British culture minister Kim Howells has bowed to objections by musicians and withdrawn a bill that would have required pubs to license live music. “Musicians believe the bill would have a devastating impact on the number of venues where they can perform. Says Howells: “We saw it as a civilising bill, relaxing licensing laws, cutting down on bureaucracy. It was only when it started going through the Lords we realised how it would be interpreted.”