#SaveLondonMusic Campaign - Lots of news to update you on,

Many readers of The Barnet Eye blog are musicians, music lovers and music fans. Most are aware of the huge pressure and threats that our live music venues face. We launched the #SaveLondonMusic campaign last year and we've been highly successful in using this to promote the aims of campaign.

The campaign is working to make the case to protect London music venues and studios Specifically we want to see the following

1. Special protection for important London music venues from redevelopment. This should take two forms. The first should grant important venues the same protection as listed buildings. The second is that where large infrastructure projects destroy venues (such as the Astoria), the venue should be resited elsewhere in equivalent or better premises at zero cost to the operator.

2. Established venues should be protected from noise and disruption complaints from neighbours. Soundproofing etc should not be the responsibility of the venue, where the venue is an established music site.

3. As creative industries are a key component in the UK economy, tax breaks, planning assistance and grants should be made avaialble to any company or individual investing in infrastrure to support creative industries.  This should be done with a view to ensuring the UK maintains its leading position as the centre of world music.

From a music perspective the following should be available.
* Capital Tax allowances for investment in venues and studios
* Free or discounted planning costs for studios,  music venues and other music related companies (such as instrument manufacturers etc).
* Rates holidays for start up businesses involved in the music and creative sector. A six month period of zero rates and a six month period of 50% rates would give businesses a great
opportunity to get off the ground and generate employment
* Offer grants to creative industries to assist with the costs etc of starting a creative business, specifically for assistance with the cost of consultants for noise control and other issues which
are specific to the music industry.
* Enact legislation to ensure that major new developments include an element of light industrial space suitable for creative industries and studio space at low rent.
* Offer mentoring and assistance to young people wishing to set up SME’s focussing on the creative sector.

Much has happened since we started in February 2015. We set up the campaign website to keep people informed of the campaign developments - http://savelondonmusic.org/news/ - and we've also got a FACEBOOK page. 

There have been some seriously interesting developments this week. One of our partners in the campaign is the Music Venues Trust. They have launched a "gig with no acts (yet)" at The Roundhouse on 18th October.

 The event will support the launch of a brand new nationwide service from Music Venue Trust which willdirectly stop music venue closures by tackling the number 1 cause of those closures; the cost and complexity of legal advice and expert opinion on planning, development, noise and licensing issues.

We also have two other really great gigs coming up that we are supporting. The Luna in Walthamstow is working tirelessly to promote live music and if you like a bit of Country and Honky Tonk music, there is a truly amazing gig coming up featuring East Lonesome Drifters and Special Guest  Nashville singer/songwriter Stewart Eastham!!!!

Then on September 30th we've got the London Launch of Musicians Against Homelessness. This campaign has been launched by Alan McGee of Creation Records fame. There are some great bands playing the London launch at The Mau Mau Bar.