Another email I recieved:
Can I urge you to sign the petition below against the 696 form? The form demands that licensees give police a mass of detail, including the names, aliases, private addresses and phone numbers of all musicians and other performers appearing at their venue, and the ethnic background of the likely audience (this is an 8 page document). Failure to comply could mean the loss of a license or even a fine and imprisonment.
One of the questions on the form requires the licensee to specify the type of music that will be performed, giving as possible examples "Bashment, R'n'B, Garage". Another question asks, "Is there a particular ethnic group attending?".
This will have massive implications on certain bands and ethnic groups - it may stop groups performing - the police appear to be focusing on the music enjoyed by black and Asian teenagers.
Fergal Sharkey (CEO of British Music Rights) said: "In explicitly singling out performances and musical styles favoured by the black community we believe the use of Risk Assessment Form 696 is disproportionate, unacceptable and damaging to live music."
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Scrapthe696/
You can read more about the implications of this new law here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/how-form-696-could-pull-the-plug-on-the-capitals-music-scene-1028240.html ;
Please sign it - it is very important for CAN and Exodus work. Please forward to your friends.
Best wishes,
Ruth Daniel
Exodus Coordinator
Community Arts North West
Green Fish Resource Centre
46-50 Oldham Street
Manchester
M4 1LE
Tel: 0161 234 2987
Fax: 0161 234 2976
ruth@can.uk.com
www.can..uk.com/exodus
http://www.can.uk.com/
http://www.thetoolkit.net/
