London’s live music economy is losing up to £141 million a year as Black music events are cancelled, restricted or shut down at higher rates than white-led events, a two-year study has found.
The investigation was led by the REMEL steering group, which brought together the Greater London Authority, the Metropolitan Police Service, UK Music, LIVE, the Musicians’ Union, promoters, artists, venue operators and community representatives. It concluded that the Black and South Asian music sector faces systemic and institutional barriers that limit its ability to succeed.
Those closures and restrictions place more than £650 million at risk over five years, according to the report.
Its findings describe a licensing culture in which afrobeat, dancehall, R&B and hip-hop were flagged as ‘high-risk’. Pop, indie and rock, by contrast, faced little scrutiny.
Respondents also described informal pressure from police. They said off-the-record briefings had suggested future licence reviews and other steps aimed at preventing Black and South Asian-led events from going ahead.
Temporary Event Notices were more likely to be refused in London’s most diverse boroughs, the study found, limiting opportunities for Black and South Asian-led events.
The report also recorded different outcomes after incidents at venues. Many white-owned venues received support to reopen, while Black venues were forced to close.
Licensing authorities were said to use area-wide crime statistics to support venue closures or licence refusals, even where the venue in question had a clean safety record.
The report recommended that the Home Office and the Greater London Authority appoint an independent panel of experts to review the venue and event licensing system. It said equality and human rights law should be embedded in licensing law.
It also called on local authorities to publish annual licensing-decision data, with an independent panel monitoring the process for full transparency.
Comments (0)