​Black artists are disproportionately impacted by nightlife licensing, London Assembly told

UK music charity Black Lives in Music (BLiM) has told City Hall that Black artists are disproportionately impacted by nightlife licensing in London, Evening Standard reports.

BLiM chief executive Charisse Beaumont told members of the London Assembly on September 4 that Black and minority musicians and performers face discrimination when it comes to decisions over the licensing of their events.

The inquiry, which looked into the state of London’s nightlife and current issues in the nighttime economy, was held by the London Assembly’s Economy, Culture, and Skills committee.

Beaumont told the committee that there are four licensing objectives under which “a lot of event cancellations” occur, including ‘preventing crime and disorder’, ‘promoting public safety’, ‘preventing public nuisance’, and ‘protection of children from harm’.

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She said (per Evening Standard): “The word ‘safety’ always comes into effect. ‘Are these events safe to put on?’ But safety, I would argue, and everyone will argue, is a racist narrative.”

“Our events get cancelled - just because they’re a Bollywood event, or it could be jazz, or it could be drum and bass, it could be any genre that attracts a black and brown audience,” she said.

Beaumont claimed that cancellations happen “time and time again”, and that promoters often have to fill out ‘temporary event notices’ to hold events after 9:30PM. She also argued that this isn’t spoken about because there’s a “culture of silence”.

She said that there’s a “fear of promoters losing their licence or not being able to put on an event again” if spoken about publicly. She also referred to a 2021 report by BLiM which found that some artists have even felt the need to “change their name because of their race or ethnicity”.

“Sometimes the event might be a jazz ensemble, playing at a cultural hub and they would get rejected,” she said. “But when you leave that cultural hub and walk down the road, the pub’s still open, playing the same music that they wouldn’t be allowed to play.”

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During the inquiry, Beaumont also accused the Metropolitan Police of closing down events under unclear circumstances, saying: “[We’ve heard of] large venues receiving the call from the police saying, 'please, we think you shouldn't put on this event, we encourage you not to do so'.”

The Met Police’s chief licensing officer Ian Graham said in response to Beaumont’s comments that they “continue to target hotspot locations where violence takes place.”

“We want all Londoners to safely enjoy the wide range of nighttime attractions the capital has to offer,” he said. “We also work closely with venues to better understand the landscape and diversity of London’s night-time economy and provide the support and guidance needed to keep people safe.”

He added: “In circumstances where there has been an incident previously, we may consider a review of the premises’ licence. However, unless there are exceptional circumstances, we will always work with a venue first to discuss safety concerns and find solutions. This approach applies to all venues, styles and genres of music.”

[Via Evening Standard]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter