Cotswolds music promoters welcome music licencing decision (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Jon Ponting, who runs The 4014 Project with his wife Ells, has welcomed the announcement of the changes to the Live Music Act

11:15am Tuesday 16th October 2012 in News By Ian Craig

THE government's decision to allow small venues to hold live music events without applying for live music licences has been welcomed by a Cotswolds organisation promoting live music.

Jon Ponting, who runs The 4014 Project with his wife Ells, has welcomed the announcement that the Live Music Act has been amended to allow any venue with a capacity of less than 200 to be able to hold live events without having to pay for a costly licence.

“It's been said that 13,000 small pubs and venues won't need to apply for licences any more, which is great news,” he said.

“There doesn't seem to have been much opposition to it, although there might be some complaints about noise in some places – we'll have to wait and see.”

Jon and Ells, who live in Cricklade, set up the 4014 Project, named after the road connecting Tetbury and Malmesbury, in 2005 after realising there were very few opportunities for people in the area to see live music.

Jon said: “We decided to arrange an open mic night at the Rose and Crown in Malmesbury and that was really successful.

“We tried it again at The Priory in Tetbury and that went really well too so it just went from there.”

Arthur Grun, landlord of the Horse Guards at Brokenborough near Malmesbury, said he welcomed the new rules, but it was important that it was not abused by venue owners.

“I think that some restrictions that local authorities and police place on live events are too restrictive but I’m also sensitive that it requires the individual landlords to use common sense about what they’re doing,” he said.

“We have to ensure those who are going to put on this events are in some way monitored to ensure all eventualities in terms of noise and potential nuisance are taken into account.”

In recent years, the 4014 Project, which has also been involved in Treefest at Westonbirt Arboretum, as well as Corinium Radio, acts as a directory for events across the a large part of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, with venues and musicians able to be included on their website's extensive directory.

“Nowadays there are quite a few open mic nights – it's nice to know they're in fashion,” he said.

“It seems that people now want original live music rather than the stuff Simon Cowell is always pushing on us, and they want it on their doorstep.”

For more information on The 4014 Project visit 4014.co.uk/