Baltimore/City Council & ARTS ISSUES

Subject: CITY COUNCIL TO BAN "UNLICENSED" LIVE PERFORMANCES!?

YOUR FAVORITE CLUB/LOUNGE/CONCERT HALL/RESTAURANT
MAY BE SHUT DOWN WITH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN NEW "LIVE PERFORMANCE LICENSES"

YOUR FAVORITE COFFEE HOUSE OR SOCIAL GATHERING MAY NOT BE AROUND TOMORROW. NO MORE LIVE MUSIC!!! THEY ALREADY HAVE THEIR EYES ON THE COPY CAT AND CREATIVE ALLIANCE ..

EVERY ARTIST, ENTHUSIAST, SPEAKER AND MUSICIAN MUST SPEAK OUT FOR THE FREEDOM OF LIVE MUSIC IN BALTIMORE - OR ELSE THEY WILL TAKE IT FROM US!

FIND YOUR CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE
CONTACT THEM AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

Click the following link to find your City Council representative: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://cityservices.baltimorecity.gov%2Fcitycouncil%2F

IF YOU THOUGHT THAT HAVING SOMEONE PLAYING A GUITAR IN A BAR WAS HARMLESS, IT WILL NOW COST A BAR OWNER ABOUT $2,000-$3,000. IF YOU THOUGHT THAT GOING TO A RECITAL AT A CHURCH WAS NICE, IT WILL COST THE CHURCH THE SAME AMOUNT. OH, AND NO MORE STREET PERFORMERS ANYWHERE...

ONLY THE BIGGEST CLUBS AND VENUES WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE LICENSES. IT WILL BECOME ILLEGAL TO PERFORM OR PLAY MUSIC ANYWHERE WITHOUT A LICENSE! HOW ABSURD!

EVERYONE PLEASE ATTEND THE BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL'S NEXT COMMUNITY WORK SESSION TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS BILL

**************************************
TUESDAY MARCH 31ST, 2009
6:30PM to 8:30PM
Morgan State University , Communications Center , Room 101,
5601 Perring Parkway
**************************************
________________________________________
NEW BILL PROPOSED: BALTIMORE CITY "Live Entertainment - Licensing and Regulation - Hospitality Services - Promotion and Coordination
________________________________________

City of Baltimore Legislative File ID 08-0163

________________________________________
"Live Entertainment - Licensing and Regulation - Hospitality Services -
Promotion and Coordination FOR the purpose of deleting live
entertainment and dancing as a zoning use category; requiring the
licensing of certain establishments that provide live entertainment or
dancing; establishing the Board of Licenses for Live Entertainment and
providing for its powers and duties; establishing an Office of
Hospitality Services and providing for its powers and duties; defining
certain terms; imposing certain penalties; and generally relating to the
licensing and regulation of live entertainment and to the promotion and
coordination of hospitality services."

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT is defined as:
MUSICAL ACT, CONCERT, OR RECITAL;
THEATRICAL ACT, PLAY, OR REVUE;
CIRCUS, AERIAL, OR ACROBATIC PERFORMANCE;
DANCE PERFORMANCE;
PARTICIPATORY DANCING;
MAGIC ACT;
KARAOKE;
DISC JOCKEY;
POETRY RECITAL OR BOOK READING ;
PERFORMANCE ART;
STAND-UP OR OTHER COMEDY; OR
SIMILAR ACTIVITY.

Details of the Bill include:

"NO RESTAURANT, TAVERN, OR DANCE CLUB MAY PROVIDE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT OR DANCING WITHOUT HAVING FIRST OBTAINED A LICENSE TO DO SO FROM THE BOARD OF LICENSES FOR LIVE ENTERTAINMENT."

ON RECEIPT OF THE APPLICATION, THE BOARD MUST INVESTIGATE THE CHARACTER AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THE APPLICANT. A LIVE-ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE MAY NOT BE ISSUED FOR ANY PERSON UNLESS THE APPLICANT IS OF GOOD MORAL CHARACTER; AND IS AT LEAST 21 YEARS OLD. IN DETERMINING MORAL CHARACTER, THE BOARD MUST CONSIDER: ALL CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS OF THE APPLICANT; AND THE BUSINESS HISTORY OF THE APPLICANT."

"THE BILL ALSO ESTABLISHES AN OFFICE OF HOSPITALITY SERVICES...THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT ESTIMATES THAT THE ANNUAL OPERATING COST FOR THE OFFICE WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $315,600...THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION INCLUDES A PROVISION TO SET LICENSE FEES, INCLUDING ANNUAL RENEWAL FEES, AT SUCH A LEVEL AS TO COVER THE COSTS OF THE OPERATION...IF THERE WERE 200 BUSINESSES THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY APPLY FOR THE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE, THE AVERAGE LICENSE AND RENEWAL FEE WOULD NEED TO BE APPROXIMATELY $1584 TO COVER THE COSTS OF THE OPERATION..."

"IF THE BOARD DENIES A LIVE-ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE OR RENEWAL LICENSE, THE APPLICANT MAY NOT REAPPLY FOR AT LEAST 9 MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THE BOARD’S FINAL DECISION OR, IF THAT DECISION WAS APPEALED, FROM THE DATE OF THE FINAL COURT DECISION."

This Bill will permanently change the artistic landscape of Baltimore , potentially driving local performers away from our city and forcing touring bands/promoters/DJ's/etc. to avoid Baltimore all together. ALL existing restaurants/taverns/dance clubs would need to apply for a license, and ALL would need to re-apply on a yearly basis. A venue's license application can be blocked, and existing licenses can be revoked, by as few as TEN complaints by property owners or residents within a 10-block radius of the venue's location. There is NO grandfather clause in this bill that protects existing venues.

________________________________________
From the Office of Councilman Kraft:

"Because of the need for strong community input on this bill, a number
of public hearings located throughout the city have been scheduled. You
can find more on the bill, including the hearing schedule, here:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com%2FLiveEntertainment_Licenses.html."

________________________________________

If you wish to speak out against this Bill, please attend any of the
following meetings:

Station North Arts District Community Meetings:

Community Work Session (NE)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Morgan State , Communications Center , Room 101, 5601 Perring Parkway

Community Work Session (NW)
Thursday, April 16, 2009, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Baltimore City Community College , Liberty Campus, Auditorium, 2901
Liberty Heights Avenue

Community Work Session (SW)
Thursday, April 23, 2009, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Federal Hill Preparatory School , 1040 William Street

Hearing at City Hall and Final Vote of Committees
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Clarence “Du” Burns Chambers, 4th Floor
________________________________________

This is not the time to sit back and watch what will happen. This is the time to educate yourself right NOW on the bill. This pertains to operating in Baltimore City as a resource for arts and entertainment and will also affect individual patronage of the arts and entertainment in this city. There is also a proposed State House Bill seeking to establish a new party promoter license. Read a summary of the bills below.

Documents pulled from http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com%2FLiveEntertainment_Licenses.html
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com%2Fcc08-0163%28Aggregate%2520Reprint%29%7E1st.pdf
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://legistar.baltimorecitycouncil.com%2Fdetailreport%2F%3Fkey%3D4033
--------------------