London's Abbey Road Studios have escaped prosecution over a small Coldplay gig they hosted for the BBC last month - apparently it isn't actually against the law to stage Coldplay gigs. Ministers are apparently meeting later today to close this loophole in common decency legislation.
No, not really, the recording studios faced a fine under those new UK licensing laws which mean that anyone hosting a music event open to the public must first apply for a licence, even if admission is by invite only. Despite telling the BBC that all legal requirements had been met ahead of the gig, the studios had not applied for such a licence, making the event illegal.
However, Westminster Council have said they will not prosecute the studios over the event, having accepted that the failure to apply for a licence was a genuine oversight caused by a confusion over the new laws.
BBC 6Music quote Audrey Lewis, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member For Licensing, as saying yesterday: "The new licensing laws have ensured there is confusion about the status of many premises and what they now have a licence for. Abbey Road studios were not licensed for the Coldplay concert but, after talking to the premises, this appears to have been a genuine oversight." She said that local authorities needed to be flexible as they and venues learn how the new laws work, and added that the council would be working with the studios to ensure all future events are fully licenced.
A spokesman for the studios said: "There was certainly no intention of holding an illegal event and if our licence is not what is required for this type of event, then it is a genuine mistake. We have a close relationship with Westminster Council on this and other matters, which we value. In recent days we have received different advice from different departments within Westminster Council as to which licence is appropriate for our business. Once we have a definitive answer from Westminster Council, if there is a need to vary the licence, then of course we shall do so."