Re: Save live music, kill a developer

Date: 9 Apr 2003 21:35:28 -0700
Newsgroups: aus.culture.gothic
Size: 6,460 bytes

"stranger.." <email-address-deleted> wrote in message news:<b70buc$22mq$email-address-deleted>...
> For a while now, the Empress has been having problems with noise complaints.
> They've been having bands there for the last fifteen years, without a single
> complaint, but now all of a sudden, because of one new neighbour, that might
> all have to stop. Some fuckwit has moved in up the street, into a new
> townhouse with crappy, paper thin walls, and started complaining about the
> noise.
Yes, it is truly, truly terrible. It is even impacting on our Splodge!
film society, which uses the space there for screenings, now ('ulp!)
once a month.
Below follows as much of the guff as I have been able to collect since
the issue broke. You can follow plenty of web-links within it to find
out more, but probably the most important one is the petition, which
you can print off from:
http://www.theempresshotel.com.au/pati.htm
- Irving Z. Von Gribbish
PRESS RELEASE
DUE TO LOCAL NOISE COMPLAINT AND OUTDATED VICTORIAN LIQUOR LAWS WHICH
HAVE NOT BEEN CHANGED FOR YEARS AND HAVE CERTAINLY NEVER BEEN
ADDRESSED
BY STATE GOVERNMENT WITH ANY CONSIDERATION TO THE LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY
IN THIS CITY. LIVE MUSIC CONTINUES TO BE TREATED AS A NOISE POLLUTION
RATHER THAN THE ART FORM AND INSTITUTION THAT IT IS, TO THE CULTURAL
DIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
REGRETFULLY AT THE PRESENT TIME THE EMPRESS HOTEL HAS NO ALTERNATIVE
BUT TO COMPLY WITH THESE RIDICULOUS LAWS AND AS SUCH IS RELUCTANTLY
CANCELLING SOME OF THE OF THE ADVERTISED BANDS WHO CANNOT MEET THE
STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS DEMANDED BY THE CURRENT LIQUOR LAWS.
IF IS WITH GREAT SADNESS AFTER MORE THAN FIFTEEN YEARS OF AWESOME
MUSIC THAT THE MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN REDUCED TO TAKING SUCH DRASTIC
MEASURES BUT UNLESS THIS IS DONE AND WE CAN SORT THIS OUT, THERE IS A
VERY REAL THREAT TO THE MELBOURNE LIVE MUSIC SCENEWE RELY AS ALWAYS
ON
THE SUPPORT AND GOODWILL OF ALL MELBOURNE MUSICIAN S, THE LIVE MUSIC
INDUSTRY IN GENERAL AND OF COURSE ALL THOSE MUSIC LOVERS PAST AND
PRESENT. THE STAFF & I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PAST
LOYALTY
AND TRUST YOU WILL GIVE US YOUR FULL SUPPORT AT THIS DIFFICULT TIME
(ALBEIT QUIETER MUSIC 85 dBA)
Explanation:
What is the petition?
This petition is to be presented to the Victorian Parliament as part
of the lobbying effort to achieve changes the relevant laws.
Who should sign it?
Anyone who cares about Melbourne's live music scene.
Aren't people entitled to a good nights sleep?
Of course they are! This is not a 'Resident's VS Venues' fight, we are
all residents as well as music lovers. We are not trying to have all
noise restrictions lifted, we want the law to recognize that music is
not just noise, that venues add to the amenity of an area. If a venue
is taking responsible steps to control it's sound levels then
complaints from one neighbour should not be enough to close them down.
Why the weird language in the petition?
Any petition presented to Parliament must obey certain rules before it
can be tabled. The “Shew-eth”s and the
“duty-bound” prayers are part of this.
Who are 'Fair Go 4 Live Music'
Fair Go 4 Live Music are a coalition of people who care about
Melbourne's music scene. We include musicians, punters and venues.
Membership is open to all, please contact us if you want to help.
What else can I do
· Get a hold of the VicMUSIC discussion paper “Rock 'n' Roll
ain't Noise Pollution” on this issue
email James Milne via http://www.vicmusic.com/
· Join VicMUSIC
· Make sure this petition is available in every venue and store you
visit, when filled out (- return to The Empress, 714 Nicholsons St Nth
Fitzroy 3068).
· Write a letter or email to:
- your MP and local Council,
- the Liquor Licensing Commisson, and also
- the Minister for Sustainability and Environment (John Thwaites)
- the Minister for Planning (Mary Delahunty)
- the Minister for Arts (also Mary Delahunty)
- Local government CEO
- Senior Economic Development Officer (using ‘tourism into
area’ argument)
- Arts Officer and Mayor of the local council
Sincerely
Sandra Eunson
Licensee
The Empress Hotel
Any support would be greatly appreciated.
Any questions please contact Natalie (03)9482 4604
From: "Natalie Latham"
Subject: Hello from The Empress Hotel
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003 13:24:59 +1000
Hello All,
People have been asking me what they can do to help
The Empress Hotel with its resent sound restrictions.
We are working with an acoustic engineer to help
find a solution with sound proofing.
I have put together a website connected to
The Empress website.
The Link is called ‘Fair Go 4 Live Music’
Fair Go 4 Live Music are a coalition of people who care about
Melbourne’s music scene. We include musicians, punters and
venues.
Membership is open to all.
On http://www.theempresshotel.com.au
Click ‘Fair Go 4 Live Music’
There is a printable Petition and a page suggesting
‘What you can do to help live music in Melbourne.’
Thank you for your support.
Natalie Latham
9482 4604
Sticky Carpet
Sounds of silence It started with the inner-city culture of
gentrification, leaving the institutions of Brunswick and Greville
streets in its wake. Now it's crawled to North Fitzroy and is
threatening the livelihood of any creature that doesn't move quietly.
It's the Yuppie Monster, crawling in from the outer suburbs,
smothering creativity, feeding on caffe lattes and focaccias, raising
rents and making noise complaints in suburbs that have been rocking
for years. In recent years it's destroyed the Continental Cafe and the
Punters Club, and now it has its eyes on North Fitzroy's Empress
Hotel. After recent noise complaints from neighbours, the Empress has
had to cancel gigs by bands who play louder than 85 decibels. It's now
trying to raise money to improve its soundproofing and plans to hold
benefit shows. In a press release featuring a tombstone engraved with
"RIP Rock & Roll", the hotel's licensee, Sandra Eunson, said
Victoria's liquor laws were outdated and had not taken into account
the thriving music scene. "Live music continues to be treated as a
noise pollution rather than the artform and institution that it is . .
. Unless this is done and we can sort this out, there is a very real
threat to the Melbourne live music scene." – Patrick Donovan, THE AGE