New report shows extent of racial bias in licensing against Black music events in London

A new report has shown the extent of racial bias in licensing against Black music events in London, while urging the government to assist in bringing change.

Published yesterday (Wednesday October 14), the REMEL Report (Race Equality In Music Event Licensing) is the most comprehensive investigation to date into how licensing and policing shape the fortunes of Black and South Asian musicians, promoters and venues in the capital.

It draws on surveys, interviews, focus groups, industry workshops, freedom of information requests and analysis of licensing data.

Per the findings, Black events face disproportionate cancellations, restrictions or shutdowns compared with white-led events of a similar size. The document states that this is often done with little explanation given and no clear route to appeal.

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The REMEL Report urges the UK government to assist in unlocking “the huge potential of the Black and South Asian music industry”.

“Black and South Asian music and entertainment scene in the UK is a powerful and transformative force, deeply embedded in the nation’s cultural life,” it adds. “From underground clubs that support new talent to major arenas that showcase global stars, this vibrant community has played a key role in shaping British identity, creativity, and social connection.”

The two-year study was led by the REMEL steering group, comprising Greater London Authority (GLA), the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), UK Music, LIVE, the Musicians’ Union and a large network of promoters, artists, venue operators and community representatives.

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It comes on the heels of a joint letter from the Musicians’ Union and BLiM to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, calling for action on racial bias in event licensing.

Charisse Beaumont, Chief Executive, Black Lives In Music, said: “Licensing doesn’t just affect a few artists or a handful of events. It touches every part of the music ecosystem, from the young artist trying to get their first gig, to the promoter building a platform for emerging talent, to the local venue that brings life to a community.

“Across the research, people called for a licensing system built on transparency, dialogue, cultural understanding, clear definitions of risk and a shared commitment to safety.”

She added: “The good news is that everyone involved in this report, from music industry bodies, to the Mayor of London and Metropolitan Police have all welcomed its findings and want to help reform the system, for everyone’s benefit.

“We would like Prime Minister Andy Burnham to build on his undoubted enthusiasm for the music industry and night time economy by working with the forthcoming independent London Nightlife Taskforce to enforce the REMEL recommendations and ignite London nightlife.”

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The report cites the PM’s summer announcement to give music venues, clubs and pubs in England a 20 per cent cut in business rates next year. However, REMEL argues that there is a barrier in obtaining a licence in the first place for many Black and South Asian-led venues and promoters. It states that events in London’s most ethnically diverse boroughs are blocked or hit with police objections at far higher rates than others.

Beaumont went on: “A rates cut does nothing for the promoter who, as REMEL documents, was charged £10,000 for police attendance at a show with no history of trouble, or a venue like the Colour Factory, which lost £55,000 after a tragic incident occurred outside the venue after operating hours.

“Police suspended its licence and posted warning signs at the entrance, causing financial losses and staff redundancies for an independent venue that had done nothing wrong.”

Elsewhere, the UK Music ‘Black Music Means Business’ Report (2026) found that the estimated £24.5billion of the UK’s £30billion recorded music market over the past 30 years has come from Black music genres. These represent over 80 per cent of the total market, with British artists contributing approximately £11.94billion of this figure.

In addition, the UK’s live music sector is a highly lucrative space, generating £6.1billion, according to the 2024 LIVE Music Report (2024). This figure could be even higher with the right reform.

However, REMEL has found that there is still “deep systemic and institutional barriers that limit even more success”.

Some respondents noted informal pressure from the police, with off-the-record briefings suggesting future licence reviews and other measures to stop Black-led events from happening. They said certain music genres are assumed to be a risk, despite evidence to the contrary, or that single or isolated incidents at one event can create long-term reputational consequences for a genre.

Licensing authorities were felt to often misuse area-wide crime statistics to justify closing venues or denying licences, even when a specific venue has a clean safety record. High local crime rates across an entire neighbourhood are wrongly blamed on individual music venues.

The report also shows how promoters and venue owners face “unreasonable barriers” for their nascent businesses. It states that licensing authorities insist on more security or medical staff at such events, increasing costs to unsustainable levels, compared with events elsewhere.

You can see a breakdown of REMEL’s key findings here:

• Black events are disproportionately cancelled, restricted, or blocked compared to white-led events. 46 per cent: Share of police-affected cases in which the venue reportedly closed entirely
• The economic impact of excluding Black and South Asian events is significant. There was a £1.1billion estimated spend on Black and South Asian live music in London in 2024, with an estimated £127-£141million lost annually in live music spend and a projected loss of more than £650million in total spend over five years, due to licensing bias.

• Black promoters frequently have events shut down with little or no explanation, leaving no path for accountability or appeal.

• The legacy of Form 696 persists, with current risk assessments systematically singling out Black and South Asian live music events and imposing punitive surveillance and heavy conditions without credible evidence of increased safety risk.

• Afrobeats, Hip Hop, R&B and Dancehall are flagged as “high risk,” while Indie, Pop, and Rock genres face little scrutiny.

• Media fuels criminalisation with Black events framed as “mobs” or “chaos,” shifting blame from institutions onto communities.

• Temporary Event Notices (TENs) are more likely to be refused in London’s most diverse boroughs, restricting opportunities for Black events.

• Unverified intelligence, including superficial online searches, is routinely used to justify heightened scrutiny of Black and South Asian events, reinforcing racialised assumptions of risk.

• Many white-owned venues are supported back into business after incidents, while Black venues are forced to close.

• Black and South Asian events are being pushed out of central London by restrictive licensing, gentrification, and planning policy.

• Inflated security, insurance and compliance demands fall hardest on Black and South Asian events.

• Mental health impact is relentless as cancellations, surveillance, and financial strain are driving burnout among Black and South Asian entrepreneurs.

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Beaumont commented further on the study: “We are grateful for the collaboration of the Metropolitan Police, local authorities, music industry bodies and the GLA on project REMEL. This was a collective effort with the goal to provide evidence and solutions for change in the licensing process.

“It’s now time to move from recommendation to action. We need the REMEL recommendations and principles embedded into the very fabric of the licensing system to create a truly thriving nightlife. When licensing decisions are shaped by racial bias and overpolicing in music events, it suffocates creativity, stifles entrepreneurship and blocks economic opportunity.”

Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE, added that the report “sets out all too clearly the long-term barriers and challenges faced by Black and South Asian people in London’s live music industry”.

“It highlights how a skewed perception of risk leads to over policing and inconsistent and disproportionate licensing decisions and evidences the personal and economic cost that follows,” he continued.

“As LIVE we were honoured to offer our support throughout the REMEL process. And as LIVE Trust, we are supporting positive action to tackle the challenges identified via Black Lives in Music’s LIVE Pathways, a 12-month pilot that addresses inequality of opportunity for people coming through the live music pipeline.

“That commitment to positive action needs to be adopted by all partners in this project and every organisation and institution that can have an impact.”

Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust (MVT), commented: “This is the most important piece of research on barriers to culture that the live music sector has been handed in years, and everybody working in it should read the whole thing rather than the summary.

“The evidence is careful, it is substantial, and it asks all of us who make decisions about licensing, programming and funding to look honestly at our own part in it. Music Venue Trust will be responding to it in full, and we would encourage every venue, promoter, local authority and police force to do the same.”