Music ban for Queen Anne
Maidstone’s only gay and lesbian pub has been banned from playing music and ordered to pay more than £1,600 in legal costs after operating without the correct licence.
The Queen Anne must become a music-free zone after playing copyrighted music without a valid permit from music royalties collectors Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL).
Mr Justice Norris ruled in favour of PPL at London’s High Court after hearing how an inspector visited the Queen Anne Road premises in July and heard tracks including Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun) by Cyndi Lauper, Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Ritchie and Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Babe by Barry White.
Caladium Ltd, which runs the premises but was not represented at the hearing, will now have to cease playing music until its licence has been brought up to date. The company has also been hit with a legal bill for £1,661.
Failure to obey the order will be regarded as contempt of court, the penalties for which can be fines of up to £10,000 and up to six months’ prison for any individuals responsible.
The management of the Queen Anne pub were unavailable for comment.
Ashton Chantrielle representing PPL said solicitors had informed the company that playing music in public without a licence or permission constitutes infringement of copyright.
In order to play copyrighted music, clubs must get a licence from PPL who own the rights to the majority of chart hits.
Nazneen Nawaz, a spokesman for PPL, said payments are then distributed between artists once the company’s running costs are deducted.