NYC Proposes Nightlife License

Brick by brick, note by note, we are losing our city

First they tell us we can’t dance. Then they tell us we can’t smoke. Now they want to tell us when to go to bed. City Consumer Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra and other officials in NYC are now actually proposing a 1:00 closing time for venues with loud music unless they pay for a special license.


Brick by brick, note by note, we are losing our city

Much thanks to Rob Sacher of the Luna Lounge for bringing this to my attention.

First they tell us we can’t dance. Then they tell us we can’t smoke. Now they want to tell us when to go to bed.

City Consumer Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra and other officials in NYC are now actually proposing a 1:00 closing time for venues with loud music unless they pay for a special license. This is the latest in a string of moves aimed at killing the city’s nightlife. While this could conceivable hurt all nightclubs, it will be especially devastating to small live music venues that expose the world to new music.

You may recall that not to long ago, the city of Hoboken, NJ tried a similar thing by calling for a 1:00 closing time regardless of whether or not there was loud music. However, it a sudden revelation (due to lost revenue) the city realized their error and reversed the decision. A compromise was met to allow bars and clubs to remain open until 3:00, but not allow new patrons to enter after 2:00.

Unfortunately, NYC officials tend to leap headfirst into bad decisions and stay there out of pride or greed or stupidity or whatever. Since 9-11, we have lost jobs, businesses have left, the economy is poor to say the least and for some odd reason, they are attacking the one thing that consistently brings much needed money to the area. The nightlife!

No Dancing! The Cabaret laws have proven to be disastrous for many business owners who were forced to close due to the expense of keeping up with the law. These are the famous regulations requiring an establishment to pay a fee in order to allow dancing. Those who can’t afford to pay the needed “bribe” money face the chance of getting summonsed because someone bops or sways a little too much.

No Smoking! Then came the “we know what’s best for you” smoking ban. That one didn’t even give the option of a license. If someone smokes in your bar, you get fined or shut down. So maybe this will help people cut down smoking, but it has also cut down on a lot of folks gigging as well. Unless of course they gig in Hoboken or Jersey City where, in an ironic twist, many New Yorkers are now going to party on the weekends.

So now we have the ‘Nightlife License‘ to deal with. It is expensive enough to run a business in NYC, now they want folks to pay even more?

My fear is that, in the city’s quest to become the next Disneyland, we will end up in ruins. Both financially and culturally. Remember, the people who make these laws don’t actually go to the clubs, work in the bars or scrape to make $50 and a beer playing a gig. They just want to line their dirty pockets a little more in the name of what they feel is “right”. I say enough is enough!!

NY Post January 30, 2004: Bar and nightclub owners are in an uproar over a proposal that would require a “nightlife license” to stay open after 1 a.m.

City Consumer Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra is pushing a plan that would require a special two-year license for any nightspot with a capacity of 75 or more where the music would be 90 decibels or higher. A place would be padlocked for up to 10 days after three noise or other license violations, and would have its license revoked if it was “indicted” for any two of the following: homicide, assault, rape or attempted rape,weapons possession, unlicensed sale of liquor, sale of liquor to minors, overcapacity, disabled sprinkler systems or two Consumer Affairs padlocks.

Nightspots would also be slapped with violations for failing to sweep the sidewalk and 18 inches of adjacent street by 6 a.m. the next morning.

David Rabin, president of the New York Nightlife Assn. and co-owner of Lotus, says Dykstra’s plan would let the city effectively shut bars and nightclubs down at 1 a.m. “This bill will end up closing New York at 1 a.m.,” Rabin warned. “It’s no longer going to be the city that never sleeps.

We’re united on this – everyone from the little bars to the biggest nightclubs. The best-run bar in the entire universe could not stay open under the conditions in this proposal.”

Take Action: Please take a moment and go to the link below and send Gretchen Dykstra a message (150 words or less) in regard to this issue: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildca.html

Note that you may need to reconfigure your firewall to send a message. They give instructions here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/access_denied.html

Forward this to everyone in you address book

Let’s take our city back!

FYI – Here is what I sent to her:
First you tell us we can’t dance. Then you tell us we can’t smoke. Now you want to tell us when to go to bed? Please reconsider the newly proposed Nightlife License. As an independent musician and promoter, I can tell you that it is hard enough to get exposure in this city. Your new proposal will all but kill the chances for success of numerous independent musicians. As for the venues where we would play, many would need to close early, thereby losing much needed business. Others would be forced to close completely simply because they cannot afford to keep paying for these licenses. In these hard financial times since 9-11, we need to nurture the city’s culture not stifle it. Like it or not, a very large part of that culture is the live music your actions would be shutting down. Thank you for your time.


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