Illicit rehearsing.. UPDATED WITH MU GUIDANCE

[Bassfinger]

3 hours ago, Jakester said:

The MU suggest that recording sessions can continue - be interesting to see their reasoning there. 

Ah, the MU.  The World famous solicitors and legal experts. Not.

[Jakester]

24 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

Ah, the MU.  The World famous solicitors and legal experts. Not.

Well, they have a legal team which will have considered the regs and formulated the guidance...

[mep]

3 hours ago, chris_b said:

Our band leader came up with the logic that we were being paid for the gig so it was work and we could carry on rehearsing in his shed/studio. The rest of us weren't so sure. Since the gig's been cancelled we have opted for a lay-off until the end of lockdown. It'll be a great gig when it happens, and the rehearsals were fun, just not now.

The lockdown guidelines state you can't meet up with anyone else from another household inside or outside, unless it's in an outdoor public space. So unless you all live together at your BL's house (what a thought!) then it's a no. Sounds like another example of someone interpreting the guidelines to suit their own purpose. You have all done the right thing.

[machinehead]

We're rehearsing in a studio owned by a band member and have been doing so all along.  Make of that what you will.  The government has lost what little trust and respect I had for them with their misleading and dishonest information.

So we're just following the practical lead given by government and health professionals who ignore their own regulations. 😉

 

Frank.

 

[mep]

8 hours ago, machinehead said:

We're rehearsing in a studio owned by a band member and have been doing so all along.  Make of that what you will.  The government has lost what little trust and respect I had for them with their misleading and dishonest information.

So we're just following the practical lead given by government and health professionals who ignore their own regulations. 😉

 

Frank.

 

That was ok, based on the rule of 6, before lockdown, but no longer valid under lockdown. Ultimately it's your choice, but .........

[Machines]

I've been with a new band since August and rehearsed every week so far. They want to continue next week, with the studio having the same point of view as above - if you are 'musicians' practising for a recording or gig in the future, it's all OK. That said, we're very much not going to be doing paid gigs or releasing albums that I can ever see.

I'm on the fence as to if it is legal, or worth the potential ballache should anything pop up.

[chris_b]

17 hours ago, machinehead said:

We're rehearsing in a studio owned by a band member and have been doing so all along.  Make of that what you will.  The government has lost what little trust and respect I had for them with their misleading and dishonest information.

So we're just following the practical lead given by government and health professionals who ignore their own regulations.

The "Cummings broke the law so I can too" defence didn't stand up in the first lockdown and I doubt similar positions won't  will this time either.

 

PS Edit to sort out bad grammar!!!!

Edited November 6, 2020 by chris_b

[PatrickJ]

The wording of the goverment restrictions is pretty loose - there's plenty of loop holes that can easily be exploited.

The intent of the lock down is to slow the infection rate of a potentially fatal virus whilst balancing that with the need to keep the economy going.

It's a choice we all have to make regarding our personal principles and if we support that intent and abide by the spirit of the current restrictions or look for ways to work around them. 

I'm fortunate in that music does not represent any income to me and I can work from home full time.  Music is purely a leisure activity and so another month of staying home and collaborating remotely is no big deal.   I can see why those who heavily rely on the income of gigging would have a very different view and it appears many studios are staying open to support those in that position.

Edited November 6, 2020 by PatrickJ

[mep]

We are bass players and supposed to be the sensible ones in the band. The guidance is clear, you can't meet with anyone outside your household, especially indoors. We are, for the most part, weekend warriors. Just give it a break and forget practicing until restrictions are lifted. Be sensible and Stay Safe.

[Basinski]

19 hours ago, Bassfinger said:

Ah, the MU.  The World famous solicitors and legal experts. Not.

They have a very good legal advice team, their service is free to members. It’s a service I was very glad to make use of a few years ago. Your experience might of course have been different, but I found them to be incredibly helpful.

[Jakester]

Just to update this further, I've heard back from the regional MU office, which has said that they are taking Reg 17(6)(b) as including rehearsal studios, so provided you fall within the category of professional or semi-professional and are rehearsing for actual or prospective work, the MU says you can still rehearse. 

So not illicit at all now then. I need to change the thread title...

Edited November 6, 2020 by Jakester

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

The interpretation around these parts is that unless you get paid to attend rehearsals, which probably excludes most of us here, then you shouldn’t be doing it. 

[Jakester]

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

The interpretation around these parts is that unless you get paid to attend rehearsals, which probably excludes most of us here, then you shouldn’t be doing it. 

Well, the MU guidance is anyone in a  “working” band – defined as "both professionals and part-time professionals, provided they are meeting with the purpose of rehearsing towards potential or actual paid engagements".

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

23 minutes ago, Jakester said:

Well, the MU guidance is anyone in a  “working” band – defined as "both professionals and part-time professionals, provided they are meeting with the purpose of rehearsing towards potential or actual paid engagements".

I don't much care what the MU says, it's not in the spirit of not meeting persons from other households indoors. Local rehearsal space owners seem to be of the same opinion. This quote from one of them makes perfect sense to me....

"We know a lot of our customers are professional musicians, but unless you are actually paid to come to rehearsal, then the announcement is very misleading. We cannot stay open for one or two bands as most people will be locking down. The financial support is there if we close - if we open, we have to survive on our own and we won't last long on three booked sessions a week. The rules are clear - no meeting of any other households indoors. This applies to us and we aren't prepared to risk an outbreak on our premises during lockdown. We also can't risk a £10,000 fine over what is a very grey area - different studios are reading and hearing what suits. We are, once again, being cautious and trying to remain safe as well as making sure we have a business to come back to."

[Jakester]

10 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I don't much care what the MU says, it's not in the spirit of not meeting persons from other households indoors. Local rehearsal space owners seem to be of the same opinion. This quote from one of them makes perfect sense to me....

"We know a lot of our customers are professional musicians, but unless you are actually paid to come to rehearsal, then the announcement is very misleading. We cannot stay open for one or two bands as most people will be locking down. The financial support is there if we close - if we open, we have to survive on our own and we won't last long on three booked sessions a week. The rules are clear - no meeting of any other households indoors. This applies to us and we aren't prepared to risk an outbreak on our premises during lockdown. We also can't risk a £10,000 fine over what is a very grey area - different studios are reading and hearing what suits. We are, once again, being cautious and trying to remain safe as well as making sure we have a business to come back to."

And that’s fine - you’re obviously entitled to your own opinion. However, for those professional musicians who earn their living solely from music  I’d have thought it would be a potential lifeline. There is nothing untoward in complying with the Regulations if the exemptions apply to ones’s particular personal circumstances.

[dave_bass5]

On 05/11/2020 at 13:10, jrixn1 said:

A professional band can rehearse, because it's their livelihood.  They cannot "work from home".

Exactly the info that our studio sent out. Still taking booking and all above board.

The culture secretary Oliver Dowden made the announcement yesterday. Mr Dowden said ""Arts venues are places of work, so people can come into them for work, if it cannot be undertaken from home. This includes rehearsals and performance. Audiences are not permitted."

Seeing as we don’t have fun, its all good.

Edited November 7, 2020 by dave_bass5

[machinehead]

11 hours ago, chris_b said:

The "Cummings broke the law so I can too" defence didn't stand up in the first lockdown and I doubt similar positions won't  will this time either.

 

PS Edit to sort out bad grammar!!!!

I live in Northern Ireland and the regulations and guidance are different here but still...I comply with wearing a muzzle where required and staying away from people I don't know.  I've always been an almost compulsive hand-washer anyway.

I'm totally disgusted with all four of the UK governments for their dishonesty over Covid-19.  The one-sided news reporting on the BBC et al, is nauseating.  All the scaremongering, no differing opinions reported, lies over cause of deaths, reporters not robustly challenging politicians and their preferred advisors.  I've had enough of it thanks. (A rare political post from me, perhaps the only one ever on basschat.  )

Frank.

Edited November 6, 2020 by machinehead

[machinehead]

16 hours ago, mep said:

That was ok, based on the rule of 6, before lockdown, but no longer valid under lockdown. Ultimately it's your choice, but .........

I live in a different part of the UK- Northern Ireland.  Although the regulations here are just as illogical here as they are in the rest of the UK.

Frank.