By Keith Halladay
The Lexington Area Music Alliance was founded last year by a group of local business and cultural leaders with the mission of helping our region develop into a thriving musical center. LAMA hopes to accomplish this by “encouraging and supporting the production and performance of local music,” according the organization’s web site, located at lexmusic.org.
LAMA is, for now, focusing its efforts in two areas: rationalizing the city’s noise ordinance and relaxing restrictions that prevent underage music fans from attending, and underage musicians from performing, shows in venues that derive most of their revenues from alcohol sales.
To the first of these, the organization has already met with the Urban County Council Noise Ordinance Task Force and presented ways to modify the language of the existing ordinance to better accomodate local venues that showcase amplified music. As a number of local club owners know well, the current ordinance has resulted in certain venues receiving multiple citations for excessive noise, despite their good-faith efforts to comply. The proposed revisions would provide for warnings before citations and a more common-sensical approach to gauging whether a venue generating too much environmental noise.
According to Tom Martin, a member of LAMA’s Board of Directors, the meeting with the Ordinance Task Force went as well as LAMA members could have hoped; the Task Force was “engaged, thoughtful, and reasonable,” says Martin, who is hopeful that Lexington will soon adopt a much more music-friendly ordinance.
As of this writing the Task Force is still deliberating on the proposed changes, and should soon present its recommendations to the Urban County Council for approval.
Regarding underage performers, Kentucky State Representative Ruth Ann Palumbo sponsored this past legislative session House Bill 263, which would allow musicians of at least 18 years of age to perform in venues that are otherwise restricted to those 21 and over. The bill quickly made it through the House’s Licensing & Occupation Committee, and was passed by the full House as well, but the legislative session ended prior to the bill’s passage in the Kentucky Senate. Rep. Palumbo has stated she will reintroduce the bill at the start of the next session.
LAMA is also working in other areas, including event sponsorship, educational collaborations with UK and other area institutions, and expanding its network of like-minded organizations. LAMA is also actively seeking to increase its membership, which is currently free and provides access to the resources at lexmusic.org, including the lively discussions on its message board. If you’d like more information about LAMA, visit the web site and/or send an email to lexareamusicalliance@gmail.com.
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