London Music Licensing Routinely Flags Black-Led Events as High Risk, Report Finds

Black-led music events in London remain systematically suppressed by racial bias in local licensing and policing, according to a report commissioned by the Greater London Authority. The Race Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) report, conducted by Black Lives in Music and reported by BBC News - Entertainment & Arts, reveals that events centering hip-hop, drill, Afrobeats, R&B, and dancehall are routinely slapped with a "high risk" designation, while rock and indie bills clear council reviews without comparable friction. The findings confirm what promoters have argued for decades: scrapping the Metropolitan Police's notorious Form 696 in 2017 did not eliminate discriminatory enforcement; it merely made it informal. Researchers found institutional bias reproduced through discretionary protocols. Licensing decisions frequently hinge on unvetted "police intelligence"—which one interviewed licensing officer acknowledged can amount to mere "hearsay." Local councils and law enforcement use these assessments to force organizers to pay out-of-pocket for inflated private security or dedicated police details, creating an artificial financial wall. Black Lives in Music chief executive Charisse Beaumont noted that these barriers directly harm entrepreneurs and talent at the ground level. South Asian-led events face similar bureaucratic hurdles, though the report noted their footprints are often obscured by incomplete public data. In fact, researchers saw their own Freedom of Information requests largely stonewalled or denied during the study. The Met Police stated it will "carefully consider the report's findings," but polite consideration means nothing if the economic gatekeeping remains intact.