A vote was held by the Live Musik Kommission
Berlin is currently considering changing the legal name status of nightclubs to ‘cultural institutions’ to protect certain clubs in the city and to open up new ones. Previously, Berlin classified their nightclubs as ‘entertainment venues’ in order to protect certain venues from gentrification. Now, Berlin will be looking to perform a similar change but instead of labeling its nightclubs as ‘entertainment venues,’ they will now be referred to as ‘cultural institutions.’
It is being reported that the Live Musik Kommission reached an almost unanimous vote in favor of changing Berlin’s entertainment venues to cultural sites. The idea of naming Berlin’s nightclubs as cultural institutions instead of entertainment sites has taken over a year of work. The venues that are selected will “benefit from tax breaks, be protected from displacement, and be permitted to operate in more parts of the city.” Pamela Schobeß, a member of the Berlin Club Commission, publicly expressed her gratitude as a result of the name change consideration,
“We would like to thank the members of the Parliamentary Forum in particular for their commitment and perseverance in this matter. With today’s decision, the Bundestag is sending a strong and long overdue signal to the republic. Music clubs are cultural institutions that shape the identity of city districts as an integral part of cultural and economic life. Now, an outdated law is to be adapted to reality. This helps to keep cities and neighborhoods alive and liveable and to protect cultural places from displacement.”
The final decision whether or not live venues in Berlin will be changed from entertainment sites to cultural sites will be made Friday, May 7.
Feature Photo – Antoine Julien
Source – RA
