Over the course of a few years, it has become increasingly difficult for independent musicians to find places to practise their trade in Amsterdam. I have experienced it personally several times when Police have shut down regular performances in small cafés.
Now I can see a problem with 120dB(A) heavy metal bands or clueless amateurs busting their and their clients' ears with SPLs that are not adjusted according to size and location of the venue. What blows my mind is a situation where an acoustic band is playing without or with very little amplification and no percussion instruments with skin heads…
Almost every place, where our and other gigs have been terminated by the police, has been playing the music off the jukebox at much louder levels than us. What makes this paradox even more twisted is that within the city of Amsterdam we can legally play outside the café from 10:00 to 24:00 but not inside from, for example 16:00 to 18:00 !
If the cafés are allowed to play mechanized music, provided it is below a certain SPL (loudness), enforced by limiters, I don't see any reason why this should not be the case with live music. Currently licenses for live music for regular cafés are only available for "special" days (and only 3 nights per year), and with extortionate administration fees.
There used to be a time when one could trust on common sense being applied by the authorities in situations where clearly no harm was done. This friendly atmosphere which used to be almost a trade mark for the city is now gone. What is left is a greedy system where things like prostitution and drugs are tolerated for economical, not ethical reasons, but culture, especially the non-institutionalized kind with no euro figures attached to its products, being considered a nuisance.
Dear colleagues: Being tired of only performing for pissed drunk and stoned tourists at ridiculously late hours in "the zones?" Ask yourself a question: is there an alternative? A living city is supposed to be vibrant outside of the amusement parks as well. Please contact me if you're interested in trying to do something about it.