Hamptons Police Issue New Live Music Rules
Citing a deluge of complaints involving loud live music in Hamptons nightclubs and restaurants, officials this week issued a statement announcing new rules pertaining to the issuing of permits for live music.
From the statement: “Under these new rules, not only must bands keep the volume at or below the decibel level specified, but they must also adhere to certain quality controls, including but not limited to the following: Guitar solos should be short and have a musical point; original songs should be favored over covers, but only if the original songs in question are reasonably good; Jimmy Buffett songs should be played only when Jimmy Buffett is on the stage; bands featuring a preponderance of middle-aged men in their ranks are required to have at least one female member; all bands must commit to playing ONLY ONE of the songs from the official list of ‘controlled covers’ on any given evening (this list includes “Brown-Eyed Girl,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Little Wing”—visit police headquarters for the complete list).”
To enforce the quality control rules, Hamptons Police announced the formation of a 20-member music quality task force, and they are hiring music theorists and musicologists to come up with specific criteria for judging the quality of bands being considered for permits and to implement the new rules.