Our Mission
The Seattle Nightlife and Music Association (SNMA) is a coalition of music, night club, and bar interests formed to educate elected officials, civic and community leaders, and the media on the serious issues facing the music and nightlife industry in Seattle.

Action Agenda
  • Provide our customers a safe and vibrant nightlife.
  • Protect music venue, bar, and club owner's rights.
  • Respond to proposals which impact our industry.
  • Support our local communities.
  • Promote responsible music venue, bar, and club management.

 
News
Archives 

Show All

  • 2009
  • 2008
    • October
      • SEATTLE NMA SEES ADMISSIONS TAX PROPOSAL AS KEY TO “CITY OF MUSIC”
        10/30/08
        The Seattle Nightlife and Music Association (SNMA) today praised Mayor Greg Nickels’ unveiling of Seattle City of Music, a long-term strategy to make Seattle a haven for musicians and music-related businesses in the coming decade.

        SNMA also praised the Mayor’s support of a proposal to rep

    • February
      • SeattleNMA Annual Reorganization Meeting
        02/01/08
        Wednesday, February 13, 2008
        2 PM
        Spitfire -- www.spitfireseattle.com
        2219 Fourth Avenue

        SeattleNMA will be holding our annual reorganization meeting at Spitfire on February 13, 2008 at 2pm. The purpose of the meeting is to expand the SNMA board and adopt our 2008 work pl

  • 2007
    • December
      • SeattleNMA Update
        12/13/07
        Council Approves Creation of Nightlife Advisory Board
        The City Council formally approved the creation of a Nightlife Advisory Board this past week. The purpose of the board is to advise the City Council regarding policy issues related to the City's promotion, development and sustainability

    • November
      • SeattleNMA Update
        11/21/07
        The city is moving forward on a number of nightlife related legislation and rules. A quick summary of them is below and we are working on our detailed analysis. Should you have specific questions or comments, please email rachel@seattlenma.org.

        Council to Move Forward on Nightlife Advisor

    • September
      • City Council to Vote on Nightlife Legislation Monday!
        09/14/07
        The Seattle City Council is expected to vote on a proposed licensing scheme for nightlife establishments Monday afternoon. Public Comment will be taken on the proposal beginning at 2 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall. If you would like to provide comment, please arrive early in order to sign

    • August
      • Action Alert! Council to vote on nightlife rules on Monday, August 13th
        08/09/07
        Council to vote on nightlife rules on Monday, August 13th
        Mayor’s license proposal still alive

        Voice your opinion to the City Council!

        Last Thursday, the City Council’s Neighborhoods and Economic Development committee passed a reasonable package of new nightlife rules whic

    • July
      • SeattleNMA Update
        07/20/07
        Mayor Names Problem Clubs – uses erroneous data
        Mayor’s Nickels continued his all out assault for a new nightclub license this week when he released a list of the most “problematic” clubs on Tuesday. The list, compiled from the city’s still untested LiquorStat database purports that several clu

    • June
      • Council review of Mayor’s proposal delayed
        06/13/07
        Last Monday’s packed hearing on the Mayor’s Nightlife proposal seems to have gotten the attention of a few councilmembers, causing them to slow down the process and consider significant modifications to the proposal unveiled by Councilmember Clark the previous week. Prior to Monday’s hearing, the c

      • Monday's City Council Hearing
        06/06/07
        Thanks to everyone who showed up Monday at the City Council hearing on the Mayor's nightlife legislation. We had a great turnout and there were many thoughtful comments directed at the City Council. The testimony from our industry has already had an impact on the direction of the legislation,

      • You Really Need to Pay Attention to This!
        06/01/07
        Yesterday City Councilmember’s Clark and Drago issued a press release and briefing paper outlining a series of proposals in response to the Mayor’s proposed nightlife regulations. The press release is available at http://seattlenma.org/downloads/clark_release and the briefing paper at http://seatt

    • May
      • Mayor’ Nightlife Proposal Update
        05/07/07
        The City Council’s Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee met last week to again review the Mayor’s Nightlife Premises Ordinance. While the focus of the briefing was on zoning issues related to “drinking establishments” in the NC zones, there were a few encouraging surprises. Councilmemb

    • April
      • Mayor's Nightlife Proposal
        04/11/07
        SeattleNMA briefed the City Council’s Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee last Thursday on our position regarding the Mayor’s proposal and provided alternative approaches to deal with public safety, noise and litter issues. Our message is the city should do a better job of enforcing ex

      • General Membership Meeting Rescheduled to April 17th!
        04/08/07
        Important Update! SeattleNMA General Membership Meeting rescheduled to April 17th. Please join us on the 17th at 2:00 p.m. for more information on SeattleNMA, the Mayor's proposed nightlife ordinance, SeattleNMA's upcoming city-wide promotion, and other important issues that effect the nig

    • March
      • Mayor's Nightlife Proposal
        03/13/07
        Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark’s Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee has scheduled another briefing of the Mayor’s proposal for this Thursday, March 15 at 6 PM at the Miller Park Community Center, 330 19th Avenue East. Public comment will be taken a the beginning of the meeting

      • Sprinkler Legislation
        03/13/07
        Sprinkler Bill House Bill 1811, which extends the mandatory deadline for installation of sprinkler systems in night clubs passed the State House of Representatives on Saturday, March 10. It has now been referred to the Senate’s Commerce and Labor Committee for consideration. We continue to aggress

      • Wine, Beer, Spirits Nightlife License
        03/13/07
        Senate Bill 5859 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007 which would have created a new wine, spirits, beer and nightlife premises license passed the Senate last night, however, the bill has been substantially rewritten and no longer provides for the creation of such a new license. Rather it appe

    • February
      • Sprinkler Legislation Update
        02/26/07
        On March 1 at 10 AM in Olympia, the House Finance Committee will be holding a public hearing HB 1811, the Sprinkler Bill which gives a two year extension for compliance and provides a small tax break for business owners who are required to install the systems. We want to thank all those club owners

      • Mayor's Nightlife Premises Ordinance Update
        02/26/07
        The Mayor’s proposed Nightlife Premises License is scheduled for its first legislative briefing by the Mayor’s office at the City Council’s Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee Thursday March, 1 at 9:30 AM. The briefing will take place in the second-floor council chambers at City Hall (6

      • "Wine Beer and Spirits Nightlife License" Legislation Scheduled for Committee Hearing
        02/07/07
        The Washington State Liquor Control Board's legislation creating a new "Wine Beer and Spirits Nightlife License" will get its first hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Development. This committee, chaired by Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, will hold

      • "Wine, Beer and Spirits Nightlife License" Legislation Introduced in Olympia
        02/07/07
        Legislation sponsored by the Washington State Liquor Control Board to create a new class of liquor license has been introduced in Olympia. This legislation also removed the mandated caps on the number of liquor licenses the state can issue. See the post below dated January 31st for more informatio

      • Sprinkler Legislation Suggested Talking Points
        02/06/07
        For those subjet to sprinkler legislation that are not able to make today's 2:00 briefing at the Little Red Hen (see post below), we've posted suggsted talking points here for your review.

        http://seattlenma.org/downloads/Sprinkl


      • Sprinkler Legislation
        02/05/07
        The Sprinkler Bill (HB 1811) is scheduled for a hearing in the House’s Local Government Committee this Friday, Feb. 9 at 1:30 PM. We need people to turnout and/or contact their legislator in support of the bill.

        We have scheduled a pre-hearing meeting for this Tuesday, Feb 6 at 2 PM at

    • January
      • WSLCB Proposed Legislation
        01/31/07
        SeattleNMA has been very successful over the past month working with the Washington State Liquor Control Board to craft a new nightlife liquor license proposal which will help modernize the industry. This new proposal will protect our city’s music community and provide important safeguards for loca

      • Get Involved - Help Keep Seattle's Nightlife Safe and Vibrant
        01/31/07


        Get On The List to stay in touch with how you can help protect Seattle's vibrant nightlife and music scene!

      • Sprinkler Update
        01/29/07
        Legislation has been introduced in Olympia to modify the current law. HB 1811 sponsored by Representatives Simpson and Pedersen amends the current state statute regarding requiring nightclub to have sprinklers. Here's the link to the bill: http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007

      • Smoking Ban
        01/25/07
        The latest edition of The Weekly has an excellent piece on the impacts of Washington's smoking ban. Here's the link: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0704/butts.php

        Clearly the 25 foot rule is having major impacts on litter in the city. A solution to this problem may be to e

      • Action Needed – the City Council needs to hear from the nightlife community!
        01/24/07
        The City Council needs to hear from the nightlife community regarding our opposition to the proposed nightlife premises ordinance. SeattleNMA is hoping you will get involved today. Neighborhood activists are organizing an email campaign as we speak – the City Council must hear from our industry as

      • SeattleNMA Analysis of Mayor's Proposed Nightlife Ordinance
        01/12/07
        Today SeattleNMA sent correspondence to the Seattle City Council with analysis and comment on the Mayor's proposed nightlife ordinance.

        To view the letter to Council President Licata, please visit: http://seattlenma.org/downloads/SNMA_Licata_Letter.pdf

        To view the analysis

      • Sprinkler Legislation Update
        01/10/07
        This past Friday the State Building Code Council reviewed a draft bill amending the current sprinkler law. The new draft does two things: 1) it extends the date for nightclubs to install sprinklers from December 2007 to December 2009; and 2) it changes the definition of a nightclub. The new draft

      • Legislature to Propose Security Checks for "Bouncers"
        01/08/07
        A draft bill is being circulated which would create a new statutory definition of a “bouncer.” The purported purpose of this bill would be to require businesses who employ “bouncers” for crowd control to conduct background checks on potential applicants prior to hiring them, essentially placing door

  • 2006
    • December
      • Liquor Board releases draft Nightclub License legislation
        12/22/06
        The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSCLB) intends to seek approval from the State Legislature of this new bill that would require a “nightclub” to obtain a special license from the state. You can find the legislation by visiting www.seattlenma.org/downloads/WSLCB_proposed_legislation.pdf. Wh

      • Liquor Control Board Proposal for a Statewide Nightclub License
        12/15/06
        The Washington State Liquor Control Board is proposing the creation of a new Nightclub License. This is in addition to what the mayor is proposing and would require applicants to develop an operating plan for their establishments. SeattleNMA has yet to receive a copy of the proposed legislation, th

      • Sprinkler Update
        12/15/06
        Rep. Geoff Simpson convened an ad-hoc task force meeting regarding potential modifications to state night club sprinkler requirements. Representatives from the State Fire Marshall’s office, Building Codes, the sprinkler industry, Washington Restaurant Association (WRA) and, SeattleNMA participated

      • Membership Meeting - December 7th
        12/02/06
        The next membership meeting of SeattleNMA will be held on Thursday, December 7th at 3:00 p.m. It will be held at Ohana, located at 2201 – 1st Ave. in Belltown. This is an opportunity for you to receive a thorough briefing on the mayor’s ordinance and participate in planning the strategy for the ne

      • Nightlife Premises License Ordinance Talking Points & SeattleNMA Areas of Concern
        12/02/06
        Many have requested talking points regarding the Mayor's Nightlife Premises License Ordinance. We have posted those here at http://www.seattlenma.org/downloads/SNM

        The full text of the ordinance and related materials produced by the City can be found at the following links:
        Nig

      • Sprinkler Update
        12/02/06
        The State of Washington has established a task force to review the recently adopted state sprinkler requirements. The goal of the task force is to recommend modifications to the existing law for consideration by the state legislature when they convene in January. Amongst issues due to be considere

    • November
      • Mayor Nickels Transmits Nightlife Ordinance
        11/29/06
        Today Mayor Nickels held a press conference announcing the transmittal of the nightclub ordinance to the City Council. Copies of the Mayor's press release, fact sheet and final ordinance can be found here by clicking on the links.

        SeattleNMA has not yet reviewed the final proposed or

      • SeattleNMA Legislative Agenda
        11/16/06
        Thanks to everyone who attended Tuesday's legislative reception. The event was a success and a good step in educating elected officials in the area on the important issues facing our industry.

        Below is SeattleNMA's 2007 legislative agenda. We hope you will share this with yo

      • Reminder - SeattleNMA Legislative Reception is Tomorrow!
        11/13/06
        Don't forget to attend tomorrow's legislative reception sponsored by SeattleNMA. We're expecting many elected and officials from state and local governments and hope you will attend as well. This is a chance to meet directly with policy makers who affect our industry. Please plan t

      • Mayor's Proposed Ordinance & Task Force Meeting
        11/02/06
        The Mayor’s Nightlife Task Force met for the final time on Monday to review the Mayor’s latest proposal regulating bars, nightclubs and taverns. We have posted the ordinance on the website below and strongly encourage you to read as it could have a significant impact on your business.

        Th

    • October
      • Mayor releases new nightlife proposal
        10/27/06
        The Mayor's office Thursday released the latest version of their proposal
        for establishing new rules and regulations on nightclubs, bars and taverns.

        We have posted the draft on the website and encourage you to review the
        proposal as it may or may not affect you.

      • Seattle City Council Hearing Wed, Oct 11
        10/13/06
        Seattle City Council is holding a hearing on Wednesday, October 11th to take public comment on the City’s 2007 Budget.

        SeattleNMA has been a strong advocate for more police officers, particularly to patrol in neighborhoods with active nightlife to better ensure our patrons and local resi

      • Mayor proposes revisions to draft nightclub ordinance
        10/05/06
        In a meeting with high ranking city officials yesterday, SeattleNMA was provided a glimpse of the revisions to the Mayor’s draft nightclub
        ordinance.

        While some of the revisions appear to respond to issues SeattleNMA has raised – it is still unclear as to the overall impact this new

    • September
      • Seattle NMA Update
        09/22/06
        Over 80 people representing nightclubs, bars, restaurants, musicians and promoters attended the September 14 General Membership meeting of
        SeattleNMA. If you were unable to attend, we are forwarding the minutes from the meeting for your review. Please feel free to send them on to anyone you f