The Stone Temple Co-Pilots perform on April 4, 2014, at Pauly's Hotel in Albany. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union Archive)

If ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo can’t find anything to do in Albany, it’s in no small part due to Albany’s draconian 2012 Cabaret License Law. Passed on the heels of a shooting at the Plastic nightclub on North Pearl, it was a rushed and misguided attempt to control nightlife and quell violence in Albany. Instead, it shackled the vitality of the local music scene.

When first proposed, the city said the purpose of the law was to streamline the way a venue obtains approval to offer live or amplified music. Previously, that right “ran with the land”: Once permission was granted by the Zoning Board, it couldn’t be taken away, even if ownership of the venue was transferred. To combat “bad actors,” Albany had to appeal to the State Liquor Authority for suspension of a venue’s liquor license.

Under current law, a venue has to apply annually for a cabaret license. The license must be approved by, to quote the City Code, “the Planning Department, Albany Police Department, Albany Fire Department, Division of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance, Law Department, all Common Council members and the Business Improvement District and neighborhood association in whose area the property is located, if such an entity exists.” All these entities must approve or a license cannot be granted.

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Imagine having to satisfy the tastes or biases of seven entities and all the members of the Common Council to earn a license. And the law grants the city clerk the power to suspend or revoke the license at any time.

Even though Albany has a separate noise ordinance, the annual application renewals must consider such complaints made to the police. How many calls from neighborhood “Karens” does it take before a license is denied? And what if those calls only masquerade as noise complaints but are really about the race of a venue’s patrons?

Cabaret laws are bad for business. How can a new venue model a business plan around music if: there is no guarantee it can get a license, or there’s a chance that a license will be suspended or revoked on a whim? Even though a suspension can be appealed, how much money does a business lose navigating an uncertain appeal process? How can an existing music venue that wishes to sell place a value on its business if it can’t guarantee to a prospective buyer that they will be able to offer similar entertainment?

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The Cabaret License Law has stifled creativity and suppressed music, and it has hurt business. Albany will be a much more vibrant city without one. New York City repealed its Cabaret Law. It’s time for Albany to do the same.

Jay Ginsburg is a Capital Region DJ.