Trane Studio struggling for survival

The following note comes from the Trane Studio, the great small music club on Bathurst which is a great booster of music and art, focusing in particular on jazz plus African, Latin, world & urban musics.

It temporarily lost its liquor license last year, and has been fighting its way through a bureacratic mess to try to get it restored.  Everyone knows that the business of live entertainment means that small venues need liquor sales to make any profits.

Read their note below:

Dear Trane Studio family, friends and supporters,

It has been nearly 1 year (July 2010) since the venue re-applied for its liquor license (a process which usually takes eight weeks). The license was approved with conditions which have all been met, however due to bureaucratic miscommunications the license could now be delayed until July 2011. We have complied with all that has been required of us by the city, province and AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario). This has been an ongoing stress on the small business which has been operating at a deficit for over a year already.

We can all imagine how difficult any live music (let alone art and music) venue is to operate without a liquor license. Imagine Revival, Hughes Room, The Rex, The Rivoli, Dominion On Queen, The Old Mill, operating for nearly 12 months without a liquor license. The Trane Studio operates in the way of a non profit and has been operating in such spirit for years, supporting thousands of local and international artists, and will continue to do as long as we are able. We remain committed, despite the challenges, to the art, culture and cultural diversity in the City of Toronto.

It has been extremely difficult to operate without a regular liquor license in place, as you can imagine. We would like, if you will, that you kindly click on the link to our petition, read more and lend your community support.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/liquor-license-for-tranestudio/

Please read, sign and share this link with your friends and other supporters.

In the meantime, and until the license is reinstated please continue to show your support to The Trane Studio and our great local talents. We cannot at this time guarantee that there will be alcohol each evening that we are open. However, we can guarantee that the entertainment and menu will be great as usual and we will do our very best to keep you satisfied with great service. We will also do whatever we can to avoid interrupting the artistic programming at the venue. 

We will keep you informed and updated. Thank you again, and please do lend your continued support to the venue.

 From all at The Trane Studio