THE owner of a top Kidderminster nightspot had to act quickly or face closure after failure to renew a licence led to a High Court music ban.

The playing of music was banned at Mirage after the court heard that songs had been played there without a licence.

Mr Justice Mann made the order on the Dixon Street club on October 21 until the company renewed its Phonographic Performance Ltd licence.

The company immediately paid up more than £3,000 for the licence to avoid having to close its doors.

Even opening as a music-free zone pending payment would have been treated as contempt of court.

Owner, Mashallah Ghattan, said he sorted the licence out straight away and the club had not lost any business.

"We have always paid for our licence for the 13 years we have been here and there was no question of not paying it but some letters we received and others we did not get - it was a breakdown of communications," he said.

He still has to pay court costs, however, of £1,400, resulting from the high court action in London.

A spokesman for Phonographic Performance Ltd, which looks after the copyright interests of recording labels and performers, said taking court action was always a last resort.

She confirmed that the licence had now been paid.