The performers are backing a proposal to simplify and to update rules regarding live music.
The effort comes after a small cafe in town was recently fined $2,200 for allowing a folk singer to perform.
"We're really trying to modernize it, clean it up, make it easier for small cafes to not be faced with numerous requirements and for businesses that are real nightclubs, to really lay out for them, their own requirements," said Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan.
Kaplan said the current law is so old that it actually refers to vaudeville. She says the changes will help continue to fuel downtown Oakland's revival as a destination for live entertainment.
