Au Revoir, Paris Nightlife

Paris, a city whose decadent nightlife was once the stuff of legend, is looking more like a museum these days: pretty, quiet, and closed at night. Gentrification of former party neighborhoods has brought an influx of residents unwilling to put up with noise; resulting noise ordinances have caused music venues to shut down, lose their licenses, and pay hefty fines. Urgent action is needed to save the city's nightlife, says a petition by the electronic music industry.

The City of Light is turning into the "European capital of sleep" according to the petitioners, who demand public funding for high-quality soundproofing, the Guardian reports. But soundproofing may be too little, too late to stop a drain of talent: Many French musicians and DJs have already decamped for Berlin or London.
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