Solution: City license once needed to work in an establishment serving alcohol - NYT Crossword

One of the many punitive measures taken to control artists and musicians in the United States was the CABARET CARD, something that everyone working in a bar or nightclub, anywhere that served liquor in New York City, had to carry — from bassist to busboy. The card could be swiped at the least infraction and negatively affected the careers of many jazz artists, including Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Billie Holiday (and doubtless ruined the careers of many we’ve subsequently never heard of). The card, which was scuttled in 1967, went hand in hand with the cabaret license that every establishment needed to legally allow dancing, which survived until less than a year ago.