Chicago music is in a bit of a pickle. On May 7th, the Chicago City Council committee approved a plan to implement an ordinance that would require all venues with less than 500 fixed seats (read: 99% of venues) that host events to register with the city for an Event Promoter license. The cost associated with purchase of the license could cost establishments as much as $2,000 every two years. It would also require businesses to purchase liability insurance in the amount of $300,000–and that’s just the beginning of the regulation. The ordinance would also demand that event promoters be over the age of 21, submit to fingerprints and notify police seven days in advance of any event. Further, the definition of “event promoter” is so ambiguous that it puts at risk many more than simply the venue staff that could be subject to fines and penalties.
The cost incurred in paying these fees could serve as a pretty formidable obstacle for small venues and compromise the creative communities that they are centers for. Instead of supporting independent artists and local businesses, Chicago city government is on the cusp of making a decision that could effectively nullify the validity of Chicago’s music scene, fracture its creative communities and send young artists to other cities that welcome local music events.
If you live in or around Chicago, have lived there or simply understand the importance of preserving this city’s cultural richness, you can act. Send an email or make a phone call to a Chicago Alderman by clicking here or, at the very least, go to the Save Chicago Culture blog and leave a comment that will be submitted at the City Council meeting tomorrow–Wednesday, May 14–when they vote on the ordinance. Thanks for your support!
UPDATE: Thankfully, due to a “nearly unprecedented outpouring of concern,” according to Jim DeRogatis’s Sun-Times blog, the committee has scrapped their plans and are taking it all back to the drawing board. So Chicago is safe, for the time being at least. Thanks for listening, City Council!