Save Live Music!

(Please see the update below.)

I know you're probably all fans of live music and events, like us. That's why we need to stop crap like this.

I'm not sure if you've heard about this or not (I just found out about it today), but the Chicago City Council is attempting to pass a bad bad law - the "Promoter's Ordinance." What this would do is it would require anyone trying to put on a live music, art, theatre, comedy, etc. event (either local or from out of town) to have a license from the city of Chicago and purchase liability insurance of $300,000 for each event. From the Save Chicago Culture website, here are some further details:

• "The definition of "event promoter" is so loosely defined it could apply to a band that books its own shows or a theater company that's in town for a one-week run.
• "Event Promoter" must be licensed and will pay $500 - $2000 depending on expected audience size.
• To get the license, applicant must be over 21, get fingerprinted, submit to a background check, and jump over several other hurdles.
• This ordinance seems targeted towards smaller venues, since those with 500+ permanent seats are exempt.
• Police must be notified at least 7 days in advance of event."

As you can see, it would be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, for anyone other than the largest venues to put on shows of any kind - and the large venue "promoters" don't even have to do these things. Of course, it is very likely that we would be unable to continue to put on the ears&eyes Festival or, possibly, any live music shows at all, depending on how strictly they enforce it.

Other venues small enough to be affected by this would be the Empty Bottle, the Hungry Brain, Schuba's, the Metro, Martyrs', Double Door, the Vic, Park West, Uncommon Ground, and the Hideout among many many others.

Jim DeRogatis has more, including the text of the entire proposal on his blog:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2008/05/background_reading_on_the_prom_1.html
http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2008/05/the_promoters_ordinance_the_vi.html

This ordinance has passed out of committee and is scheduled for a vote THIS Wednesday, May 14. There has been very little press about this and not much time for public comment so we all need to act NOW and make our views known.

Please add your comment/signature to this petition site and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE contact your alderman (you can find alderman contact information here) and let them know that you want to preserve culture in Chicago so you're opposed to this ordinance.

Thanks again for being supportive of independent artists and the local live music scene. Let's hope it doesn't go away!

Save live music!

UPDATE: The ordinance will not come up for a vote on Wed., May 14 after all. It has been pulled for further research and reworking. Although this may seem like a victory at first, please read Jim DeRogatis' article in the SunTimes carefully. This proposal WILL go before the entire council at some point and it's clear that many aldermen feel that some amount of regulation is necessary. Let's hope enough changes are made so it becomes a viable solution for all of us. Please continue to write your alderman and voice your opinions to preserve the rights of independent artists Thank you!!!