Proposed Chicago Promoters Ordinance Sets Out to Paralyze A Long, Vibrant Music Scene

May 13, 2008
City's City Council Proposes to Put An End to Local and Independent Music

The wealth of the music scene in Chicago is vast, and has a long legacy that has impacted millions. Whether it be in the jazz of the 20s, the blues of legends Little Walter or Muddy Waters or the vibrant house music scene, Chicago is looked to internationally for musical inspiration. An ordinance being proposed by the city this week, however, could have long-lasting negative implications for the windy city.

The promoter's ordinance was drafted up in response to the E2 incident of 2003. The club received a court order to close it's doors, but the city failed to enforce this. As a result, 21 patrons died tragically in a stampede.

No one working in the Chicago nightlife wants there to be another E2, but the latest ordinance up for voting on Wednesday the 14th goes far beyond what is actually needed. The ordinance would require several things to happen.

First off, every promoter working with a venue with under 500 fixed seats (i.e. every club, small rock venue, and medium sized rock venue) will be required to be licensed for $500-2000, fingerprinted, and have to purchase $300,000 in general liability insurance. One can just imagine a city official walking into a dark nightclub, pulling a promoter into the alley, and yelling, "Where Are Your Papers?"

The clubs and concert venues in Chicago already have a difficult enough time procuring "public place of amusement," liability insurance and liquor licenses. It seems absolutely ridiculous that an independent promoter would have to do the same. The whole point of maintaining a music venue is so that independent promoters have more time to work with setting up events and working with the talent.

More than anything, this displays the city government's lack of understanding of how the music scene in Chicago works and develops. It is somewhat questionable as to whether or not anyone voting on the bill has ever been to The Metro, Empty Bottle, Riviera, or The Vic.

These changes will effectively wipe out a good deal of local talent, and especially young bands that want to get their first shot. If this had been in place during the mid-eighties, house music would never have happened. A very real possibility, if this passes, is the occurrence of a mass-exodus of promoters and musicians to growing cities like Las Vegas and Portland. It will be a tragic day for a city that has birthed some of the greatest music (mainstream and underground) that the world has to offer.

The city has made the draft ordinance available at this link on their website. For those wishing to contact local officials, the Chicago Music Commision has provide links on their site as well. SaveChicagoCulture.org has a running online petition going that is currently receiving so much traffic, that the site is running consistently slower than it was yesterday.

Again, this ordinance should be of concern to every musician in the world. If Chicago passes the Promoter's Ordinance, who knows where else this type of cultural misstep might occur?

Presenter: Bill Holland, Gearwire
Location: Chicago, IL

Bill Holland is a producer/editor for Gearwire.com


Lexicon Omega Studio Bundle: Complete Desktop Recording Setup
SE Electronics 10th Anniversary Marked By New X1 Mic, Project Studio Reflexion Filter, And Two Product Bundles
Holophone Portamic Pro: Camera-Mountable Surround Microphone Ships, Features Dolby Encoder
Specimen Products Little Horn Speakers Tout New Colors And Flared Bells
Roland Systems Group RSS S-0808: Battery / Remote Powered 8 x 8 Digital Snake Introduced At Inter BEE
Wireworks MCAT5 Multipin Network Cabling Is Heavy-Duty, Double-Jacketed Just In Time For Fall
Electro-Voice LAPS V2.2A: The Electro-Voice Using Sound System Designer's "Play-Book"
EAW DX1208 DSP Matrix Mixer: Simplicity And Flexibility, Just Like A Bendy Straw
Gibson 7-String Explorer Introduced With Not Six, But Seven Strings
Gibson Dusk Tiger: New Guitar Introduced With Tiger-Like Finish
Les Paul, Music Pioneer, Dead At 94
Creation Audio Labs Nashville Amp Expo: First Trade Show Dedicated To Guitar And Bass Gear Opens On August 2009
Technics SL-1200 And Why DJs Should Use Lids
Technics 1200: On The Road At Radioactive Records In Fort Lauderdale Florida, Part Two
Technics 1200: On The Road At Radioactive Records In Fort Lauderdale Florida
Technics 1200s--Chatting With DJ Nicci C
Gibson 7-String Explorer Introduced With Not Six, But Seven Strings
Gibson Dusk Tiger: New Guitar Introduced With Tiger-Like Finish
Gibson Buckethead Signature Les Paul: For The Faux-Animatronic Quasi-Kabuki Shred Monster In Us All
Gibson Explorer The Guitar For Gigantic Dutch Rockers
Christmas Special - Best Experimental Music Videos
Best Gearwire Articles And Videos Of 2007
Crosstalk Black Metal Riff-Off Finally Over
Crosstalk Black Metal Riff-Off Update: Email Server Problems Are Brutal

you realize this comes up every year

By: Anonymous Coward

and never goes anywhere right? EVERY year....you should call some of the big clubs and places like that and talk to the owners and they can tell you who is responsible...

Patrick Ogle

Tue, 2008-05-13 12:57

thanks pat.

By: bholland

I know. there was a big demonstration last year, and nothing happened. Everyone is up in arms about it, though, so it seemed like a good time to write it up.

Tue, 2008-05-13 13:07

this is not just LAST

By: Anonymous Coward

year...it comes up continuously...yearly...and is usually the result of the malfunctioning brain of one, particular, alderman.....

Tue, 2008-05-13 14:00

Post new comment
No HTML Allowed. All links will be set to rel=nofollow

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • No HTML tags allowed
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
4 + 3 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
I need awesome gear... I'd like a free gear catalog!
My opinion is awesome. I'd like to take a gear survey