Why should consumers care about the Chicago promoters ordinance?

The ordinance will result in fewer shows at Chicago clubs.

From the Nocturna dance nights at Metro to the shoegazer-oriented Tomorrow Never Knows Festival at Schubas, and from the Kuma’s Doom Fest at Double Door to the Alex Chilton Birthday Bash at the Empty Bottle, some of the city’s most rewarding events are conceived and run by indie promoters working at established clubs, whose rosters will thin out considerably if these promoters are driven out of business.

The ordinance will squash the Jam Productions of tomorrow.

Every established promoter was at some point a struggling up-and-comer. The insurance and fee requirements in the ordinance, as well as the stipulation that all promoters be over age 18, discourages the “hey, kids, let’s put on a show!” aspect of underground music scenes–or drives them underground to unsafe, unlicensed venues.

The ordinance could drive some clubs out of business.

In the wake of E2, Chicago music venues are more tightly licensed, regulated and inspected than ever before, and they arguably are safer for the scrutiny that comes from being forced to comply with the dozens of laws already on the books. This extra layer of legislation could be the last straw the convinces some venues it simply isn’t worth the trouble.