Without offering a public hearing or soliciting opinions from the community it will directly affect, the City of Chicago has passed a “promoter’s ordinance” that requires any individual or group producing an event that’ll draw more than 100 people to obtain a license and insurance. So - even if the venue you’re renting out for y our event has licenses and insurance, you still have to obtain additional licenses and insurance.

Jim DeRogatis has a nice summary of the nitty gritty in the Sun-Times, but the bottom line is this: gone are DIY punk shows. Gone are the heart string-tugging benefits concerts that give music fans the opportunity to, say, have Jeff Tweedy playing in their living rooms. Gone are the cool little shows thrown by fanzines or blogs, without the proliferation of some corporate agenda.

Lame, Chicago. So much for being such a music city.

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