City of Chicago's Event Promoter License & Me

Ok, so what's the big deal about the Event Promoter License that the City of Chicago wants to enforce?

Here's the deal. I consider myself an Event Promoter. I might only put on 2 concerts a year and 1 dj night a month but that's considered an Event Organizer/Promoter.

So now, if this license passes I have to pay $2,000 a year in order to do what I like to do, at this point, as a hobby. Even though my events are within legitimate venues that have all the permits and licenses that are required. Even though I haven't made any money at all doing this in the past 2 years. In fact, I've given money away for these things to happen.

Technically, this effects every person that puts together any type of an event. A dj night, a concert, an art opening, any type of event that charges a cover at the door.

Well, they did change the terms of the license since last year.

Last year this license went all the way across the board. It effected every single person that ever put on a show. Here's one of the major ways it changed.

The license fee before was $2,000 for every 2 years, for everyone. For the little people like me all the way to the charity organizations and up to major organizations like, everyones friends, JAM Productions.

Here's how the license fees changed.

License fees, payable every two years, would range from $500 to $2,000, depending on the size of the venues in which the promoters operate. The city, non-profit organizations promoting their own events and promoters at "fixed-seating" venues with at least 500 seats, such as the United Center, would be exempt.

So here's a quick thought. Last year the license got shot down. You know why? Because places like the United Center, JAM Productions, the Rosemont and all the other major players said they'd take their business to the burbs. An action like that would culturally crush the city of Chicago. Not to mention the amount of money the city would lose out.

So now the city is listening to the major players and they decided that they shouldn't have to pay for this license. Even though, out of all the people that will be effected, the major players are the only ones that could afford such a ridiculous fee.

Here's another thing that I noticed from the Tribune's article. It's in regards to the E2 incident that happened almost 5 years ago.

Months after the stampede, an independent panel that reviewed the disaster and emergency response concluded that inadequate city inspection procedures and lack of city agency coordination allowed the club to stay open months after a court ordered it shut.

So wasn't it the city's fault that all this happened? Oh yea, the city doesn't do anything wrong.

If you want more information on this please follow these links.

Chicago City Council panel OKs licensing plan for event promoters
Chicago's promoter's ordinance: What the city wants, the city gets?
Jim DeRogatis' Blog
Chicago Music Commission's site
Rules inspired by E2 stampede approved


If you are an event promoter please contact your Alderman and express your concerns BEFORE Wednesday May 14th.. If you don't then don't feel bad that you have to leave the city to do the events that you like to do.

The floor at this meeting is not open to the public. It's a hearing for the Aldermen to vote on whether or not to impose the license.

This site will help you find out who your Alderman is and how to contact them.

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/alderman/find.html

Go there, find them and contact them. Let them know your concerns and let them know how it will effect you.

If you can, appear at the hearing. Maybe if enough people show up to boo down the license they'll listen.

The hearing is on Wednesday May 14, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.

The City Council meets in the Council Chamber located on the Second Floor of City Hall, 121 North La Salle Street.

Chicago Music Promoters Ordinance Round 2

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

The Chicago City Council has fast-tracked its new version of a measure first introduced last year to greatly impede independent promoters attempting to hold events in the city. Under the proposed law, independent promoters would have to acquire a promoter's license at a cost of up to $2000 every two years, obtain liability insurance for every event thrown, even if the presenting venue already has liability insurance, be fingerprinted and background checked, and maintain extensive records of each event. The ordinance allegedly is intended to prevent disasters like the one that occurred in the E2 nightclub several years ago, but really would just put many small indies (not to mention non-profits that rely on events for fundraising, like CHIRP) out of business.


Jim DeRogatis has been following the story closely, so you can read further here:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/

FYI, the ordinance exempts non-profits from certain portions of the rules (although not the extensive record keeping), but requires a group to have been in existence for at least three years, or to "be qualified for" 501(c)3 status. CHIRP, while non-profit, has only been around since August 2007, and is still being advised on 501(c)3 issues, a process that often takes more than a year from application to approval. This means events ranging from our Record Fair to dance parties at Town Hall Pub to speaking events by media activists might be out of our reach under the new ordinance...and if we cannot throw those events to raise money, there is no way to fund our organization.


If you value live music in Chicago (and the work of the Chicago Indie Radio Project), it's important that you make your voice heard. Call your alderman and ask him or her to oppose the Promoter Ordinance. Be polite. Tell him or her you support live music in Chicago, and feel this ordinance would kill many great events. Say you want venues to be safe, but this ordinance goes too far.


Your voice makes a difference. Place a call to your alderman's office today.


This page will help you find your alderman and give you his or her phone number -- quick and easy! It only takes a couple of minutes.

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/alderman/find.html

And if you're able, come to the city council meeting on Wednesday, May 14 at 10AM in City Council chambers, and speak out against the measure.

Smoking Ban Policy

So we decided to try something a little different at work pertaining to the Smoking Ban problem. Yes, I did say problem. Maybe not so much for you but for the doorstaff it is.

Here's what the problem was.

The bar is at capacity and there's a line of people waiting to get in. Smokers would come out to smoke and we would hold their place inside, not letting anyone in.

Now here's where the problem was.

Sometimes the smokers would stay outside for 5 minutes, 10 minutes or even half an hour at times. This meant their place was being held in the bar but there was no one there and we couldn't let anyone from the line in until that smoker, or another patron, leaves.

Then, some of the smokers would walk away after they smoke. This leaves an empty spot in the bar and their place would be held even though they were gone. Simply put, we don't know your leaving when you walk away and we can't see you.

Here's the solution that we came up with.

The bar is at capacity and there's a line of people waiting to get in. Smokers that come out to smoke must now receive a wristband to re-enter.

Once the smoker receives their wristband they can go smoke. When the smoker walks out, a person from the line gets to go in. When the smoker is ready to re-enter they wait in the smoker's line on the left. When the next person walks out, the smoker gets to go back in.

There are a few reasons besides capacity that we wanted to do this.

There were times when there would be 20 - 25 people standing outside smoking. This left 20 - 25 empty places in the bar. This tends to make the bar look empty and gives people in line more ammunition for arguments with the doorstaff as to why they can't go in. Looking from the bar's point of view, it also meant there's 20 - 25 people not buying anything.

Hopefully this will solve a lot of different problems. It should reduce arguments at the door and it should help the staff inside. The only side effect problem from it that I can see right now is people trying to smoke inside because they don't want to wait to get back in.

Anyone caught smoking inside is to be removed. Even those smoking in the bathrooms.

Next problem to address.

People that camp out at tables and booths but only drink water and don't order anything. There are people waiting to get in that will order drinks and TIP. Don't waste our space.

Banned Commercials.

I wasted a little time today on YouTube and found these banned commercials. It's funny that they got banned. Some of them make complete sense but they might hurt the feelings of some idiot out there.

Enjoy!

New NIN - 100% Free

Trent Reznor has done it again. After releasing the first 9 tracks off of the Ghosts I - IV 36 track album, he's doing it again. This time it's a full album, The Slip.

As said by Reznor on nin.com - (thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me)

You can preview the Ghosts I - IV album right now as you read this. It's the music playing in the background and the application playing it is at the bottom of the screen.

As for the free NIN album The Slip, go HERE and follow the instructions to get your free download.