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Coming To A Town Near You!

In the last few years there has been a war taking place in cities across the globe. From Chicago to London, from Melbourne to Philadelphia. Independent artists and musicians are finding themselves under attack by legislation that threatens their very existence. When artists are attacked at the street level they have two options: a.) bend over. b.) take it to the streets.

This documentary is meant to serve as a DIY "How to" primer for artists and fan alike. It's about a group of artists who took on one of the strongest politically-connected cities in the US with a $99 camera and won (well, at least for now).

Don't just stand there, do something.

Background Story:

One morning in the spring of 2008, artist/activists JaGoFF received an email from a local zine publisher, the subject line read: "THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS". Thinking it was SPAM, JaGoFF decided to open the email anyway. The contents read like something off of a conspiracy theory blog. Clearly this had to be a prank. A short Google search later revealed that this was indeed NO JOKE.

The city of Chicago was proposing a law, the Chicago Promoters' Ordinance, that basically treated anyone that wanted to promote a show in the city like a common criminal. Among other things, the proposed law required:

  • Mandatory Finger-printing and Background checks

  • Notification and clearance of event by local police chief at least seven days prior to your event

  • Temporary Licenses with the city of Chicago ($500 - $2,000)

  • $300,000 in liability insurance (in already fully insured and licensed venues) Etc.

To add insult to injury, the independent artist and promoter community (the very folks who would be effected by this law) were never invited to the table. While outrage echoed throughout the local arts, music and theater scenes, their concern was met with indifference. The community stormed Chicago City Hall only to have it resurface a few months later. Not satisfied with that answer, JaGoFF considered their options: 1.) Piss and moan, and/or 2.) Take matters into their own hands and do something about it.


Armed with a cheap ass camera, piles of flyers and a roll of tape, JaGoFF strapped on a comfortable pair of boots, took to the streets and kicked ass. The result was a mass resistance throughout Chicago's creative community that was instrumental in thwarting City Hall's efforts. Invited to loads of parties (and even kicked out of a few) documenting all the while, JaGoFF fought the good fight. This film documents the community's battle and serves as a DIY primer for cities that are facing similar assaults on their freedom of expression. The economy sucks and we all have computers in our pants. The playing field is finally level. Now is the time to use your voice. Use it or lose it.

For more information go to TheJaGoFF.com.