{"id":593297,"date":"2026-04-19T08:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/593297\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:16:10","slug":"as-chicagos-indie-venues-struggle-local-musicians-face-their-own-financial-burdens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/593297\/","title":{"rendered":"As Chicago’s indie venues struggle, local musicians face their own financial burdens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ava Brennan is a singer-songwriter who plays live a few times per month in Chicago.<\/p>\n

But like most musicians, she can\u2019t survive on her art alone so she also teaches music, works for a nonprofit and takes tickets at the door of a distillery that doubles as a live music venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all having trouble generating revenue, period,\u201d said Brennan, 26, of Lake View.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, she attended a community expo for artists at the Color Club events space in Irving Park. The event was part of CIVL Fest<\/a>, which opened on Thursday and runs through April 25. Hosted by the Chicago Independent Venue League, the citywide celebration features roughly 50 shows across nearly 30 locations.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"CIVLFEST_260419-04.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Ava Brennan stands in the workshop space of the \u201cGREEN Community Expo\u201d at Color Club in Irving Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026.<\/p>\n

Now in its fourth year, the festival occurs at a crucial time in the local music industry. Just one out of four of Chicago\u2019s indie music venues is profitable, due to rising operational costs, according to a recent report<\/a> by CIVL. Since its release, elected officials have reached out to the advocacy organization and local venues to \u201ccontinue a conversation,\u201d said CIVL Executive Director Billy Helmkamp. And on April 15, a coalition of 33 states, including Illinois<\/a>, won a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation. A federal jury declared the latter a monopoly<\/a>, ruling that the corporation had overcharged consumers and eliminated competition in markets across the country.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Chicago venues are still struggling, and local artists are feeling the financial burden. In addition to working multiple jobs, they are seeking out alternative spaces and advocating for systemic change.<\/p>\n

\u201dIt makes me sad because that\u2019s my favorite way to experience music,\u201d Brennan said of going to shows at indie spots. \u201cI go to smaller, mid-sized venues where I might even know the owner or the booker, and just feel super comfortable in a space where independent artists are empowered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helmkamp said CIVL Fest is a \u201ccall to action\u201d for the city to invest in the indie ecosystem. And while he praised the Live Nation verdict, he stressed the need for support from local and state government.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still need policies that recognize the value of independent venues and actively help them survive and thrive,\u201d he said. \u201cIndependent venues function like infrastructure for culture and jobs and tourism, but venues don\u2019t get treated like infrastructure when it comes to protections and incentives or relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"CIVLFEST_260419-02.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Karen Suarez Flint sits at her table at the \u201cGREEN Community Expo\u201d at Color Club in Irving Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026.<\/p>\n

That sentiment was shared by Karen Suarez Flint, the secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Musicians union, which represents about 2,000 artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy can\u2019t there be a committee of alderpersons working together for our independent venues scene here?\u201d asked Flint, who was a vendor at the community expo on Saturday. \u201cWe need to be part of the solution, talking to legislators, being on podcasts. There has to be a way to work together to help the ecosystem thrive so that we can get to the point where musicians are making a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n

For drummer George Rezek, 26, of Lake View, making a living just playing music seems unattainable.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally popular bands still have other jobs,\u201d said Rezek, who also works for the Earth Libraries music label, another vendor at the expo. \u201cThe idea of one day buying a house playing music is completely unrealistic and impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not the venues\u2019 fault, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at it on a macro scale, the music industry has been squeezed of all funds for a long time,\u201d he said. \u201cStreaming has devalued the music and has caused artists to make less money.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"CIVLFEST_260419-03.jpg\"<\/p>\n

George Rezek poses for a portrait at the \u201cGREEN Community Expo\u201d at Color Club in Irving Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026.<\/p>\n

Brennan said attending a workshop by Arts Alliance Illinois at the expo helped her consider the bigger picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were getting us to look at it all as a system that\u2019s entangled with local government, which I don\u2019t think about very often,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to do some community organizing to advocate for legislation where the arts are being funded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Venues like Color Club are using funding to support local performers. Co-owner Abby Monroe said a $40,000 grant from the Live Music Society nonprofit enabled the center to run a monthly emerging artists showcase called \u201cGreen.\u201d <\/p>\n

But Color Club must also offer a variety of other arts programming to remain open, Monroe said. And they are currently only breaking even. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t just do one thing anymore,\u201d Monroe said. \u201cYou have to be open to what the market is asking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to playing at Color Club and other music venues, Brennan also seeks out alternative spaces, from vintage clothing stores to record shops. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo I can just do a show where it\u2019s me and my guitar and an amp and some pedals,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are making DIY shows happen, which are more well-paid than at a venue, because it might just be somebody\u2019s house and they\u2019re collecting 10 bucks at the door.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ava Brennan is a singer-songwriter who plays live a few times per month in Chicago. But like most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":593298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,216],"class_list":{"0":"post-593297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}