Music Portland hopes to stop Live Nation from building new concert venue

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A group representing local musicians is trying to stop developers from building a concert venue that will be run by multinational entertainment company Live Nation.

The 35,000-seat venue would be built on Southeast Water Avenue between Salmon and Main Streets.

The Portland City Auditor’s Office has conditionally approved construction but a group called Music Portland has filed an appeal to stop it.

They held a town hall today in Southeast Portland to drum up support.

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Music Portland claims that similar Live Nation-operated venues in other cities have hurt local music scenes by taking business away from smaller venues and pressuring local artists to work exclusively with them.

“In almost every community they come into, they’re treated as victors. they’re treated as economic development. no one’s offering to bring $60 million to a city to try and build an arts venue and to local elected officials, to a local economic development agency, that sounds like manna from heaven, but to the local independent industries it’s been detrimental to every community they’ve come into,” said a person from Music Portland.

The Portland City Council will hold a hearing on Sept. 19 to review the appeal.

Music Portland and their supporters are expected to testify.