Monopolist Live Nation's proposed concert venue delayed by parking concerns... Hmmmmm....

[Myles G. Smith]

Hey folks,

Personally, I'm very opposed to the proposed Live Nation / Ticketmaster exclusive concert venue on Congress Street. Last week, the city council passed a moratorium targeting the venue so they could assess parking demand. To me, this seems short-sighted and likely to end up being challenged.

Portland prohibits required parking minimums, and yet here we are saying that this may be blocked because it doesn't provide parking. What are we doing here? Do we have an ordinance or not?Meanwhile, our TDM plan requirements include no required contributions to city infrastructure or Metro that I know of. We know how precious Mainers are about being able to park for free at night and walk 200 feet to their destination. Many of the events in a location like this will be at 7 or 8pm, after tens of thousands of commuters have cleared out of parking garages. People will adjust behaviors and talk further, pay for garages, walk, bike, or bus to the venues. I get that parking is the most obvious vector of public concern, but I do not think it's an accurate or sustainable objection.

My objection is to allowing a corporate monopolist to compete with our local, public, and/or independent venues. 

Live Nation / Ticketmaster is a monopolist under investigation by the FCC. The corporate giant already tickets the events at this venue's closest competitors - Cross Arena, State Theater / Thompson's Point, and Aura. They have all the data on the Portland concert market. They know exactly what their competition is selling for tickets, what the demand in this market is, and how much business they can pilfer from those venues as an exclusive tour operator. On the other hand, those venues have no such info and no leverage over Live Nation. I bet Live Nation has the data they need to tell us exactly how many years it will take before they'll have pilfered enough of the State Theater's best bookings to put them out of business.

Also, Merrill Auditorium and Cross Arena are publicly owned. Any business they lose to the monopolist is coming out of our pockets, ultimately. 

Think of all the implications. Two nights of Ray Lamontagne at the State Theater will suddenly be one night at the Live Nation / Ticketmaster coal rake. One night of Jim Gaffigan at Cross Arena could become two at Portland Music Hall Sponsored by Spectrum. You think they'll have a fee-free ticket window like State Theater does? No chance. You think they'll sell local beer for $8 a pint like State Theater does? Hell no. Free water from the gatorade jug in the hallway? Try $10 canned Liquid Death water only, as they do at their MGM in Boston. (Also, they own a stake in Liquid Death.)

I recall a Rise Against show at State just a couple months ago when the singer called out how lucky we are to have some interesting and unique places to play and hear music here. The band travels the country and wakes up in the same vapid fake corporate money grab in city after city. Live Nation / Ticketmaster should have been broken up decades ago, and the investigation into it will probably go nowhere under the new pro-oligarchy government in Washington. 

We have to use the sovereignty we do have in Portland to reject this project, and I am afraid that the Council is seriously off-track here. I'm also concerned that if this moratorium is effective on parking grounds, the same excuse will be used to block other projects that are even more needed, such as affordable housing. Is there another ordinance vehicle that could be used to stop it? What if we demanded a significant TDM requirement? Any other thoughts?

Myles

PBPAC Vice Chair

[Scsmedia]

The city council did not pass the moratorium, they referred it the the HHS & PS Committee with a timetable to come back in June to the council.

Steven Scharf

On Monday, May 5, 2025 at 11:12:19 AM EDT, Myles G. Smith <myles...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey folks,

Personally, I'm very opposed to the proposed Live Nation / Ticketmaster exclusive concert venue on Congress Street. Last week, the city council passed a moratorium targeting the venue so they could assess parking demand. To me, this seems short-sighted and likely to end up being challenged.

Portland prohibits required parking minimums, and yet here we are saying that this may be blocked because it doesn't provide parking. What are we doing here? Do we have an ordinance or not? Meanwhile, our TDM plan requirements include no required contributions to city infrastructure or Metro that I know of. We know how precious Mainers are about being able to park for free at night and walk 200 feet to their destination. Many of the events in a location like this will be at 7 or 8pm, after tens of thousands of commuters have cleared out of parking garages. People will adjust behaviors and talk further, pay for garages, walk, bike, or bus to the venues. I get that parking is the most obvious vector of public concern, but I do not think it's an accurate or sustainable objection.

My objection is to allowing a corporate monopolist to compete with our local, public, and/or independent venues. 

Live Nation / Ticketmaster is a monopolist under investigation by the FCC. The corporate giant already tickets the events at this venue's closest competitors - Cross Arena, State Theater / Thompson's Point, and Aura. They have all the data on the Portland concert market. They know exactly what their competition is selling for tickets, what the demand in this market is, and how much business they can pilfer from those venues as an exclusive tour operator. On the other hand, those venues have no such info and no leverage over Live Nation. I bet Live Nation has the data they need to tell us exactly how many years it will take before they'll have pilfered enough of the State Theater's best bookings to put them out of business.

Also, Merrill Auditorium and Cross Arena are publicly owned. Any business they lose to the monopolist is coming out of our pockets, ultimately. 

Think of all the implications. Two nights of Ray Lamontagne at the State Theater will suddenly be one night at the Live Nation / Ticketmaster coal rake. One night of Jim Gaffigan at Cross Arena could become two at Portland Music Hall Sponsored by Spectrum. You think they'll have a fee-free ticket window like State Theater does? No chance. You think they'll sell local beer for $8 a pint like State Theater does? Hell no. Free water from the gatorade jug in the hallway? Try $10 canned Liquid Death water only, as they do at their MGM in Boston. (Also, they own a stake in Liquid Death.)

I recall a Rise Against show at State just a couple months ago when the singer called out how lucky we are to have some interesting and unique places to play and hear music here. The band travels the country and wakes up in the same vapid fake corporate money grab in city after city. Live Nation / Ticketmaster should have been broken up decades ago, and the investigation into it will probably go nowhere under the new pro-oligarchy government in Washington. 

We have to use the sovereignty we do have in Portland to reject this project, and I am afraid that the Council is seriously off-track here. I'm also concerned that if this moratorium is effective on parking grounds, the same excuse will be used to block other projects that are even more needed, such as affordable housing. Is there another ordinance vehicle that could be used to stop it? What if we demanded a significant TDM requirement? Any other thoughts?

Myles

PBPAC Vice Chair

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[Zack Barowitz]

Well put Myles (and Steve), it’s a tough issue and I don’t know what the solution is. I suppose people couldn’t refuse to work there, but that seems unlikely to be  an effective  strategy.

Zack 

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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