🔒Portland approves fee for larger entertainment venues

In response to public concerns over how larger music venues affect smaller operations in Portland, the city has approved a licensing change that will direct a percentage of ticket sales to the local arts community. The Portland City Council voted unanimously, 7-0, Monday night to amend the city code and create a new category of entertainment license for venues with a capacity of more than 2,000. Large venues will have to contribute 1% to 2% of the price for each ticket sold to an entertainment sector trust fund. Properties affected will be the Cross Insurance Arena — the city’s largest, with 6,200 seats — and two venues at Thompson’s Point. The fee would also affect a proposed Live Nation venue. The 3,300-capacity Portland Music Hall, under discussion for 244 Cumberland Ave., is a joint venture between Todd Goldenfarb’s Mile Marker Investments, based in Scarborough and Miami, and Live Nation Entertainment, headquartered in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Further review of the Live Nation project is on hold under a moratorium enacted in August 2025, which extends into March of this year.) Excluded from the licensing change are city-owned properties — Merrill Auditorium, Portland Expo and the Portland Ice Arena — as well as the State Theater, as its capacity is under 2,000. The Council’s Housing and Economic Development Committee recommended the licensing change in response to concerns from the public over Portland Music Hall's potential impact on the city’s smaller venues, should it be built. “I think it’s a pretty elegant way to get some money into the entertainment sector without having to go to direct taxation,” said Ben Grant, an at-large council member. Details of how the fund would be operated are still under discussion by the council, and there is no estimate yet of anticipated revenue from the new requirement. The amendment is set to take effect Feb. 4, but would not affect existing venues immediately. Jessica Grondin, Portland city spokesperson, told Mainebiz that existing large capacity venues will be required to enter into an Entertainment Sector Benefit Agreement prior to the second termination date of their current license that occurs after February 4. “For example, if a large venue's current license expires on May 1, 2026, they will need to enter into an agreement on or before May 1, 2027,” Grondin said.