Portland City Councilor approves fee for large entertainment venues

PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) — Large entertainment venues in Portland will now be required to contribute a portion of its ticket sales to a trust fund to benefit the local arts community.

According to the Press Herald, city councilors voted unanimously Monday night to create a new license for venues with a capacity of over 2,000 that would require them to contribute 1%-2% of ticket sales to an Entertainment Sector Trust Fund.

The new rule was developed after Live Nation proposed a giant concert venue in downtown Portland, sparking outcry from local residents.

Some Portland musicians said the proposed 3,000-seat venue from Live Nation could put smaller music venues and musicians in the city out of business.

Live Nation owns Ticketmaster and owns or operates around 150 venues around the country.

While it’s unclear if Live Nation’s project will move forward in Portland, venues that will be impacted by the new fee are the Cross Insurance Arena and Thompson’s Point.