As a young musician raised in Portland, I join concerns raised in recent weeks by local musicians, advocates and nearly every independent music venue in the city over the proposed 3,300-seat venue to be operated by Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter.

On Monday, June 16, the Portland City Council Sustainability and Transportation Committee voted 2-1 to send a proposed moratorium on theater and performance halls back to the full council. The moratorium was primarily created to address parking and traffic congestion that could result from the proposed development at 244 Cumberland Ave.

Public comment during this meeting was constrained to such issues. The council had originally tabled the moratorium in April, referring it to the Sustainability and Transportation Committee to examine these concerns. However, the conversation around this project extends far beyond parking logistics. Portland’s rich arts culture, which has shaped the city for over a hundred years, is now at risk of collapse.

While other American cities have sought suburban sprawl as a solution for economic opportunity, Portland established an Arts District to support the working-class community it has long possessed. Today, I write to support continuing this legacy. I write in opposition to Live Nation in Portland.

I grew up playing music in this city. As a young drummer, I was inspired by Portland’s independent arts scene. I got to watch my young friends and fellow musicians find community and work outside of education and its traditional outcomes. These friends were able to legitimize their aspirations in Portland’s inclusive creative economy, landing gigs at local venues like Space Gallery or the Apohadian Theater.

Live Nation’s proposed development could limit economic opportunities for local artists like my friends by drawing business away from independent venues.

Large Portland venues already attract national talent, hosting stars like Jake White alongside local teens in the same festival. Meanwhile, Live Nation, a $32 billion enterprise, has monopolized approximately 80% of ticket sales nationwide, gouged audiences with “surge” pricing and has repeatedly engaged in alleged anti-competitive practices in U.S. cities.

A global corporation like this does not possess the same incentive structures as local venues. I am afraid that where Portland arts organizations see partnership, Live Nation solely sees profit.

Portlanders know this city has succeeded through the efforts of independent residents and organizations; the combined capacity of Thompson’s Point, Cross Insurance Arena and the State Theatre is enough to accommodate the talented artists we want to see. The demand for a venue of this scope in Portland should not come from local people.

Furthermore, the absence of a 3,000-seat venue in Portland does not signal a market gap.

If it’s market gaps you seek to consider, look no further than Portland’s urgent housing shortage — housing that could be built in dense, mixed-use fashion on the very B-3 zoned lots where Live Nation aims to expand its monopoly. What better supports our strong land use code and comprehensive plan, a venue that sidelines independent arts and potentially reduces downtown walkability, or housing that ensures a place for the very people who shaped this city?

The next 10 years are pivotal moments for growth and urban development in Portland. If our city sees Live Nation’s proposed development as a tool for economic growth or regional competition, I urge us to rethink. Let’s resist the neoliberal impulse to chase capital at the expense of community.

Let Portland remain a city shaped by creative, independent organizations that prioritize people over profit. If our community does not begin prioritizing this authenticity we have long created, entrepreneurialism and the interests of wealthy in-migrants who have flocked toward Portland’s beauty will take over.

Let’s make our city’s competitive edge the fact that we don’t bend to monopolies — that while any Portlander can enjoy beautiful ocean views, and some of the best food in the country, the city puts our community first.