PRIORITIES

ESTABLISH PORTLAND’S MUSIC INDUSTRY AS A GLOBAL LEADER

Portland is a major music city. But we’re the only music city in America where the government and business community have completely ignored that identity. For decades, business and government leaders in our community have viewed the music industry as part of the arts, and treated the arts as a “nice to have” but never a necessity. At the same time, the arts have viewed music as a business, and excluded musicians from any form of public art dollars. A State of Oregon’s economic impact study showed that the music industry in Portland is worth over $3 billion annually and provides jobs for more people and contributes more in taxes than salmon, timber, or cannabis.

The City of Austin is the “Live Music Capital of the World” only because their City Council voted to call it that and put a little music note on their street signs. We have more music venues and performing musicians than Austin or Nashville, all without any recognition.

If we discovered a $3 billion lithium mine in downtown Portland, we’d be a lithium city very quickly, and yet our music industry is largely ignored. It’s past time that we leverage this existing natural resource to help with economic development, community safety, tourism, investment, and a sense of public identity. This is about jobs, economic development, and public safety. This is about our identity as a city, and how we use that identity to lead to our shared prosperous future.


SPECIFICS

  • Formally recognize our identity as an independent music city.

  • Revitalize downtown by converting vacant commercial space into affordable live/work space for musicians and other artist.

  • Reform the noise code and liquor licensing program to better support the live music industry, including all-ages music.

  • Implement acoustic zoning standards that protect existing buildings like music venues from being shut down by new neighbors.

  • Dedicate tourism dollars to support the independent music industry.

  • Create staff positions at Prosper Portland and the City Manager’s Office dedicated to the nighttime economy.