Renderings of a proposed 4,300-capacity music venue in Tampa. // Credit: Live Nation Newsroom
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A new music venue operated by Live Nation with a capacity of 4,300 is set to come to Ybor City.
According to a press release, the planned mid-size venue is slated to open in late 2028 and will be in Ybor’s Gasworx neighborhood.
Live Nation says the project is expected to generate an estimated $80M in economic impact and support more than 400 jobs.
But Tom DeGeorge, owner of local Ybor music venue Crowbar and member of the National Independent Venue Association, calls it a slap in the face.
DeGeorge’s venue, Crowbar, is closing in July due to low profitability.
“When you have smaller rooms, like Crowbar, that become unsustainable, that are going away, they’re also gonna – you’ll have local, regional artists that won’t have places to play, they won’t have the ability to tour, and at the end of the day, you’re gonna have one entity that gets to pick and choose who gets to perform,” DeGeorge told WMNF.
A report from the National Independent Venue Association shows that only 35 percent of independent stages in Florida were profitable in 2024, and 64 percent are struggling nationwide.
“We’re a part of it with that artist on stage, and damn, dude, I’ll tell you what. It would be very sad to me to see that monopolized,” DeGeorge said.
Live Nation made national headlines after internal messages came out during a court case of an employee mocking customers at Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre as “so stupid.”
In a statement sent to WMNF, a Live Nation rep said the following:
“I can’t speak to any specific venues, but I can say that the entire music industry, including Live Nation, depends on a strong local music ecosystem. We need all the small clubs, independent venues, local artists and local crew. We believe this new venue in Gasworx will support the music ecosystem by giving developing artists the chance to hone their craft. This venue is the next step for artists who’ve outgrown 800 or 1,500-capacity clubs. It gives them another stage to play in Tampa.”