LN To Continue At Montage Mountain

The lease allowed the concert promoter to exercise the option by Oct. 31, and Live Nation had been in talks with Lackawanna County, Pa., officials regarding the deal since March. Live Nation notified commissioners Oct. 31 of its decision to continue on at the 17,528-capacity shed at Moosic, Pa., according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.

A short-term agreement was previously reached for Live Nation to remain during 2016 and requiring the company to pitch in $75,000 to cover the cost of deputies to bolster security in 2015.

Both sides reportedly requested unspecified changes to the contract going forward that are still being negotiated. “We recognize that the concerts have a large impact on the local economy,” said Andy Wallace, chief of staff to the county’s board, according to the Times-Tribune.

“However, the county commissioners continue to be concerned about the cost of subsidizing the amphitheater, which will cost the taxpayers of Lackawanna County $450,000 per year.”

According to the paper, Live Nation pays roughly $550,000 in rent, and the county pays $800,000 in annual debt service for the shed’s construction cost. Wallace told the paper that despite the gap, he agrees the economic impact of Live Nation events at Montage Mountain is a positive.

An impact study by the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development commissioned by Live Nation found LN events “generated $32.4 million in economic activity and attracted more than 100,000 people from outside the region” to the area last year, according to the paper.