As Toronto music venues struggle, the Phoenix hopes for a rebirth

Toronto's music community was dealt a blow earlier this week upon learning iconic Phoenix Concert Theatre will soon be replaced by condos.

As the owners search for a new space to stage shows, artists and music lovers hope the mid-size hall won't be the latest venue lost in a city of rising costs.

The theatre's owners announced this week they would be closing the Phoenix in January after 33 years of music. Now co-owner Lisa Zbitnew hopes to keep the music going at a new location.

"It's bittersweet," said Zbitnew. "Just as we kind of got our footing back [after pandemic lockdowns] we're now looking to frankly invest a whole bunch more in a new space."

That new space still hasn't been found, but Zbitnew is confident the Phoenix can avoid the fate of so many other Toronto venues in recent years.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced live music to shut down for a time, 13 per cent of the city's small venues have closed down permanently, according to a 2023 University of Toronto study. Those that survived are paying higher rents than ever, while courting concertgoers who are also struggling to afford the cost of living.

Zbitnew says the Phoenix has been drawing strong acts and big crowds, something she hopes will continue through the fall, and she thinks that can continue at a new space. But finding a building big enough to hold 1,300 seats isn't easy in Toronto.

"Our hope was to announce a seamless transition," she said. "Anybody who's… sitting on 20,000 square feet with 40 foot high ceilings, we'd love to have a conversation."

Toronto city staff are helping Zbitnew look, but she says nothing's been identified yet, and she has no idea how long it will take to find one, let alone to reopen.

Small, indie venues needed in Toronto's music scene: musician

Charlotte Cornfield, left, onstage with Amy Millan from Stars at the Phoenix in 2021. Cornfield says mid-size venues are important for burgeoning artists. (Photo credit: Nelson Silva)

Musician Charlotte Cornfield played the Phoenix in 2021, and says she has plenty of great memories seeing other acts there.

The importance of a theatre like the Phoenix, she says, isn't just its character, it's the opportunity it provides.

"Maintaining an ecosystem where there are many venues of different sizes is incredibly important for touring artists, for artist development, for fostering artistic growth and creativity in the city," she said.

"And the Phoenix in particular is one of the only rooms of its size."

Jonathon Bunce, who co-authored a report on the state of Toronto's smaller music venues, says independently owned theatres like the Phoenix increase competition and help keep ticket prices down. (Francesca Ludikar)

The few other venues in the city that can hold a similar capacity include the Danforth Music Hall and History, which are both owned by Live Nation, the music industry behemoth that also owns Ticketmaster.

Jonathan Bunce, who co-authored a University of Toronto report on the struggles of small music venues in the city, says the loss of an independently-owned theatre like the Phoenix, even for a summer season, doesn't bode well for artists or music lovers.

"You'd see more of a concentration and consolidation in the hands of multinational companies, which is almost certainly going to result in higher pricing," he said.

In the United States, for example, the Department of Justice is suing to break up Live Nation for allegedly inflating ticket prices illegally and hurting artists.

The Phoenix Concert Theatre will continue to operate through the fall, with its last show scheduled for Jan. 15, 2025.