The Washington Post reported today that concert venue chain House of Blues may be opening an outpost in Penn Quarter in the not-too-distant future. The National Capital Revitalization Corp. inked a non-binding deal with HOB’s owner, Clear Channel Communications, to develop the property at 5th and I, NW.

What does this bode for rock venues like the 9:30 Club and the Black Cat?. Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham put in his two cents, calling the proposed development “very detrimental” to local venues. 9:30 Club owner Seth Hurwitz lamented to the Post that, “We will lose half our business, at least” if and when a local House of Blues opens its doors. We at DCist are slightly more optimistic about the 9:30’s future. True, HOB is a nationally recognized name, but the 9:30 is a long-standing local institution. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Seth!

We do wonder what effect an HOB would have on Alexandria’s Birchmere however, and specifically on its plans to open a Birchmere II in Silver Spring.

It’s tempting to get all alarmist about big bad conglomerates eating our city’s soul, but we can’t help but wonder if a House of Blues downtown could do some amount of good for D.C. Existing venues might be forced to improve their sound systems and other facilities to compete with the HOB. And fans of more mainstream music might not have to drive all the way out to Merriweather Post Pavilion to see the All-American Rejects or the Counting Crows. Then again, there is the threat of rising ticket prices and, well, big bad conglomerates eating our city’s soul. What’s your opinion on a House of Blues in the nation’s capital?