Montgomery County officials on Tuesday said they remained committed to adding the twang of live guitars to Silver Spring’s burgeoning entertainment district.

But whether those musicians will be standing on a Birchmere-owned stage is increasingly unlikely.

County Executive Ike Leggett announced earlier that negotiations with the nationally renowned venue, located in Alexandria, had stalled after five years. Leggett spokesman Patrick Lacefield would not elaborate Tuesday on the details of that breakdown, but he took a swipe at Birchmere officials, suggesting a failure on their part to commit to a deal.

“Any deal has to be about shared investment and shared risk,” Lacefield said.

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County officials have long viewed attracting a live music venue as a centerpiece to the redevelopment of downtown Silver Spring, which has seen enormous reinvestment with the opening of the American Film Institute’s Silver Theater. As an incentive, the county was offering $4 million for help starting up with an identical match being offered by the state. Lee Development, which owns the now-vacant 32,000-square-foot former J.C. Penney building where Montgomery officials anticipate such a venue to locate, has agreed to transfer the property to the county.

Birchmere owner Gary Oelze could not be reached Tuesday, but an employee at the venue who declined to be identified suggested that venue officials were not happy with Montgomery’s announcement that talks had broken down.

The county lacks the assortment of live music venues located in Northern Virginia and in the District. The Birchmere was long considered a good fit for Silver Spring because of its sit-down, cabaret-style atmosphere, unlike other local venues which typically are standing room only.

Lacefield would not say whether county officials have spoken with other local venues about a deal, but with as much as $8 million in public funds at stake, only established clubs would be considered.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com