How Up and Coming Bands Can Conquer New York

After a shaky few years, the New York music scene has had its resurgence and is now firmly back in business.

Offering a vibrant arts scene, myriad rehearsal spaces, and a captive audience, the city is becoming far more accessible for new bands and unsigned artists to fine-tune their music and make themselves known.

The city boasts a diverse array of music venues, catering to every kind of musical taste and preference. From open mic nights to industry events and networking mixers, there are now plenty of opportunities for artists to share their music.

A number of smaller more intimate venues have continued to thrive and have gone on to play a huge role in supporting independent music. Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg hosts live music almost every night of the week, showcasing a wide range of genres including, indie rock, folk, jazz, Americana, and blues.

Arlene’s Grocery opened in 1995 and platforms new and local bands. The venue has a fantastic reputation for promoting emerging talent. There’s even footage of an early performance of The Strokes playing at Arlene’s in 2000.

As any good musician knows, music is constantly evolving and artists have to keep up. Across New York, there are several rehearsing studios for bands. These spaces provide both new and established bands or musicians with a space to put down some new tracks, practice for a gig, or just have a jam session.

Being a musician isn’t always the most lucrative of endeavours, particularly for those who are just starting out.  Many of the studios based in New York still provide musicians with first-rate equipment and facilities but are also able to find ways to keep the costs down.

Pirate Studios, for example, offer the ability to pay by the hour for room hire. There's also often the opportunity to book a standard studio space which works out far cheaper than the larger pro studios.

For those who are prepared to pay the extra, studios such as New York's Cove City Studios offer full lockout options with dedicated technicians, for musicians looking for a little more technical support.

There's also the opportunity to get some inspiration by standing in the shoes of some musical legends- artists such as Billy Joel, Harry Nilsson and even Whitney Houston have all recorded at Cove.

Whether it’s an electric pop duo like New York’s own Club Eat playing at an edgy underground venue or a synth-heavy DJ set at an urban dance club, New York has pretty eclectic tastes and is ready to embrace it all!

Given the amount of tourism that passes through the city, there are also ever-changing crowds with ever-changing tastes ready with an open ear to listen to and support some New York home-grown talent.

For audiences, there’s an undeniable buzz surrounding the New York music scene; a sense that there’s every chance you might just be seeing the next big thing before they’ve hit the big time, keeps them coming back for more.

For bands a wealth of opportunities, rehearsal spaces, and fantastic venues to perform in all keep the dream alive. Today, underground club, tomorrow Radio City Music Hall!