 |
| Steven Chelliah rocks Sour Mouse NYC on Fridays until 1 a.m. |
New York City's Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) created the Office of Nightlife (ONL) in 2017, and the latter office published its first report this week. The 162-page document presents a record of the activities of the first three years of this new office, including its response to COVID-19, as well as almost two dozen recommendations for the future. Although the exhaustive work covers a plethora of subjects, only one page has attracted media attention. Among its many suggestions, the report proposes experimentation with the creation of 24-hour alcohol-serving "entertainment districts."
REPORT: 2018 – 2021 says on page 136, "Cities around the world are expanding the way institutions and businesses can operate at night, as limitations on closing hours have pushed late night activity to unlicensed venues, sometimes coming into conflict with residential uses. Uniform closing hours for nightlife businesses can result in groups of people congregating in the street, elevating tensions between patrons and residents. In residential areas, nightlife and music venues can create noise and attract traffic that draws complaints from neighboring residents. Allowing 24-hour use in specified districts, if implemented properly, can help people to move at their own pace and reduce conflicts.
"Amsterdam began allowing nightlife venues to apply for 24-hour licenses in 2012, developing strict criteria for potential applicants that included cultural significance, accessibility to public transportation, and locations without 'inconvenience to local residents.' Applicants were also asked to demonstrate commitments to offer additional daytime, mid-week programming with community benefits. Approximately a dozen venues hold this extended hours permit, which allows for safer, more coordinated late-night activity throughout the city."
 |
| Bob & Norm at the Red Lion on June 15; the Red Lion often has live music until 4 a.m. |
 |
| Dirty Water Dogs at the Ear Inn on June 21; performances started at midnight pre-pandemic, but now they start at 10 p.m. and end at midnight |
The report also includes recommendations to support New York City nightlife in the future. These items largely have escaped mention by the media. The recommendations include:
- Offering a one-stop-shop approach to licensing venues
- Reforming how complaints are assessed
- Creating incentives for improved soundproofing
- Promoting consent awareness and harm reduction programs
- Creating programs to support independent venues and events
 |
| The Black Soul Experience at Groove on Fridays begins a second set for indoor and outdoor audiences at 9:30 p.m. |
 |
| Rob Mastrianni at Marshall Stack on Saturdays stops playing for indoor and outdoor audiences at 9 p.m. due to neighbor complaints |
The City That Never Sleeps
Late shows have been a staple of music venues for decades. Beginning in 1968, the Fillmore East routinely sold tickets for shows where the first of three bands began at 11:30 p.m. After the Fillmore East closed in1971, the Academy of Music and the Palladium followed the same late show tradition. Steve Paul's Scene, Unganos, and the Bottom Line all popular music clubs in the 1960s and 1970s, had concerts starting 11:30 p.m. almost nightly. For the most part, major headliners stopped playing midnight shows by the 1990s, but downtown music clubs continued thriving on late night and early morning clientele.
In recent months, downtown music clubs have begun recovery from their extended pandemic closures. New York State first required alcohol-serving restaurants to close by 10 p.m., then 11 p.m., then midnight. These clubs can now stay open as long as local regulations and licenses allow. Most venues hosting live music to outdoor audiences shut the speakers by 10 p.m. Many venues with indoor audiences are finishing around midnight, but this is gradually expanding. Sour Mouse NYC will have a live band play until 1 a.m. on Friday nights, and the Red Lion on weekends has bands that take the stage at 1 a.m. and play until 4 a.m.
Residents in these and other neighborhoods already are reacting proactively to the one page in the ONL report. For decades, the community boards in the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village have responded negatively to the State Liquor Authority's prolific authorization of liquor licenses in their communities, for instance. Residents in these areas regularly complain in community newspapers and social media that the saturation of liquor licenses under their windows have created noise, congestion, crime and litter that already detrimentally impacts the quality of life there throughout the night. Community groups like the Lower East Side Dwellers have stated that their residential areas are already a 24-hour adult playground.
The ONL request for 24-hour entertainment districts may
remain in the discussion stage for years before any real movement is made. Its
first test will be with the new municipal administration that enters City Hall
on January 1, 2022. The discussion may be entertained by several
administrations before anything happens.
 |
| Clone at Berlin on June 19; bands typically finish before midnight to make way for a 20-something dance club clientele |
 |
| Dream Prescription at Berlin on June 19 |
 |
| Data Pool at Berlin on June 19 |
***
The Manhattan Beat covers New York City's live music developments as they happen. All photographs are by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise. For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music." For a listing of upcoming concerts for live audiences, visit The Manhattan Beat's July 2021 calendars.
No comments:
Post a Comment