Other Music (2019)

Directors: Puloma BasuRob Hatch-Miller
Stars: Chris Vanderloo, Josh Madell, Daniel Givens

In the summer of 2016, New York City lost a beloved and influential hub of independent music culture. Other Music–located on East 4th Street between Broadway and Lafayette in the heart of Manhattan's East Village neighborhood–was more than just a store that sold CDs, records, tapes and magazines. It was a place where bands were formed, record labels were born and careers were launched. And it was THE place where a generation of New Yorkers at the dawn of the Internet age went to discover groundbreaking music by artists who would go on to become household names and underground icons: Animal Collective, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, the National, Interpol, TV On The Radio, Regina Spektor, William Basinski and countless others.

With more and more record stores, book stores and video stores closing everywhere, the communities that have built up around shops like Other Music are slowly dissipating and migrating to online forums. Nowadays most people are streaming music online rather than purchasing it digitally to download, much less going to stores to buy physical media. As the music industry continues to move in that direction and community hubs like Other Music struggle to remain in existence, we think it is important to celebrate what spaces like these have meant to people in the past– and how their spirit can live on in an increasingly digital world.

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