Music Under New York: Difference between revisions

[[File:34 St-Hudson Yards Opening (21412231825).jpg|thumb|right|300px|MusiciansMusic playingUnder New York musicians at the [[34th Street–Hudson Yards (IRTstation]] Flushingon Line[[Manhattan]]'s [[West Side (Manhattan)|34thWest Street–Hudson YardsSide]]]]

MTA grants every musician the legal right to perform, with or without MUNY affiliation. However, MUNY gives particular visibility and promotion to over 350 artists and groups who choose to participate. Artists are chosen through applications and ultimately a live audience with a jury panel. MUNY locations include approximately 30 high-traffic stations operated by the [[New York City Transit Authority]] that are part of the [[New York City Subway]], the [[Long Island Rail Road]], [[Metro-North Railroad]], and the [[Staten Island Ferry]].

Prohibition of musical performance in the [[New York City Subway]] was prevalent since the opening of the [[Early history of the IRT subway|first line]] in 1904.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Tanenbaum |first=Susie |title=Underground Harmonies: Music and Politics in the Subways of New York |location=Ithaca, NY |publisher=Cornell Press |date=1995}}</ref> The ban continued under Mayor [[Fiorello La Guardia]], who also made it illegal to perform on New York City streets.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://jsh.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/1/106.full |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415130500/http://jsh.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/1/106.full |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-15 |title="Industry Cannot Go On without the Production of Some Noise": New York City's Street Music Ban and the Sound of Work in the New Deal Era |first=Robert |last=Hawkins |journal=Journal of Social History |date=Fall 2012|doi=10.1093/jsh/shs025 }}</ref> Some musicians still sang and played instruments through the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s in an effort to reclaim public space. Finally in 1985, the ban on subway performance was declared unconstitutional following a court challenge by musician [[Roger Manning]],<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://citylore.org/urban-culture/resources/street-performers/ |title=A Guide for Street Performers |first=Susie |last=Tanenbaum |date=2012}}</ref> and the MTA created MUNY as a pilot program. The program became official in January 1987.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/muny/factsheet.html |title=MUNY Fact Sheet |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}</ref>

It is legal to perform music in the New York City Subway mezzanines with or without a MUNY affiliation. MUNY members as well as freelance performers are subject to regulations of the [[New York City Police Department]] and MTA. Section 1050.6 (c) of the [[New York City Transit Authority]]'s Rules of Conduct regulates the provision of entertainment on the subway:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/rules/rules.htm#use |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |title=Rules of Conduct}}</ref>

{{quoteblockquote|The following nontransit uses are permitted by the Authority, provided they do not impede transit activities and they are conducted in accordance with these rules: public speaking; campaigning; leafletting or distribution of written noncommercial materials; activities intended to encourage and facilitate voter registration; artistic performances, including the acceptance of donations; solicitation for religious or political causes; solicitation for charities.}}

Many of the musicians who perform in the subway under MUNY hold successful careers above ground as well. Saxophonist [[Zane Massey]] was involved early on in arranging [[big band]] performances with the organization in the 1980s and 1990s. A number of MUNY performers have gone on to perform at prestigious venues such as [[Carnegie Hall]] and [[Lincoln Center]]. These artists include [[Natalia Paruz]] (also known as the "Saw Lady"' for playing the [[musical saw]]), VongKu Pak (Korean drum), The Big Apple Boys (a cappella choir), James Graseck (violin), [[Hypnotic Brass Band]], and [[Natalie Gelman]] (singer-songwriter). Possibly the best-known of them is [[Alice Tan Ridley]], a gospel singer who was featured on season 5 of ''[[America's Got Talent (season 5)|America's Got Talent]]''. Similarly, singer [[Mike Yung]] has amassed millions of viral Youtube views and has also gone far in ''[[America's Got Talent]]''. The current MUNY lineup has artists such as the Ebony Hillbillies, SisterMonk, Didjworks, Manze Dayila, [[Renaissance Street Singers]], Heth and Jed, [[Kesha]], Yaz Band and the Ukuladies. [[Floyd Lee]] (1933–2020) was a founding member of MUNY and later a judge on their board.<ref name="Legacy">{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=floyd-lee&pid=196327844|title=FLOYD LEE 1933 – 2020 – Obituary|website=Legacy.com|access-date=June 17, 2020}}</ref> A full list of performers and locations can be found on the MUNY website.

{{CommonscatCommons category|Music Under New York}}