The Bowery Presents

History

The business evolution of The Bowery Presents:

• 1993 – The Mercury Lounge (250 capacity club), focusing on upcoming artists
• 1997 – Bowery Ballroom (600 capacity club or small mid-size venue), headliner-oriented
• 2003 – Webster Hall (1400 capacity mid-size club), headliner-oriented
• 2006 – Live Nation's New York president Jim Glancy jumps over to become partner and contributes to the company's expansion by doing shows in larger venues with his long-term Live Nation artists and indie rock stars in venues such as Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden
• 2007 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, another mid-size club that broadens the company's portfolio of venues creating an "internal" orbit in which they can promote artists at different career-levels and in different neighborhoods.
• 2007 – Terminal 5 (3000 capacity mid-size venue) in Midtown Manhattan
• 2008 – Wellmont Theatre (2000 capacity mid-sized theatre) in Montclair, NJ
• 2010 – Expansion into Boston
• 2013 – Wellmont Theatre leaves
• 2014 – Webster Hall leaves
• 2016 – AEG Live acquire a stake in The Bowery Presents
• 2017 – Brooklyn Steel opens, Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge leave
• 2019 – Webster Hall returns, in operational partnership with BSE Global and AEG Live
• 2023 – Racket (formerly Highline Ballroom) opens, adding another 650 capacity venue to the portfolio

Description

The Bowery Presents was founded in 2004 by John Moore, Michael Swier, Michael Winsch, and Brian Swier. In 2006, The Bowery Presents partnered with former LiveNation CEO Jim Glancy, and began to expand to larger venues in New York such as Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, Central Park SummerStage, and Madison Square Garden.

From 2008, The Bowery Presents began expanding to other regions including New Jersey, Maine, Boston, Philadelphia. In 2016 it was reported that AEG Live had acquired a stake in The Bowery Presents, and in 2017, the company ended its relationship with Michael Swier, Brian Swier, Michael Winsch, and their venues, the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge. The Bowery Presents is currently operated by Jim Glancy and cofounder John Moore.

Locations

Venues

New York City

• Music Hall of Williamsburg - 650 capacity; Brooklyn, NY
• Racket NYC - 650 capacity; Manhattan, NY
• Webster Hall - 1,350 capacity; Manhattan, NY
• Brooklyn Steel - 1,800 capacity; Brooklyn, NY
• Terminal 5 - 2,800 capacity; Manhattan, NY
• Forest Hills Stadium - 13,000 capacity; Queens, NY

Bowery Boston

Bowery Presents moved to Boston, Massachusetts in April 2010 when the company signed a long-term deal with The Royale to be the sole presenter of live music at the nightclub/music venue. Bowery opened a small office in Boston to run the venue and to book events for larger spaces. Since 2010, Bowery has opened The Sinclair and hired the two promoters of TT the Bear's and Great Scott. The promoters work in conjunction with Bowery Presents to bring events to Great Scott and TT the Bear's, as well as The Royale and The Sinclair.

• The Royale is a 1,000 person capacity venue in downtown Boston. It was the company's first space outside of the New York region.
• The Sinclair is a live-music venue and restaurant launched in the winter of 2013 in Cambridge. The live music space accommodates 525 people with plans to host 200 shows annually, while the restaurant will seat 104 and will be open seven days a week. The Sinclair is the first restaurant that the company will work with.
• Great Scott is a venue in Allston, MA with a capacity of about 240 people.

Great Scott closed in 2020 during the pandemic, but has plans to reopen in 2026.

Other notable venues

• Union Transfer, opened originally in 1889 as the Spring Garden Farmer's Market, is a live music and entertainment venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After going through several changes over the years, the venue was renovated through a joint venture between R5 Productions, Four Corners Management, and The Bowery Presents in 2011. At capacity, it holds up to about 1100 for standing room.
• Franklin Music Hall, formerly known as Electric Factory, in Philadelphia.
• State Theatre is a historic live music venue in downtown Portland, Maine. Opened in the winter of 1929, the theatre has been host to several acts. It reopened in 2010 after an agreement to renovate the property between Alex Crothers from Higher Ground in Burlington, Vermont and The Bowery Presents. At capacity, it holds between 1,450 and 1,610 patrons.

References

References

1. Sisario, Ben. (2017-01-30). "In New York Music Scene, Two Behemoths Vie for the Top". The New York Times.
2. "The Bowery Presents".
3. "Montclair's Wellmont Theatre: Live Nation takes over for Bowery Presents". NJ.com.
4. "Webster Hall's Song of Freedom: New York Makes Most of Indie Status". Billboard.
5. "AEG Live to Acquire Bowery Presents". Billboard.
6. "Bowery Ballroom + Mercury Lounge and Live Nation form Mercury East Presents".
7. (2007-11-28). "The House That the Bowery Boys Built | NYPress.com – New York's essential guide to culture, arts, politics, news and more". NYPress.com.
8. Sisario, Ben. (2007-06-07). "Bowery Presents – Concert Industry – Music – New York Times". [[The New York Times]].
9. The Bowery Presents Expands Into N.J.
10. Sisario, Ben. (2017-08-02). "Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge Split From Concert Promoter Bowery Presents". The New York Times.
11. Sisario, Ben. (2010-03-09). "The Bowery in Boston". The New York Times.
12. [http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/09/the_bowery_pres_1.html – Brooklyn Vegan]
13. [http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/onthedownload/archive/2012/08/21/bowery-presents-expands-in-boston-hires-carl-lavin-and-josh-smith-of-cq-presents.aspx Bowery Presents Expands In Boston Hires Carl Lavin and Josh Smith of CQ Presents-The Phoenix]
14. [http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/onthedownload/archive/2012/09/04/bowery-announces-the-sinclair-harvard-square-s-525-person-rock-club-104-seat-michael-schlow-restaurant.aspx Bowery announces the Sinclair: Harvard Square's 525-person rock club + 104-seat Michael Schlow restaurant-The Phoenix — ]
15. [https://www.boston.com/names/2012/09/04/michael-schlow-and-the-bowery-presents-team-open-harvard-square-club/Ou7OpIBozOAYGFL2U9IdNM/story.html -Boston.com]
16. [http://www.sonicbids.com/Opportunity/OpportunityView.aspx?opportunity_id=10031 – Sonic Bids]
17. (2011-01-29). "DAVID K. O'NEIL | International Market Consultant". Davidkoneil.com.
18. (2011-09-28). "Union Transfer: New concert venue on Spring Garden Street opens | philadelphiaheights". Philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com.
19. Amorosi, A. D.. (2018-09-12). "Bowery Presents Purchases Philadelphia's Electric Factory, Which Will Have to Change Its Name".
20. [http://www.portlandmonthly.com/portmag/2009/11/who-kidnapped-the-state-theatre/ – Who Kidnapped The State?]
21. [http://bangordailynews.com/detail/144443.html]{{dead link. (November 2012)
22. Zema, Kegan. (2011-01-12). "Guide to The State Theatre – The Maine Campus". Mainecampus.com.