From small and intimate places to large arenas, there are many great music venues in New York City.
If you love music a lot, then NYC is a great place to be as there are plenty of places where you can listen to amazing live music. And what’s more fun and relaxing than enjoying great music after exploring the city and seeing the sights for a while?
To help you decide where to go when you’re in the city, I made this guide to the best music venues in NYC. At these venues, you can listen to many genres of music.
Best Music Venues in New York City
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is one of the most iconic venues in the city that you can find in Midtown Manhattan and it is located at 881 Seventh Avenue.
The building dates back to the year 1891 and was built by Andrew Carnegie, a famous industrialist. Moreover, the building is designated a National Historic Landmark and it has a beautiful interior design.
This music venue is one of the most prestigious places for classical and pop music in the world, and many famous musicians have performed here in the past.
Throughout the year, more than 200 performances take place at Carnegie Hall and these performances are incredible to attend. The music venue organizes concerts, dance performances, opera shows, and many other types of events.
Address: 881 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Radio City Music Hall
Another one of the most iconic music venues in New York City is the Radio City Music Hall. You can find this venue at 1260 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan and it is within the Rockefeller Center.
This venue has a beautiful Art Deco style and on the outside of the venue, two iconic signs can be seen with the same of the venue.
Lots of performances have taken place at the Radio Music Hall in the past and this venue also hosted well-known award shows, such as the Tony Awards.
Nowadays, Radio City Music Hall is home to a large variety of concerts, and there are also comedy shows and live theater shows.
It is also possible to do interesting guided tours at the Radio City Music Hall during which you can learn about the venue.
Address: 1260 6th Ave, New York, NY 10020
The Cutting Room
The Cutting Room is a nightclub with an intimate atmosphere that can be found on East 32nd Street.
In the past, very famous artists have performed here, including David Bowie, Sting, Lady Gaga, and John Mayer.
Moreover, this music venue has beautiful decor and you can get great food and drinks at The Cutting Room.
Address: 44 E 32nd St, New York, NY 10016
The Rooftop at Pier 17
Looking for a unique music venue in New York City? Then, you can check out The Rooftop at Pier 17. This is a concert venue where you can listen to great music while you enjoy a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline at the same time.
One can enjoy concerts of many different types of genres of music here, including music by very famous artists.
Attending a concert here is an experience you’ll never forget because it is so unique.
Pier 17 also has restaurants where you can enjoy incredible food after or before you attend a concert here. Also, there are many spots at this pier where you can enjoy views.
Address: 89 South St, New York, NY 10038
Chelsea Music Hall
The Chelsea Music Hall is a music venue that is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City in the basement of Chelsea Market.
The Chelsea Music Hall is a wonderful venue for concerts by live bands and DJs and doesn’t focus on one type of music genre in particular. This means that there are concerts here for everyone’s liking.
Besides that, other types of events take place at the Chelsea Music Hall, such as comedy shows.
You can also combine going to a concert here with checking out Chelsea Market, which is a food market with artisan chefs and farmers. You can get incredible food and drinks here.
Address: 407 W 15th St, New York, NY 10011
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden is also one of the most famous music venues and is located in Midtown Manhattan.
A very diverse set of events take place at this venue, such as sports events, ice shows, boxing shows, and other entertainment. Moreover, Madison Square Garden hosts concerts by some of the most famous musicians in the world, and the venue is the most popular venue for famous musicians in the city.
In the past, Elon John, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, and many other artists performed here. Nowadays, the venue is still one of the best for attending a concert by some of the world’s most well-known musicians.
Address: 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001
Rockwood Music Hall
Want to listen to great new artists in an intimate setting? Then, the Rockwood Music Hall, located at 196 Allen Street, is a music venue in NYC to check out for you.
This live music venue has a cool interior and vibe and is a great place to discover new music.
There are three stages at the Rockwood Music Hall, and lots of great concerts take place at each stage.
In addition to that, the music hall has good bartenders and you can get amazing drinks at the Rockwood Music Hall.
What’s nice too is that this music venue is open 7 days per week, so whenever you want to listen to music in New York City, you can go here.
Address: 196 Allen St, New York, NY 10002
Webster Hall
Webster Hall is also a great music venue that you can go to. You can find this music venue near Astor Place in East Village.
This music venue is located in a beautiful Queen Anne-style building that dates back to the year 1886.
Throughout the years, very diverse concerts have taken place here, and many famous musicians perform at the venue nowadays.
In the past, Linkin Park, John Mayer, Capital Cities, and many others performed at Webster Hall.
Address: 125 E 11th St, New York, NY 10003
Sony Hall
Sony Hall, located in Midtown New York City, is one of the most famous live music venues in NYC. Concerts from all kinds of music genres take place at Sony Hall, such as jazz music.
You can enjoy good music here, and the venue focuses on technology to provide people with an amazing music experience.
What’s great is that although the space looks a lot like what it looked like in 1938, it also features the latest technologies for incredible-sounding music.
Besides that, many other types of events take place here. For example, you can often attend comedy acts at Sony Hall.
What’s great about this venue as well is that all live performances can be recorded using 4K remote cameras.
Address: 235 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater, or The Appolo as it is more commonly known, is a beautiful and iconic music venue.
The music hall is located at 253 West 125th Street in Upper Manhattan, and it is known for its amazing African-American performers. One can enjoy incredible concerts here!
Furthermore, the building of the theater itself is beautiful. It is a building that was opened in the year 1913 and was made in a neo-Classical style. In addition to that, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Address: 253 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027
Kaufmann Concert Hall
The Kaufmann Concert Hall is a music venue that is located on the Upper East Side where you can attend a lot of great performances. It is a great place for a night full of entertainment
The events that take place at this venue are very diverse. For example, you might go to a concert with classical music at the Kaufmann Concert Hall. Or you can attend a film screening at the Kaufmann Concert Hall.
What’s great is that the acoustics of this concert hall are very good and that the music venue has a very intimate atmosphere!
Address: 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128
Terminal 5
Another very iconic music venue is Terminal 5, which is located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.
Terminal 5 is a venue that is operated by The Bowery Presents, like several other venues in the city, such as the Webster Hall and Brooklyn Steal.
Terminal 5 used to be a nightclub, but nowadays it is a live music venue where a variety of shows takes place.
The venue has a capacity of 3,000 people, and the concerts at this place are of many different music genres and well-known musicians perform at Terminal 5.
Address: 610 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Music Hall of Williamsburg, also operated by The Bowery Presents, is a live music venue that can be found in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. The Music Hall of Williamsburg used to be the rock club Northsix.
You can go to this standing-room-only venue and enjoy great live music most days of the week.
Moreover, the venue has a capacity of 650 people.
At this music venue, you can enjoy great live music by up-and-coming rocks bands and this is a great place to discover new music when you are in New York City.
Address: 66 N 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza is a music venue that is located in the Union Square neighborhood in Manhattan.
It is a ballroom-style music venue where you can enjoy great concerts. Lots of different artists perform here, including up-and-coming artists, so this is a great place to discover new music. And concerts of all sorts of genres of music take place here.
The venue has a wonderful intimate atmosphere and is very centrally located in the city.
Also, Irving Plaza has several bars where you can get unique drinks, including beers from local breweries.
Address: 17 Irving Pl, New York, NY 10003
The Gramercy Theatre
The Gramercy Theatre is also one of the most famous music venues in NYC. This venue is located in Manhattan’s Gramercy neighborhood and has a capacity of 650 people.
The Gramercy Theatre is a historic venue that dates back to the year 1937, and the building itself has a beautiful Streamline Moderne architectural style. Through the years, the venue was a movie theater, a playhouse, and a concert venue.
At The Gramercy Theatre, you can nowadays enjoy very good concerts, and lots of famous musicians perform here, such as Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. Also, other types of events, such as comedy shows take place at the theater.
Address: 127 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010
Blue Note Jazz Club
Do you like jazz music? Then, you’ll certainly love going to the Blue Note Jazz Club. This is a famous jazz music venue that is located in Greenwich Village.
The Blue Note Jazz Club has been operating since the year 1981 and in the past lots of famous jazz musicians performed at the jazz club. The club continues to be a place to enjoy some of the world’s best jazz music, and you can also enjoy other music genres here, such as R&B, funk, and hip-hop.
What’s great is that you can go to this venue every night of the week to listen to amazing music, and no night at the club is the same.
Address: 131 W 3rd St, New York, NY 10012
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New York City Music Venues Tips
Keep in mind that if you want to go to a show at one of the NYC music venues, you often need to buy a ticket far in advance. So if there’s a concert that you really want to attend, make sure to buy tickets!
Music Venues in NYC Map
As you see, there are many great music venues in New York City. I hope I helped you decide where to go!