J. Crew inked the largest relocation deal of 2018 with its commitment to Brookfield Place and, along with McKinsey & Company, led the pack of 26 new Lower Manhattan tenants relocating to Lower Manhattan and taking 25,000+ sq. ft. of space. These tenants represented eight industries and showed a dramatic diversification over the previous year where large relocations were dominated by three industries (see illustration). The diversification of Lower Manhattan’s largest tenants has been a growing trend and closely mirrors the overall market transformation.
“It was an incredible year in Lower Manhattan,” said Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin. “We saw a number of new high profile companies like McKinsey, Casper, and Nike choosing to relocate to Lower Manhattan and many more current tenants like Omnicom and BMI choosing to stay. It’s clear that this neighborhood has arrived as a place where companies across all industries want to be located.”
While the opening of 3 World Trade Center introduced significant availability to the Lower Manhattan market in 2018, the neighborhood continued to see high demand – resulting in the largest quarterly drop in the vacancy rate since the second quarter of 2014 as the market tightened to 10.8 percent at year’s end.
Retail in Lower Manhattan also continued to grow in 2018 with a total of 95 new stores and restaurants. Nearly 60 full-service dining restaurants, casual eateries and nightlife spots across a variety of cuisines and price points opened this year, including Sola Lab, Brooklyn Chop House, and Don Wagyu. Lower Manhattan also welcomed new and unique hotel brands to the market, including two concepts that are entirely new to New York City. The neighborhood’s inventory is now home to 7,700 rooms, representing an incredible breadth of options for both the business and leisure traveler.
Sometimes, things work out exactly how they’re supposed to.
Singer/songwriters Maggie Rogers and Andy Seltzer never planned to work with each other. Rogers was already amassing a steady following via her homegrown blend of soulful, folk-inspired electronic pop. Seltzer, meanwhile, had cut his teeth and honed his chops in teenage punk bands, but his musical ambitions found him wanting to do, explore, produce and collaborate more. The pair was brought together by a networking initiative presented by the New York headquarters of their shared performing rights organization, BMI, called Speed Dating for Songwriters™.
Established in 2013, BMI’s Speed Dating for Songwriters™ initially began as a way to introduce and foster creativity among some of BMI’s most promising NYC-based songwriters, producers, and artists whose paths may not have otherwise crossed. Since then, the program has expanded to Los Angeles and Nashville, bringing together a number of BMI songwriters with the intention of establishing collaborative creative partnerships.
Rogers and Seltzer demonstrated an immediate chemistry that caught the BMI New York team’s attention and the duo was recruited to work on a song for another artist. But when that artist failed to materialize, the two music creators seized the opportunity to collaborate with each other. The end result was “Split Stones,” a shimmering slice of emotive pop that showcased both writers’ distinctive gifts. The track was so stirring, in fact, that The North Face ended up selecting it for placement in an advertising campaign, going so far as to even feature Rogers in the commercials.
BMI’s VP of Creative, NYC Samantha Cox sat down with Maggie Rogers and Andy Seltzer to discuss their inspiration, collaboration and the success of “Split Stones.”
How did you first get involved with BMI and what were your expectations when you were asked to participate in Speed Dating for Songwriters?
Maggie Rogers: I became a member of BMI while living in Boston, attending Berklee School of Music’s Five-Week Program. Becoming a member of a PRO seemed as good of a first step as any. I was looking to explore the world of co-writing and writing for other artists when a friend connected me to the New York team. I’m not actually sure what I thought would come out of it [Speed Dating for Songwriters]. I remember being really nerdy and over-prepared. I made a three-minute edit of a couple different songs so people could get a wider sense of where I came from [folk music] and what I was working on at the moment [electronic]. I maybe even brought business cards? I was definitely the first person there.
Andy Seltzer: I think I had randomly signed my pop-punk band up in high school when I was 16 without knowing what the company truly did. It wasn’t until I had moved to New York City in 2015, [that I met the New York team]. I showed up with a messenger bag of my college demos, and [they] sat with me for hours talking and getting to know me. I consider them family and they’ve been my core and life support in the city ever since! As for Speed Dating for Songwriters, I was nervous and intimidated imagining myself in a room showcasing my music individually to 10-15 other songwriters, but excited at a new opportunity to meet a new set of writers with a shared goal of keeping the New York City music scene alive. For some context, I was running late from my internship in midtown, and everyone was waiting to start when I got there. I didn’t have time to prepare a playlist of my music, so I gaged what songs I would play within the first minute or so of meeting each writer. Everybody there was so open and supportive, and it solidified my feeling that BMI was going to become a second family to me. I met Maggie Rogers that night, as well as close friends like Jess Carvo, Micky Blue, Totem, Carter Matschullat, and Rob Grimaldi whom I still talk and work with to this day.
How does the process of songwriting differ when you’re co-writing?
MR: I’m pretty particular about lyrics and love being involved in the production. If I’m co-writing for my own project, I usually like to get in the studio and start playing around with a beat or a chord progression. Once there’s a solid idea going, I’ll usually find a way in through melody and the lyrics come pretty quickly from there. To be completely honest, I haven’t really done too much songwriting for other people, but it’s something I’d really love to do. I can imagine I would be much less precious about lyrics, or rather just work to structure them in someone else’s voice and within someone else’s narrative instead of stressing my own.
AS: When I’m co-writing as opposed to writing alone, at its core I feel the added responsibility to put my best self forward and to be there for the other writer in the room, because suddenly it’s not about me anymore, it’s about creating a song out of thin air with another person. Co-writing is a very in-the-moment feeling, and the accountability of not wanting to let the other person down causes me to get out of my head and not be so precious with holding onto ideas, which in return, I think, causes me to open up and come up with different kinds of melodies/lyrics I wouldn’t have thought of alone! When I’m alone, I can be inconsistent — either bursts of a full song or only two lines of a verse. I’ll write about things so deeply personal that I get caught in tunnel vision and very in my head, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but just difficult for me to be as objective. My foundation as a person has always gravitated towards being a supporting role — growing up, I was the bassist in bands, and my day-to-day role as a producer is to do my absolute best to see an artist’s vision through. When I’m co-writing, I take that sentiment and usually am the one asking the other writer what’s been going on in their life, and bouncing ideas and concepts off of deep conversation and listening to their stories. Co-writing takes a lot of empathy and openness, and when both people have that mixed with a willingness to create, the room becomes a safe haven for a great song to be written.
What was the songwriting process like with each other?
MR: When I think of Andy as a collaborator, the first word that comes to mind is selfless. His work is completely in service of the artist he’s working with and the story they’re trying to tell. Andy is one of the most compassionate and generous people I’ve ever worked with.For us, “Split Stones” started with two sound samples I brought in; one of my breath that I had recorded while hiking in Oregon, and the other of two sticks against an empty silo across from my family’s house in Maryland. Andy and I started working them into the beat you hear in the intro of the song. Once that was settled, he picked up the guitar and started playing the song’s progression; I started writing the first verse.
The song was done by the end of the day. In between verses, Andy talked me through the story I was telling, asking about the root of the person and the experience I was trying to get on paper. He earned my trust quickly and has kept it wholeheartedly. I think Andy and I will be friends for a long, long time. Something worth noting after the speed dating session, Andy and I were actually paired to work together with and for another artist, but she never showed up to the session. Sometimes, things work out exactly how they’re supposed to.
AS: Maggie is a jack-of-all-trades and incredibly gifted musician — she writes, produces, and is a multi-instrumentalist, so my first thought was what my best role could be writing with her that day and how I could support her vision. She has an uncanny sense of herself, intuitive, and as real as it gets when in conversation, which made me feel comfortable and inspired to write with someone who shared an equal passion for art. She had just gotten back from a trip, and collected a ton of cool environment sounds with her field recorder — including the sound of a stick stuck rattling in a windmill and the sounds of her breathing while meditating. The first thing she suggested was if we could try sampling these sounds and possibly turn them into a drum loop. Within a few minutes of tweaking, quantizing, and experimenting, the windmill-turned-drums became the first blip of “Split Stones,” and she pulled out her notebook and immediately began writing the lyrics out by hand while I arranged out the drums and added some chordal structure.
I don’t remember us talking to each other much in those hours because we were both so in the zone until it came time to demo out the vocals. She had something personal to her life she wanted to write about that day, so instead of chiming in, I made sure to make myself available as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of when needed. It was an inspiring day, to say the least, and we both felt proud of how honest and natural the song felt for having just met each other.
How did you feel when you heard it was going to be used in that ad?
MR: Definitely a pretty wild feeling. I’ve never done anything in the ad space and this is definitely…in the ad space. I’m still trying to figure out how much of that kind of stuff I want to do, but when it came to the North Face ad, I’m a really big fan of the athletes in the video; Jimmy Chin, Emily Harrington, Alex Honnold. Seeing them in their element, in all of these beautiful, natural spaces – it’s amazingly inspiring and an honor to have my craft intertwined with theirs.
AS: I think Maggie and I shared the same determination, openness, and curiosity that day to experiment and create a new sound together. I didn’t sense any pressure or goal other than to try writing and see what happens. Maggie told me it was going to be featured in a North Face ad backstage at her sold-out show at Brooklyn Steel — in that moment, I had just seen her perform a song we wrote in my bedroom only a year prior now to 1,800 people, so I was filled to the brim with pride and happiness for my friend.
My initial reaction to the ad was excitement that something tangible, let alone a huge brand, had validated our song. I then became afraid and skeptical because I was so proud of the song itself that I didn’t want anything else clouding its release, and I wanted the “Split Stones” to stand on its own with the purpose we intended and not associated with another brand or vision other than Maggie’s. However, once I saw the ad, I thought it was understated, seamless, cool, and the number of people who discovered “Split Stones” first because of the ad’s reach gave me perspective that it was a helpful force to facilitate our reach of the song.
Andy, you’ve just signed a publishing deal with Warner-Chappell. What are you currently working on?
AS: In the first month of being signed to Warner/Chappell, I’ve been in writing sessions and working on demos with Hailey Knox, Kimbra, Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees, Sophie Beem, All Time Low, Wes Period, Katy Tiz, Jacob Sartorius, T.O. Speers, Alice Kristiansen, and James A.M. Downes. I have singles coming out this fall with Zuri Marley and Penguin Prison which I’m really excited about and can’t wait for everyone to hear!
Maggie, it’s been rumored that you’re stepping away from the limelight in the wake of “Split Stones”? What is your next chapter?
MR: I’ve taken the past couple months to just be very, very quiet and very, very still. Daily dates with the collected works of Joan Didion and Virginia Woolf, long walks and phone calls with friends — it’s been the first bit of processing I’ve done all year. So much has changed for me since graduating from college and with the pace of things, I started to find that I was having difficulty remembering things or having a moment of wonder at all of it. I’ve taken a good chunk of time to find my feet again, to have new vision. Now, I’m just so overjoyed at the idea of writing and creating again. And so the cycle continues!
In my role as Assistant Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI, Broadcast Music, Inc., here in New York, I have endless opportunities to see, hear and experience live music in its rawest, purest forms. While the perception of performance rights organizations like BMI might be that we simply deal with music licensing and collect royalties, we actually do a whole lot more. In addition to protecting the rights and livelihoods of our affiliates, BMI also strives to serve as a nurturer, mentor, counselor and facilitator to our songwriters through countless initiatives, showcases, workshops and other events. One of the greatest aspects of my job is helping cultivate environments in which songwriters can hone their craft, collaborate and flourish. Just recently, I got to oversee just such a project.
In honor of “New York Music Month” this past June, BMI hosted a weeklong songwriting camp at The Patch House, a supportive and creative space for touring musicians in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Bringing together emerging songwriters and producers from New York, Los Angeles and Nashville, the camp provided a unique opportunity for its participants to establish creative bonds and fruitful working relationships with each other through daily writing and recording sessions. From all over the genre-spectrum, these writers and producers aligned in a relaxed environment to share their skills, their music and potentially craft the next big hit.
While previous sessions of this songwriting camp have been more open-ended, this year, our participants were tasked with a specific mission to write a song for buzzworthy pop singer/songwriter Fletcher. Campers like former Cage the Elephant member and producer Lincoln Parish, newcomer Andrew Seltzer, who has recorded songs with Maggie Rogers and has a collaboration with Mickey Blue in the works, and “Say Something” songwriter Mike Campbell got right on the task. In the process, writers Campbell and Seltzer forged a musical rapport that may pave the way towards future collaboration. Only good things came of these types of pairings.
The Patch House songwriters camp is only one of BMI’s many programs of this kind. Another great initiative is our Speed Dating for Songwriters series, which is a regular workshop that similarly pits up-and-coming songwriters, producers and artists together in a rapid-fire speed dating structure, enabling communication, inspiration, collaboration and instant feedback in quick, limited sessions.
It may sound fast – and it is – but hit songs have come out of it, notably “Don’t Need Permission,” Meg Mac’s hit single, co-written by Tye James, Julie Hardy and Mike MacAllister. There’s also BMI’s Acoustic Lounge series at the Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East Side, a weekly showcase for BMI songwriters to play their music in front of a live audience. By both tapping into the rich heritage of New York City’s legendary music scene and bringing together incredible new talent, I’d like to think BMI is helping cultivate the next great generation of music creators.
When the average person hears “BMI,” they likely cringe because they start thinking about their “body mass index” and the need to get into better shape. When the average songwriter hears “BMI,” they likely smile, thinking of the royalty checks that the Broadcast Music, Inc. sends them a few times each year. One of three major performing rights organizations — or “PROs,” for short — BMI collects performance royalties of songs on behalf of songwriters and music publishers. It has been doing that since 1939 and some of the major artists that it currently represents are Adele, Taylor Swift, Pitbull, twenty one pilots, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Maroon 5.
Samantha Cox joined BMI in 1996 as an intern. 20 years later, she is the Assistant Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations for BMI’s New York office. Beyond maintaining relationships with BMI affiliates worldwide and coordinating songwriter nights, showcases and seminars, Samantha is the day-to-day contact for thousands of BMI-affiliated writers. As part of her BMI responsibilities, she has worked directly with Lady Gaga, My Chemical Romance, Bebe Rexha, Ke$ha, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to name only a few major artists. BMI had a stage at this year’s Lollapalooza, which Samantha was involved with, as featuring Flatbush Zombies, PVRIS, SoMo and LANco. Upcoming BMI-related events she is involved with include the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the recurring BMI Acoustic Lounge in New York, and LouFest in St. Louis.
Downtown caught up Samantha, a long-time resident of lower Manhattan, for some Q&A. Her employer, BMI, can be tracked on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, in addition to keeping a comprehensive website at www.bmi.com.
Samantha Cox with Halsey at Lollapalooza 2015
Growing up, was it always your goal to work in the music industry? Or did you have artistic aspirations?
Samantha Cox: I always loved music and child education. My mother ran a daycare, and I thought about becoming an elementary school teacher. If I had two lives, that’s what the other one would be doing now. But in the end, my love of music swept me up into the industry. I think of it as another way to reach kids.
Has BMI really been your only employer since college?
SC: Yes. I came to New York City right out of college and BMI gave me my start.
How did you wind up with an internship at BMI? I mean, most young people interested in the music industry seemed to be more interested in a job with a label, management company, or concert promoter, rather than something related to publishing…
SC: I grew up in Texas and went to SXSW every year. You make a lot of contacts there. So when I came to New York City, I networked, sent out resumes and ended up with two job offers — one from a publisher in the creative side, and one from BMI in the administration department. You can guess which one I chose!
I would have loved to work at the publishing company, but my gut told me BMI was the place to go. I felt like it was a place where I could grow and have the opportunity to learn about a part of the business most people do not understand. So I started in the Performing Rights department before eventually transferring to Writer/Publisher Relations. Looking back, I still believe I made the right decision.
What is a typical day like for you at BMI? Are you always in the office? At a gig or event a few nights a week?
SC: It’s pretty crazy. There is no typical day. Some days I’m in the office all day and out at night seeing live shows. Other days, I’m in the studio or taking meetings with people in the industry. I try to increase BMI’s market share, meaning I want to find the next Eminem and the next Lady Gaga, and I do that through my relationships with producers, labels, attorneys, managers, agents, songwriters, and musicians. We all turn each other on to new music.
When I start working with a songwriter, I try to grow with them. That means something different for each creative person that I work with. For some, it means listening to early demos, giving constructive feedback, and then setting up co-writing sessions and meetings when I know they’re ready. For others, I’m giving business advice and just looking out for their best interests, including consulting as they make decisions throughout their careers. I like to say it’s like I manage thousands of individual artists on a day-to-day basis.
Ultimately, I serve as the songwriters’ connector and a confidant. The songwriters I work with trust me to give honest, unbiased advice, and I work hard to maintain that level of real trust. The only bias I ever have is on their behalf—I always look out for what’s best for them in any given situation.
Samantha Cox and Lady Gaga at a 2007 BMI showcase
What is the most challenging part of your job?
SC: Technology has made my job more challenging! You no longer need access to a recording studio to make music –anyone can get on their laptop, write a song, and want to sign up with BMI. I would say that over the past 10 years, this has dramatically increased the volume of songwriters who affiliate with BMI and want my help with launching their careers. Also, the music industry as a whole is changing fast. Traditional ways of buying and listening to music have been replaced in the digital age, and that’s a huge challenge, but we are also in a very exciting time. We’re being asked to see into the future and to predict how the changes will affect songwriters, and that’s virtually-impossible.
Is there something that you wish more people knew about BMI?
SC: A lot of things, actually. We operate on a not-for-profit making basis, which means that our primary responsibility is to collect and distribute performance royalties for the benefit of the songwriter, not us. It’s a very complicated business that threatens to get more and more so, but we never lose sight of what we’re here to do. We’re here for the songwriter.
For someone looking to join BMI, is it still the same easy process of signing up online?
SC: Absolutely! All you have to do is visit www.bmi.com. We’ve made the process simple and streamlined. And if for any reason something isn’t self-explanatory, there’s always someone available to help.
In recent years, BMI has begun putting on more events, showcases and conferences. Are you involved with booking these events?
SC: Yes. Everyone on our Writer/Publisher Relations teams work together to make each event a success. I work on all kinds of events on the local side such as our monthly Acoustic Lounge, Speed Dating For Songwriters and songwriting camps, to national conferences like SXSW and CMJ, our yearly POP Awards in Los Angeles, and stages at major music festivals including Lollapalooza. You can read more about all of them at http://www.bmi.com/events/calendar.
What can you tell me about BMI’s stage at this year’s Lollapalooza? How did that opportunity come about?
SC: If you want to know what artists will be playing on the main stages next year, you’ll want to come to the BMI stage this year! Our stage showcases the best new artists before they become some of the biggest stars in the world. Whether it’s Lady Gaga, Neon Trees, Ke$ha, Halsey, Vic Mensa, Bebe Rexha, or Cage The Elephant, BMI brings the best new musical talent to the Lollapalooza audience first. This year is no exception with incredible artists like Secret Weapons, LANco, Sunflower Bean, and Flatbush Zombies further cementing BMI’s reputation for presenting artists today that everyone will be talking about tomorrow.
Are there any upcoming BMI events otherwise that are open to the public?
SC: Yes. One great event that BMI offers to the public is our BMI 101 workshop. It’s exactly what it sounds like — a one-hour introductory workshop for writers and publishers, covering the role that BMI plays in the music industry, basics of performing rights, and becoming a BMI affiliate. We also host a monthly Acoustic Lounge at the Rockwood on the Lower East Side that’s free and open to the public. It’s a fun event where we showcase some of BMI’s up-and-coming songwriters and people have the opportunity to discover new music.
You personally are a resident of Downtown Manhattan. When did you first move downtown?
SC: I’ve lived downtown since I came to New York City a little over 20 years ago, first in Chelsea and then in Tribeca. My daughter was born right around the time BMI moved its offices to 7 WTC, so it made sense to move closer to work so I could be nearer to her when she went to school.
What do you like most about living downtown?
SC: The energy. The people. And now that I’m a mom, it’s a great place for kids. It’s also a super easy commute to the East Village or Brooklyn where so much is happening in music.
Are there any upcoming downtown events or developments that have you particularly excited?
SC: I’m excited about City Vineyard officially opening up at Pier 26. I stopped by with a few friends for their soft opening in early July and had a great time.
Do you have a favorite downtown music venue?
SC: I spend most of my time on the lower east side at venues like Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Pianos and Rockwood Music Hall. They are all like my second homes.
When not busy with your work, how do you like to spend your free time?
SC: Free time? What’s that? In all seriousness, I like to spend time in the park with my family and have dinner with friends. I love Bar Cyrk in Tribeca and Pala on the Lower East Side.
Finally, Samantha, any last words for the kids?
SC: Like any business, you should take your relationships seriously, have a great work ethic, and learn from others. I always say, if you can just outlast everyone, you will eventually be successful in one way or another, whether it be as a songwriter, an artist or working in the business. Surround yourself with music, those who love music and don’t give up!
THE INFLUX OF NEW BUSINESSES AND FAMILIES HAS LED TO EXCITING NEW DEVELOPMENTS
By Luis Vazquez
Just a little more than a year ago, newspaper accounts were claiming that the growth of Downtown had been derailed by Superstorm Sandy. Now look how far we’ve come.
New industries have been pouring into Lower Manhattan, diversifying the commercial landscape and bringing more people looking for residential opportunities.
Long gone are the days when Downtown was dominated by the financial industry and the sidewalks were rolled up at 5:00 p.m. after the final call of the day. New businesses like Condé Nast, Splashlight Studios, AMI and BMI have brought a vibrant, young and family-focused workforce with them. The Fulton Center subway hub will open next summer as the city’s third largest train station after Penn and Grand Central Stations, serving 300,000 people daily.
All have helped to change the face of Lower Manhattan into a fully realized community.
“The Financial District and Lower Manhattan are in the midst of an exciting transformation period that will improve daily life for the growing number of residents, visitors and all New Yorkers,” says a spokesman for the Howard Hughes Corporation, which is in the midst of its own mixed-used redevelopment of the South Street Seaport with retail, hotel and condo facilities.
As a result, new construction is flourishing on a wide variety of projects that are as diverse as the people they are intended to serve. Just months ago, the doors swung open for the first time at 4 World Trade Center, and the soaring new 1 World Trade is scheduled to do the same next year.
New Diversity is a Development article in DOWNTOWN’s Spring 2014 edition. If you would like to continue reading the whole article, you can find it in our latest issue on newsstands now!
