CT 2 NYC Promotions

I was born and raised in Connecticut but I have made my home in Brooklyn New York for many years and I have to tell you that Connecticut needs to represent here in New York City. There is a reason why they call CT the "Third Unheard" in the tri-state area. CT artists need to promote more. Come to NYC on the weekend and make connections, meet artists, trade shows, etc.. I love Connecticut with all my heart that is why I wrote this guide to encourage more artist's to come to the city to promote.8.5 million people live in New York, 16 million if you include all of the suburbs, and every year over 40 million tourists come to NYC from all over the world. Regardless if you are a hip hop artist, reggae artist, reggaeton artist, or rock artist you need to spend time here promoting your music. New York is the entertainment capital of the world!If you live in CT than New York is basically in your backyard. It doesn't take long to drive there and it is even easier to take public transportation to get there. I will provide you with some information on how to get there and where to go when you get there. Stand up Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, Norwalk, New London, Stamford, Torrington, New Britain, Norwich, Danbury, and Willimantic!**********How to get there:**************************------------------EASTERN CT:------------------------------- The cheapest option are the chinatown busses that go to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Some of them are $10 roundtrip. These things run all the time. Make sure to find out where they are bringing you in NYC, many go to the Chinatown in Manhattan, but some go to Flushing Queens(the chinatown of queens), and others go to Sunset Park in Brooklyn.You can take the train from New London. During the workweek you can take the shoreline east commuter train to New Haven and then transfer to Metro-North and take that into Manhattan. On the weekend you have to take the amtrak train from New London to New Haven and then transfer to the Metro-North train at New Haven. It is possible to take the amtrak train all the way to NYC but it is too expensive.-----------------------CENTRAL CT:--------------------------------------------- Hartford area: Two options, you can drive to the train station in New Haven, leave your car there and take the train in(most metro-north stations have free parking on the weekend, I'm not sure about New Haven, if they don't just drive to Milford). The second option is to take the bus from union station downtown(www.peterpanbus.com). They leave just about every hour and they will take you to the bus station in Manhattan. You can also take amtrak train from union station to New Haven and then transfer to the metro-north train.--------------------------------WATERBURY AREA: ---------------------------------------- If you don't have a car you can take the train from Waterbury, it is cheap on the weekend about $13 one way. The train will take you to Bridgeport where you have to change trains. Check the schedule because the train to Waterbury only leaves a few times a day. IF you have a car you could drive to either Bridgeport or Brewster NY and take the train from there. You can also take the bus from Waterbury to Port Authority in Manhattan(www.peterpanbus.com).--------------------------NOR THWEST CT:------------------------------------- The Harlem line of Metro-North is about five minutes away from the New York/CT border almost all the way to Massachusetts. Or it may be easier for you to drive to Waterbury/Naugatuck and take Metro-North from there. For more frequent service drive past Danbury to Brewster NY and take the train from there.------------------New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford, Danbury:--------------------- You already know how to get there so I won't waste any time.-----------------------DRIVING INTO THE CITY:------------------------------- On the weekend this can often be the fastest way to get to NYC, the problem is if you are going to Manhattan you have to park your car someplace and that can be expensive. IF you do drive listen to one of the am radio stations(like 1010) for the frequent traffic reports so you know what highway to avoid if possible. Another option if driving is to park outside of Manhattan and take public transportation there. In Queens close to the 74th street stop for the E/f/7 train you can park on the street or there are a few lots, then take the E or F train into Manhattan(these are express trains you will get to Manhattan in about 10 minutes).--------------------GETTING AROUND NYC:------------------------------Google maps will be your best friend. If you zoom in you can see the subway stops.The easiest way to get around the city is the subway. If you take Metro-North into the city you will end up at Grand Central on 42nd street and Lexington avenue. Inside Grand Central go to the Main Concourse and you will see signs to get to the subway, buy your metrocard($2 a ride) at the machine and then you can enter the subway.If you take the bus to the city you will end up in Port Authority on 42nd street and 8th avenue in Times Square. To get to the subway take the escalator to the bottom floor and you will see the entrance to the subway.The subway is very safe and easy to use once you get used to it, my only advice is don't block the doors so other people can't get on. Also, if it is the weekend check the service advisory because they need to do maintenance on the tracks so sometimes they skip stops, they post on their website the week before so you can plan ahead. www.mta.info----------------------------------------------WH ERE TO GO:---------------------------Before you go make sure your promo flyers and cds look good and you have enough them.Times Square is a popular place, I always see hip hop artist giving away free promo cd's there, right around 42nd street and Broadway. Another busy area with a lot of people is 34th street between 7th avenue and 6th avenue, but beware because most people here are in a hurry to get to their train at Penn Station. Another busy area is Union Square which is a small park on 14th street and Park avenue, there are many stores surrounding the park so it is always full of people. You can take the 4/5/6 train from Grand Central or N/R/Q/W from Port Authority to get there. Canal Street(Chinatown) is also a very busy street, take the 6 train from Grand Central or N/R/Q/W from Times Square.If you want to promote in Brooklyn a major transit/shopping zone is at the Atlantic/Pacific street stop. You can take the 2/3/4/5/q/n/r/d train to get there. I beleive if you follow the signs to get to LIRR you will also get to the entrance to the mall which is above the subway station.---------Hip Hop artists--------------- should head to Fat Beats record store 406 6th Avenue between west 8th street and west 9th street. Take the F or V train to 14th street and walk south five blocks.-----------------Reggaeton artists----------------------- can gain access to a huge Latino community in Queens by taking the 7 train from times square or Grand Central to the 74th street stop. Leave the train station and walk on Roosevelt Boulevard(you will be walking underneath the train). You can walk all the way to 103rd street if you want, the busiest intersections are 82nd street and Junction blvd. There are a ton of restaurants, music stores, clubs, and people everywhere.--------------------Reggae artists---------------------- should head to Flatbush in Brooklyn to access part of the huge West Indian community in New York. Take the 2 or 5 train to the Brooklyn College/Flatbush avenue stop(the last stop) walk around on Flatbush Ave you will find many restaurants, barber shops, etc..where you can promote.Outside of clubs is another good place to promote. If you are over 21 and you want to enjoy the club remember bars are open until 4:00 am in the city. The first train to New Haven Saturday morning is 5:30am, so when the club closes at 4:00, head to a 24 hour restaurant grab a bite and then head to the train station. You better find info about this stuff before you go because you DON'T want to wander Manhattan 4:00 in the morning drunk! Consider taking a cab to the train to avoid being on the street, and never be on the street alone at that time of night.There are two large concert venues in Times Square that have concerts with all types of music from death metal to hip hop to reggae to reggaeton etc... Check their schedule for a concert with a similar type of music as the music you create and go hang out in front of the venue and give people your promo material before they go to the show.www.mta.info--------www.peterpanbus.com-----------www.n okiatheatrenyc.com------------www.bbkingblues.com----------- -