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About THE FILM
In the summer of 2016, New York City lost a beloved and influential hub of independent music culture. Other Music--located on East 4th Street between Broadway and Lafayette in the heart of Manhattan's East Village neighborhood--was more than just a store that sold CDs, records, tapes and magazines. It was a place where bands were formed, record labels were born and careers were launched. And it was THE place where a generation of New Yorkers at the dawn of the Internet age went to discover groundbreaking music by artists who would go on to become household names and underground icons: Animal Collective, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, the National, Interpol, TV On The Radio, Regina Spektor, William Basinski and countless others.
With more and more record stores, book stores and video stores closing everywhere, the communities that have built up around shops like Other Music are slowly dissipating and migrating to online forums. Nowadays most people are streaming music online rather than purchasing it digitally to download, much less going to stores to buy physical media. As the music industry continues to move in that direction and community hubs like Other Music struggle to remain in existence, we think it is important to celebrate what spaces like these have meant to people in the past-- and how their spirit can live on in an increasingly digital world.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller are a married couple and directing/producing team who met in New York City and recently relocated to Los Angeles. As directors they've helmed music videos for artists including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Aimee Mann, Martin Courtney (Real Estate) and Leverage Models Feat. Sharon Van Etten. Puloma and Rob have also produced numerous music videos alongside director Tom Scharpling (The Best Show, Scharpling & Wurster) for artists such as The New Pornographers, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Titus Andronicus, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service) and Kurt Vile. Puloma & Rob directed and produced the first season of the standup comedy series Night Train With Wyatt Cenac for NBC's Seeso platform. And they are two of the filmmakers behind the feature-length soul music documentary Syl Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows.
Greg King (Editor) is a filmmaker, artist and musician based out of Los Angeles, CA. He is the editor of the documentary City Of Gold, about the Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold. Greg was also a member of the indie-classical ensemble rachel's, and toured with the band from 1995 to 2006 across the US, Canada, and Europe.
Amy Scott (Editor) is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She has been making films, shorts and music videos for over twelve years. Her feature-length directorial debut Hal celebrates the life and work of director Hal Ashby and premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
DIRECTORs’ STATEMENT
When we first heard Other Music was closing, we were devastated. We both have a deep connection to the store. Rob is an ex-staff member, and Puloma was a longtime customer and a friend to many people at the store. Other Music was a place where we both learned a lot about music, were introduced to New York City culture, and gained a second family in a daunting new city. Through our ties to Other Music we met each other, got married, and became filmmaking partners. We are so honored to be able to tell the story of a place that was so special to us and to our life in New York City, as it was to so many other people around the world. We hope our film further cements Other Music's legacy as one of New York City's most important musical landmarks, and inspires people around the world to keep its spirit alive.