Downtown Music Gallery

This place is awesome. If you like jazz and vinyl you will like this shop. Unilocal is making me type more so I can post the review.

I love this place. Highly recommended. Bruce is super knowledgeable and will kindly share his wisdom with just about anyone that walks in the door. (I watched him, as I spent hours carefully selecting a lovely Jazz record). If you are a collector and lover of music, do yourself a favor and check this place out. It will be worth your time.

We have been «taking advantage» of this INCREDIBLE music resource for years now. THIS SHOP IS THE BEST — A REAL TREASURE! Bruce Lee is the most knowledgeable person on the planet re the EXCITING musical avant-​garde. Plus, he has the best personality, sensitive and smart. What a great, unusual, creative venture!!!

great place, for music lovers, this place is a jem!

The best record store on the east coast. (I’ve never been to Amoeba)
A strong statement? Let me explain. Record stores, for the most part are no longer needed. We are now a pirating culture that doesn’t pay for anything any more. Well, that’s fine unless the music you’re looking for is too rare to be found through pirating. That’s why you HAVE TO go to the Downtown Music Gallery for all your avant-​garde/​experimental jazz/​noise/​neo-​klezmer etc needs. Let’s face it, if you want the entire Anthony Braxton discography, or the latest release on the Tzadik label, you’re gonna have to come here and buy it. I know what your’e thinking. «Sure but still I don’t need a store when I could just go to Amazon.» Yeah, and if it’s out of print, there will be some jerk on there selling his used copy for $ 50-​$ 120!!! Screw that guy. This store, through some divine miracle keeps the OUT OF PRINT avant/​jazz/​noise stuff you’re looking for!
The store is staffed by 2 guys who seemingly know everything which can be convenient. I don’t even live in NY. But I always have a small checklist in the back of my mind for things I need to go find at this store next time I’m in town.
By the way, not far away is a store called «Other music.» But Downtown Music Gallery is really where you go if you really need to find the real ‘other music.’

It’s a miracle this place is still in business, and it almost certainly won’t be for long.
I saw the high Unilocal rating (didn’t read all the reviews), and searched this place out today, expecting to pick up a rarity or two.
Unfortunately for whoever owns this place, running a record store involves more than just filling it with unusual stuff.
First, you have to accept payment. A $ 50 (or by some reports $ 100) minimum for credit card payments is absurd. I attempted to buy a CD – Lachenmann quartets – but was rebuffed because, like many NYers, I have a tendency to run out of, or simply not carry, cash. I know all about fees that merchants have to pay, etc, but the strictness of the policy and the insistence of the guy behind the counter suggest to me that the policy has less to do with merchant fees than it does with other, more significant financial considerations.
Second, you have to charge prices that bear some semblance to market prices. One example of many I saw while browsing this place: $ 18.99 for a used copy of a common recording of the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra that today is available new on Amazon for $ 13.18.
Third, you have to have a storefront. DMG does not have one. To get in or out of this place, you have to use a steep metal stairwell, which today was swarming with bees. On my way out, while attempting to avoid the bees, I hit my head on the (unmarked) low metal ceiling above the stairwell.
I’m disappointed I wasted my downtime on this dump. Don’t waste yours.

Smart, friendly service and very focused collection of new jazz and experimental composers. Also picked up some super rare shit like Harmonia and Roxy Music bootlegs from the 70s

It is a miracle they did not get flooded during Sandy. I thought for sure the place would be totally under water, as the basement across the street had water to the ceiling. But evidently DMG was «bone dry.» Glad to hear, as the neighborhood, and the City in general, needs more places like this.

Best music selection in New York City! They also have in-​store performances of people from locals and out of town. This is how a New York record store should be. Definitely check this place out!

If you are into avant-​garde music (jazz, post-​war classical, etc), mainstream jazz, downtown NYC music, new experimental music, etc. this is the place to go in NYC.
From Halvorson & Wooley types to Sun Ra, all the Tzadik releases, Cage, Partch, etc, jazz, Walter Weasel, Otomo Yoshihide, etc. You can some rock too.
They are really unpretentious for being so immersed in the scene and love helping you discover new music.

NOT a place to shop online. Others do everything better.
Placed last order several years ago, and found out over a week later they couldn’t get a copy.
Might be OK, if you’re in the store, otherwise, DMG was…
Selling illegal copies of, LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY while the Captain was dying: UNFORGIVABLE

For avant-​garde music, and particularly for the downtown NYC avant-​garde artists (John Zorn & friends, and other artists recording on Tzadik and similar types of labels), this is the Holy Grail. Being from Philadelphia I know how difficult it is to find CDs like Downtown’s stock, and I’m sure it’s the same elsewhere. The only other options I know are a few larger shops (eg, Amoeba in California, the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago and AKA Music in Philly) that have reasonable avant-​garde sections. Bruce and Manny are absolute authorities on this stuff, and I’ve often found a place to double-​park my car with someone in it (parking near the store is practically impossible to find) and ask one of them for something to fit a vague description of what fits my mood at the time. They’ve never let me down. Hopefully their mail-​order business will bring them enough money to keep the store open.
Another great feature of the store is that they have free in-​store performances by local performers and, while it’s pretty snug in there, this kind of thing is generally long gone elsewhere.
At least in the Northeast US (and probably in the entire US) «Downtown» has no rival. And, yeah, it’s kind of in no-man’s land, but it’s NYC’s Chinatown so if you go there hungry you can find a great little place to eat while you’re there.

Downtown Music Gallery is a challenging music store in a few ways.
The most obvious reason is due to its new location. Consider it a haul into no man’s land. You’ll have to take a metro into Chinatown, then hoof it for a few blocks and, ultimately, turn onto Monroe Street. Keep an eye out for the sign or you’ll walk right by it. Downtown Music Gallery definitely serves as a destination more than a casual drop in because one just happens to be in the neighborhood (i.e. Bleecker St.). Out on Monroe St., you’re not in the neighborhood — you’re lost.
Another challenge is making sure you get there when the place is open. I found out the hard way that one needs to call ahead on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because the place isn’t officially open. If you find yourself traveling all the way out to Downtown Music Gallery on one of these days, you better give ‘em a call or your feet won’t be the only thing complaining and spouting out vulgarities (er, through the toes).
However, despite the distance and hours, Downtown Music Gallery is a required stop for those who prefer jazz, experimental music, or anything that is far from the mainstream. These guys have an epic collection of CDs that I imagine the unaccustomed ear would say is confusing racket, whereas fans of the genres would consider this place a godsend for their tastes.
Most new CDs go for $ 14 – 15, though there are a few sections (rarities, etc) that probably ask for more. There are a few $ 5 boxes underneath the main selection that one can find more mainstream artists, but these artists tend to be more along the lines of David Bowie and Neil Young than anything from the new indie movement. I did manage to get a M.I.A. disc, so it’s possible one could find something of interest. I guess these sections are included for those who bring friends that aren’t into the store’s main material. There is a $ 2 bin section on the floor, but like most cheapo bins, you’d have to really hope for anything interesting out of this section.
There was a decent amount of vinyl, a selection of DVDs in the back and a very minimal collection of books. Bruce, who was at the counter at the time, was quite friendly, informative and helpful. Ultimately, the store is an excellent stop for those into the music they offer.
Note: I *highly* recommend bringing cash. I was informed belatedly that the store prefers not to accept charge cards that are to be used on orders less than $ 50. Eep! A bit of an inconvenience. Either plan to spend a lot (which isn’t hard for some) or make sure you stop by an ATM during your trek to this place.

Kind of Cool That This Place still only has 4 reviews!

The music they offer is off-​the-​charts amazing. Bruce and Manny know their stuff, are very ready to help, and are generally very nice.
Downside — their new location is the pits. Hard to get to, and all kinds of nastiness. I know the changing times have forced this, and it’s certainly not their fault, but it’s still a bummer.
5+ stars for the music selection and knowledge of the staff… much less for the new location.

This is the place to have your mind blown. There is probably no other place like DMG anywhere on Earth. It’s rare to find a niche-​market music store at all anymore, much less one specializing in music that lives in the shadowy netherworld between rock, jazz, folk and classical. If you’re the type of listener whose ears are on a constant search for something you haven’t heard before, then this is the place. Just tell the store’s odd-​couple owners, Bruce and Manny, what you like and they can recommend something when they’re not busy pleasantly bickering with each other.

It’s a good thing I didn’t know this place existed until just recently. I was so much more into downtown-​style jazz and improv while I lived in Boston, even. Now that I’m here, it’s still somewhat overwhelming. This somewhat small and crowded shop specializes in downtown jazz and improv (think John Zorn and the old Knitting Factory scene, like, circa 1992), modern jazz, contemporary classical music, electronic composers, and similarly out rock. Prices are reasonable, the staff is largely friendly, and they’ve got a great email newsletter. I try not to read the thing, because I know I’ll just want to go in and drop $ 100. But sometimes, that’s a good thing. An awesome, awesome record store.