The Bottom Line' problems with the bottom line

September 16, 2003

The NY Times reports that The Bottom Line may be evicted from its current space by NYU: Village Club May Face Swan Song Over Rent

New York University, which owns the building, says that the club owes $185,000 in rent back to 2000, and that the school needs both the money and the space. The university has filed papers in New York City Civil Court seeking to take possession of the club. The case is scheduled to be heard next week.

Today, the Times looks at how the club has lost its relevance: For Younger Music Fans, a Club Is, Well, History. Back in the 70's, the Bottom Line was one of the premier clubs to play. Today, the Bottom Line doesn't book particularly popular or fresh, rising acts. The bookings seem generally geared towards the same people who frequented the club in its heyday. Many of them have left the city for the suburbs. The two times I've been to the Bottom Line (first to see Hayseed Dixie and more recently for Jeff Coffin), the room was basically empty, but tickets were still priced at $20. If saved, the Bottom Line could rapidly become relevant again with more modern booking and more elastic pricing.

If the Bottom Line does close, it will be yet another part of the disappearance of live music venues in New York. Following the closings of the Wetlands Preserve and Brownies, no comparable venues have opened in the city. Instead, live music seems to be heading out to Brooklyn, with clubs like Northsix in Williamsburg and Southpaw in Park Slope featuring the diversity of acts that the Wetlands and the Bottom Line featured during their best years.