Independent artists spend plenty of time thinking about streaming numbers, ticket sales and promotion, but the companies controlling the venues they hope to play deserve attention too. Changes taking place behind the scenes at a major promoter can eventually affect everything from booking relationships to which rooms are available for an artist moving up through the live music circuit.
According to a press release published by NYC Newswire, The Bowery Presents is undergoing a major leadership transition, with longtime Co-Presidents Jim Glancy and John Moore stepping away from their positions. Four executives — Josh Bhatti, Charley Magrew, Andrew Martin and Josh Moore — have been promoted to Senior Vice President and will collectively take on leadership responsibilities at the company.
The changes are particularly worth watching because they come during another transition involving The Bowery Presents in New York. Music Hall of Williamsburg, one of the company’s best-known Brooklyn venues, is expected to leave its longtime North 6th Street location when the company’s lease expires at the end of 2026.
Bowery Presents Is Changing Leadership
Rather than replacing Glancy and John Moore with another co-president or a single new president, The Bowery Presents is spreading major responsibilities across its four newly promoted senior executives. That structure puts different parts of the business under executives who have already spent years working within the company.
Magrew will handle areas including marketing, ticketing, sponsorships and venue initiatives from New York, while Josh Moore will oversee talent. Martin will manage business and legal affairs from Nashville, while Bhatti will oversee the company’s New England operation from Boston.
Glancy and John Moore said in a joint statement:
“Founding The Bowery Presents and partnering together to grow the company has been an incredibly rewarding chapter for us. We’re proud of what we’ve built alongside an extraordinary team and grateful to everyone who has been part of that journey. Andrew, Charley, Josh and Josh, have made significant contributions to The Bowery Presents during their respective tenures, so it’s gratifying to see them all take this next step together. We’re leaving the company in capable hands.”
The transition is significant because Glancy and Moore were not simply executives overseeing an established concert company. John Moore co-founded The Bowery Presents in 2004, while Glancy joined the company as a partner in 2006, giving both men longstanding roles in the development of the Bowery brand and its position within the New York concert market.
Music Hall of Williamsburg Is Also Approaching the End of an Era
The leadership changes arrive during what is already an important period for The Bowery Presents’ New York venue business. Music Hall of Williamsburg is expected to stop operating at its longtime home at 66 North 6th Street when Bowery’s lease for the building ends at the conclusion of 2026.
The situation is no longer a rumor within the New York music industry. Reports about the lease surfaced publicly in December 2025, and a Bowery Presents representative confirmed that the building’s owners had decided not to renew the company’s lease.
What happens after that is less certain. Bowery could potentially relocate the Music Hall concept, but there has been no confirmed announcement establishing a new home for the venue, and the future of the North 6th Street space itself remains uncertain.
Music Hall remains active in the meantime, with The Bowery Presents continuing to book shows at the venue throughout 2026. As of late September, Bowery’s own calendar still lists concerts into November, including performances by Glassjaw, Guster, Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam and others.
There’s a Connection Independent Artists Should Notice
One of the more interesting connections between these two developments involves Josh Moore. Moore, who will now oversee talent for The Bowery Presents, began his career with the company as one of the original talent buyers at Music Hall of Williamsburg.
That puts someone with direct experience booking developing artists at Music Hall into a much larger talent leadership position. For independent artists and their representatives, knowing who is overseeing talent at a promoter as influential as The Bowery Presents can be useful when developing a long-term live strategy.
The leadership transition does not by itself indicate that The Bowery Presents is reducing its commitment to New York or independent and developing artists. It does, however, represent a meaningful change at the top of a company that controls access to important stages throughout the region.
AEG Presents executive Brent Fedrizzi said:
“AEG Presents is forever indebted to Jim and John for their contributions over their nine years at the company. The Bowery Presents is a renowned, internationally recognized brand that has been instrumental in so many artists’ careers, and it was important for us to find the right group of people that can steward the company into this important next phase. Being able to do this from within the ranks is a testament to the culture that Jim and John have built, and I couldn’t be happier for Andrew, Charley, Josh, and Josh.”
The fact that the new leadership team comes from within the company suggests continuity is part of the plan. At the same time, artists should recognize that new leadership can bring different priorities, relationships and approaches to talent development, venue strategy and booking.
Independent Artists Should Understand the Business Behind Venues
For independent artists, getting booked should not be the only consideration when evaluating a venue. Artists and managers should understand who operates the room, which promoter controls its calendar, who the talent buyers are and whether significant business or ownership changes are taking place.
Leadership transitions, lease expirations, venue closures and ownership changes can eventually affect booking opportunities, available dates, marketing strategies and relationships between artists and promoters. They can also change the progression of rooms available to an artist who might start in a 200-capacity club before attempting to move into venues holding 500, 1,000 or more fans.
Music Hall of Williamsburg is especially relevant because the approximately 650-capacity venue has historically provided an important middle step for developing artists in New York. Its departure from North 6th Street potentially removes one of those established rooms unless Bowery replaces it with another venue serving a similar role.
That does not mean independent artists should hesitate to work with The Bowery Presents or Music Hall of Williamsburg during its remaining time at the location. It means artists should treat information about promoters, venues and talent buyers as valuable business intelligence rather than something that matters only to people working inside the concert industry.
Pay Attention to More Than the Stage
Independent artists increasingly operate as their own labels, marketing departments and businesses. Understanding the companies controlling live music opportunities should become another part of that independence.
The Bowery Presents remains an important player in New York’s concert ecosystem, and Music Hall of Williamsburg continues operating while its North 6th Street chapter approaches its end. With longtime Bowery leaders stepping aside at the same time the company prepares for that venue transition, independent artists should be paying attention to what happens next — particularly when deciding where they want to play and which promoter relationships they want to develop.
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