Musical performances in metro and railway stations

It is not uncommon to find a random guitarist strumming away delightful tunes in a metro station. However, this wasn't a common practice when the first subway line opened in New York in 1904, as musical performances were prohibited in the New York Subway. Although, some musicians still reclaimed this space by singing and playing instruments in the latter half of the century.

Music Under New York (MUNY)

Finally, after a musician Roger Manning moved the court, calling the ban unconstitutional, in 1985, it was lifted, and a pilot program called Music Under New York (MUNY) was started. There is also a provision in the New York City Transit Authority's rules for regulating entertainment on the Subway. Artists can do musical performances even without an affiliation with MUNY. Many talents like Kesha, Zane Massey, Natalia Paru and others have risen above the ground, becoming notable celebrities.

 

Performances Across the World

 

Paris

In 1977 Paris hopped on the bandwagon with its Metro Molto Allegro Festival, where about a hundred musicians performed across twenty-two metro stations at the inaugural event itself.

 

Russia

In 2017 April, Moscow's Music in the Metro entertainment project held auditions for professional and amateur musicians to pick musicians to perform across 15 designated metro stations. Over 200 musicians and bands got an opportunity to live and expand their audience to a whopping 6.5 million daily commuters.

Music also became an integral part of Spain's Metro Network. Soon Enough, in 2019, the regional government of Madrid decided to celebrate 100 years of the metro with an organized musical concert with live performances across stations. The program's intention, "Metro Vibra," was to throw light on the connection between culture and music via seven different musical styles, including melodic pop, Flamenco and Latin Music at seven stations. The performances were organized every month for seven months so that busy passengers could enjoy a short musical sojourn. This was just another of the many successful musicals Spanish metro takers have always enjoyed. Even famous artists like Luz Casal, Rosario, Rafael, and Sara Baras have often taken to the metro grounds to connect with their audiences.

In January 2020, Chennai Metro Rail also organized a two-day Indie musical festival in collaboration with Unwind School of Music. It was a jazz concert featuring local artists performing in both Tamil and English. After a survey that said, people, taking the metro line to the airport preferred light music at the stations, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is also working on rolling out music across the metro lines.

The railway stations of the UK have also seen several people, including Elton John, donate pianos which have become a part of the makeup of the stations. The tradition started in 2008 when British artist Luke Jerram started touring cities across the world with his "Play me, I'm yours" project. Ever since several second-hand pianos started being donated and installed across locations and are played by amateurs and music enthusiasts.

Dubai

In the March of 2019, Dubai also caught up to speed as its metro stations took part in its first-ever free musical festival to convey Dubai's message of being a tolerant and inclusive place. Twenty-five artists from across the world rendered performances in classical, traditional, and fusion genres in five significant stations.

These performances have not just led to the discovery of many stars; they also offer a soothing touch to the souls of travelers/ commuters who do not have time to stop. It has become a great way to incorporate leisure into the busy lives of people.

 

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