being a NY native who has moved around a bit over the years maybe i can provide a little advice. yes, NYC is the music capital of the world. and yes, it is the birthplace of hip hop. and yes, it is insanely expensive. the word "expensive" is interpreted differently depending on where you are now, how much money you have etc and it will be relative to that in your head. what sets NYC apart on the price scale is that not only is having a place to live very expensive but EVERYTHING else is expensive too. everything. beer, cigarettes, gum, food, transportation. i run my own successful music/sound design business and i feel broke. "broke" is comfortable here. if you're broke then you're doing ok. if you're eating dog food and sleeping outside then maybe it's time to move. as for the music thing; keep in mind that more people equals more opportunity, but it also mean more competition. you need to have a real gung-ho attitude and a lot of determination to get anything accomplished here. hell, you need a lot of determination just to find a parking spot. i've seen NYC eat a lot of nice people for breakfast. not trying to discourage you at all. by all means, this is where people come to make their lives start to happen. just be aware of the struggle. unless of course you've got a few million in the bank. then you can just come here and party.
i've left here a few times and lived in LA, Seattle, SF briefly. i always come back to NY. but do you need to be here to "make it"? not at all. in fact you have a lot better chance of getting some real projects under your belt in smaller towns all over the U.S. if you're talented enough. Chicago is an awesome town with a LOT of stuff going on musically. very affordable too. Nashville is HUGE for music, and not just country music. Seattle has a tight little scene going on. and don't forget LA is where T.V. and movies are made, LOTS of music work out there too. all of these places make it a whole lot easier to just "show up" and actually start being productive. NYC can be a little discouraging and it can take a lot longer to get the ball rolling, if you even get the chance to inflate the damn ball at all! 8 million people packed into a few square miles and it can be the lonliest place on earth. regardless of your success in NY i think you'll find that the food and women make it totally worth trying.
