This seminar explores the dynamic musical history of New York City in the 20th century, focusing on how genres and musical styles were shaped and co-shaped by institutions, record labels, academic and publishing networks, media landscapes, and the city's diverse ethnic and migrant communities. When people move from one place to another, they transform the spaces they enter while being changed by their new surroundings. Using New York as a case study, this course examines how the city became a central force in the development of modern popular music, with geography playing a key role in this cultural evolution. From Jazz to Disco, Girl Group Pop to Folk, New Wave to Hip-Hop, we will investigate the urban spaces and cultural exchanges that defined the city's music scenes.