[title]
A new kind of music-making space has landed in Hudson Square, and it’s already winning the hearts (and lungs) of recording artists across the city. Artist House, a hybrid music incubator and accelerator, has officially opened its doors as a sprawling 20,000-square-foot facility designed to help emerging talent collaborate with top-tier writers, producers and industry mentors.
Founded by Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Gregg Wattenberg and longtime music industry executive Steve Lerner, Artist House positions itself as a bridge between up-and-coming artists and the gatekeepers of pop, rock, hip-hop and beyond. The facility features 10 studios, communal lounge areas and a roster of rotating talent and collaborators, creating an environment where artists can move freely between writing sessions, production labs, listening rooms and informal networking.
But what’s already marked Artist House as something special is one particular design choice: a handful of the studios were built with a highly engineered ventilation and air filtration system that allows artists to smoke in the room while recording without fogging up equipment, annoying engineers or filling the space with lingering haze. It’s a tech-forward solution to an age-old truth: many musicians work better when they’re relaxed, and many relax by smoking. Artist House simply designed for that reality instead of pretending it doesn’t exist.
The result is a vibe that’s both high-functioning and chill, something closer to the living-room-studio energy where many great records have been written, now translated into a professional space with premium acoustics and engineering resources. The design, led by FMDesign and Lawrence Group Architects, strikes a balance between modern studio standards and an intentionally warm, unpretentious atmosphere. Think natural textures, soft lighting, comfortable seating and rooms arranged to facilitate collaboration rather than isolation.
The facility also doubles as an incubator program. Selected artists will receive development support, writing and recording time, and career strategy guidance from the team behind the scenes. It’s not a label and not quite a collective but something more fluid, designed for how music is made and distributed today.
Artist House is now open for sessions, programming and touring. For emerging musicians, Hudson Square just became a new center of gravity, as well as a reminder that New York’s music scene still has more chapters left to write.
Artist House is located at 60 Charlton Street.