Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Peter Dougherty Collection

Call Number

MSS.213

Dates

1965-2001, inclusive
; 1974-1987, bulk

Creator

Dougherty, Peter

Extent

12 Linear Feet
(16 boxes)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

Peter Dougherty is a marketing professional with extensive international experience, including working with MTV from its early days. The Peter Dougherty Collection documents American and British punk rock and hip hop, in addition to Dougherty's work with MTV, and includes audiovisual materials, ephemera, flyers, production manuscripts, and promotional materials.

Biographical Note

Peter Dougherty was born in Queens, NY in 1955, and attended his first rock concert at Shea Stadium during the summer of 1966. After witnessing the madness of The Beatles he then saw Simon and Garfunkel the following summer, and from there, Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Sly and The Family Stone,The Allman Brothers Band, etc. By the mid 1970s, once he was old enough to gain admittance, he starting attending clubs such as Max's Kansas City, CBGB, and Club 82, and began recording these shows.

He later began working with his brother Paul and other friends videotaping bands, and as an assistant in the first 'video lounges' at Peppermint Lounge and Danceteria. In 1982 he started as a production assistant in MTV's creative/promotional department, and remained there until 1990 when he moved to London to become Creative Director of MTV Europe.

Arrangement

Paper materials are arranged either chronologically or alphabetically. The collection is arranged into the following five series:

Series I: Sound recordings

Series II: Video recordings

Series III: MTV and Music Business

Subseries A: Branding and Programming

Subseries B: Artist Files

Series IV: Ephemera, Flyers, Programs

Subseries A: Music

Subseries B: Art

Subseries C: Animation and Film

Series V: Personal

Scope and Content

The Peter Dougherty Collection preserves audio and video recordings documenting British and American punk rock and hip hop. The collection is largely Dougherty's personal music-related collection, from the years before he became a marketing professional. The collection also preserves marketing literature, business manuals, production manuscripts for artists Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C., in addition to awards programs that document Dougherty's work with MTV Europe. This acquisition also includes Dougherty's personal collection of New York and London art, music, and film events ephemera and promotional materials from the late 1970s through the 1990s.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); Peter Dougherty Collection; MSS 213; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Provenance

The collection was acquired by the Fales Library from Peter Dougherty in 2008.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Access to audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room.

Audiovisual materials that have not been preserved may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact [Fales Library, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596] with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Separated Materials

Printed materials, including zines, have been removed from the collection and will be cataloged as part of the Fales Downtown Book Collection.

Collection processed by

Caroline Partamian with Rhyannon J. Rodriguez, 2012.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-04-04 19:26:46 UTC.
Language: Description is in English.

Revisions to this Guide

September 2021 - February 2025: Updated by Rachel Mahre, Olivija Liepa, Linda Smith, and Lucy Allen to state that audio materials have been digitized and are accessible to patrons
March 2025: Updated by Anna Björnsson McCormick to reflect the rehousing of access copies

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012