J,
Steve's Fulcrum Point (
www.fulcrumpoint.org) is a marvelous example of a group becoming successful by programming new music and presenting multi-disciplinary art. I believe that they were in residence at Ravinia last summer -- a testament to their ability to plow new ground in traditional fields.
In addition to the academic world that you correctly identify, New York has long had an uptown and downtown scene (the latter found in clubs, lofts, Off-Broadway theaters, etc.). There's a rich experimental tradition there that has fostered many great musicians. Do you know Ben Neil's work? If not, you should. Jon Nelson and Dave Douglas have been recently succesful in putting a public face on this work and these musicians through FONT (
www.fontmusic.org), but it's happening throught the year as well. You just have to dig for it a little bit.
Take a look at REDCAT (
www.redcat.org), the fantastic black box theater in Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Everything presented there is new and it's doing very, very, well.
The "secret" to success in this world (the penny drops) is having the ability and imagination to present worthwhile work. There is no template and no well-trodden path to follow. I believe, however, that if the art is compelling enough it will attract an audience over time.
(knocking wood),
EC