Musician Resources

The musicians of New Orleans are the heart and soul of the WWOZ community. Our local musicians create the unique music broadcast on WWOZ, and they nurture the culture and traditions that are at the core of WWOZ’s mission.

In addition to broadcasting the recordings and live performances of New Orleans musicians, WWOZ works with scores of service organizations and community institutions to support New Orleans musicians by providing access to information, resources, services and business opportunities. Check back often as we update this page with more information and resources.

WWOZ.org

• Getting Airplay for Your CD on WWOZ: We answer some frequently asked questions about getting your CD played on the air.
• How to Submit Your Event to the Livewire Music Calendar: If you are a local musician or club with a gig to promote, you might be interested in reading about how to submit your event to the Livewire Music Calendar.
• WWOZ Discussion Forums: Chat with some of our listeners and show hosts about New Orleans music & culture. The new forums are a great place to promote your performances and CDs, and all you have to do to participate is to register as a site user.

Economic Development and Job Skills Training

• New Orleans Music Co-op: Provides fully-equipped work space for musicians and other digital media professional.
• Cutting Edge Music Business Conference: A yearly New Orleans conference that focuses on music business education.
• NOLAgigs.org: A searchable database of gigs being offered to the musicians by venues across the country.
• NOLA Music Connection: Volunteer effort designed to connect New Orleans musicians & bands with talent buyers, events & fans.

Grants and Other Funding

Agencies that provide grants for artists and musicians.

• Arts Council of New Orleans
• Louisiana Division of the Arts
• Louisiana Cultural Assets Rescue

Housing

• Sweet Home New Orleans: A partner organization with WWOZ offers social services and financial assistance.
• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation: WWOZ's parent organization offers many different programs for musicians including Raisin' the Roof and S.E.E.D. (Supporting Enfranchising Economic Development).
• Habitat NOLA: New Orleans branch of Habitat For Humanity, the group behind the musician's village.
• Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (NHS): Home buying and home renovation assistance.

Instrument Replacement

For individuals or schools.

• Katrina's Piano Fund: Website dedicated to giving instruments to musicians who lost theirs.
• Tipitina's Foundation: Instruments Are Comin'

Medical Care

• New Orleans Musicians' Clinic: Providing affordable health care to New Orleans musicians.

Legal Services

• Southeast Louisiana Legal Services: LawHelp has free information on legal issues, how to get legal help, community resources and courts. The site has information about relevant topics such as disaster relief, employment, family law, housing, education and senior citizen rights. LawHelp can also help people look for a lawyer to resolve an issue.
• The Entertainment Law Legal Assistance Project (ELLA): A partnership of the Arts Council of New Orleans, Tipitina's Foundation and Tulane Law School Community Service Program, the ELLA Project offers pro-bono legal assistance to low-income artists musicians, and grass roots non-profits in Louisiana. ELLA provides assistance with copyright and intellectual property, business and non-profit incorporation, contracts and other civil law matters.

Professional Organizations

• American Federation of Musicians: New Orleans Local 174-496 provides valuable assistance for the professional musician.

About New Orleans

• AIDBEAM: Guide to the Arts of the Big Easy

Buy a CD to Help New Orleans Musicians

• Carrollton Station Foundation: Feeder Bands on the Run, A New Orleans inspired compilation CD by local songwriters about "Hope, Havoc & Home."
• New Orleans Underground: Sounds Below Sea Level: A compilation of New Orleans bands produced by former Louisiana residents who now live in Brooklyn, New York.

Jazz: An Endangered Art Form

• Jazz Foundation of America: Organization dedicated to preserving the history and future of jazz, and to promote jazz in all of its shapes and forms to the public.

New Orleans Relief Organizations

• New Orleans Musician's Relief Fund: Contributions to the New Orleans Musician's Relief Fund, Inc. are tax-deductible and go toward giving assistance to displaced New Orleans musicians.
• Jazz Hilft: German organization to aid New Orleans and New Orleans musicians.
• JazzAscona: Swiss festival/organization assisting New Orleans musicians.

Help For Musicians Everywhere

• MusiCares: Organization set up by the Grammys and providing assistance to musicians.
• Musicians Foundation, Inc.: Support for all musicians, regardless of genre.
• MusicMaker: Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern musical traditions gain recognition and meet their day-to-day needs.
• Music Rising: National campaign created by U2's The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin with lead partners Gibson Guitar and Guitar Center/Musician's Friend, which is administered by the MusiCares Foundation. The campaign's goal is to put musical instruments back into the hands of musicians who lost everything in the hurricane disasters and to help them regain their livelihood while rebuilding the heart and culture of the Gulf Region.
• Rhythm & Blues Foundation: Supports R&B and Motown artists of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
• Society of Singers: for professional singers.