New Orleans is music. It’s second lines in the streets, brass bands on the corners, and soul pouring from Frenchmen Street. But behind the city’s world-famous soundtrack lies a growing struggle—one that threatens the very musicians who keep it alive.
As the cost of living rises and gentrification transforms neighborhoods into playgrounds for transplants and tourists, local artists are asking a simple but urgent question: Can we still afford to make music in the city we helped build?
Playing for Tips in a Billion-Dollar Economy
In 2023, New Orleans generated over $10 billion in tourism revenue, yet many musicians still rely on tips, door splits, and drink comps to survive. Street performers and working musicians say they’re often underpaid, despite being the very cultural force tourists come to experience.
But not all gigs are created equal. Robert Snow, bassist for The Melatauns and frequent performer with Little Freddie King and the New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, says he can still make a decent living—sometimes.
“I play a couple gigs on Frenchmen, and they’re competitive pay,” Snow says. “With tips and the door, we make anywhere from $200–600 each, depending on the time of year. But that’s not every gig, and not everyone is that lucky.”
The Dilemma of Minimum Pay
Some advocates have proposed city-enforced minimum pay standards for musicians performing at publicly funded events. But Snow isn’t convinced that’s the answer.
“If we set a minimum pay rate, it’ll keep us at that rate,” he explains. “In the summer when it’s slow, sure, that would help. But when the season is good, it could actually limit our money if we’re just getting paid hourly.”
This tension—between protection and restriction—is at the heart of the musician pay debate in New Orleans. Most city-sponsored gigs, Snow notes, already pay $150–$250 for an hour set. What musicians want more than anything is fairness—and freedom to earn what the crowd, not just the city, can give.
Gentrification, Transplants, and Competition for Gigs
For many veteran musicians, the city’s changing demographics have reshaped the scene more than any one policy. “The neighborhoods and the music scene have been gentrified with the influx of new people since Katrina,” Snow says. “Most musicians here now are not from here. They’re transplants from the last 20 years.”
He adds that the competition for gigs has intensified. “All the new people in town musician-wise have moved in on our gigs. There’s less to go around.”
In a city where legacy, authenticity, and neighborhood roots once mattered most, the scene is now driven more by hustle, connections, and who’s willing to play for less.
When the City Hurts More Than It Helps
Even citywide events, which should uplift the music scene, sometimes do the opposite. Snow points to the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans as an example of missed opportunity.
“The Super Bowl totally crushed the music industry,” he says. “They kept everything between the cathedral and the CBD. No service people I know made any money.”
And when it comes to city support? “I’m not too keen on the city helping,” Snow says. “They’ll just do for some but not all.”
His concern is that public support ends up funneled to polished, institutional names—while street-level musicians continue to struggle.
The Path Forward: What Musicians Really Need
Despite skepticism about city intervention, Snow and others do see promise in targeted support—especially when it comes to healthcare access. “I like the idea of them helping us with some healthcare,” he says.
Organizations like MaCCNO and The Ellis Marsalis Center continue to advocate for musicians’ rights, offering resources, legal support, and platforms for community feedback. But with rising costs, housing displacement, and unchecked gentrification, it’s clear that more systemic change is needed.
Don’t Just Love the Music—Support the Musicians
New Orleans without live music would be unthinkable. But if we don’t protect the people behind the sound, we risk becoming a city of empty stages and shallow nostalgia.
The culture can’t survive on vibes and tourism brochures alone. It survives when musicians can live here, work here, and thrive here. And that starts with fair pay, healthcare, and a deeper commitment to the people whose music keeps this city’s soul intact.
As Snow puts it: “It’s a hard one for sure.”
