Crescendo: Releasing, Pitching, and Monetizing Your Music
Join The Ella Project and the New Orleans Jazz Museum for Crescendo 2026, a free music business workshop led by Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone with special guest Dee Sonaram of Brooklyn Nights Entertainment. Learn more about releasing, pitching, and monetizing your music. Held from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on Tuesday November 17, 2026 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Free admission; advance RSVP requested.
Rampart: The Legacy and Culture of Place
On Tuesday, November 17 at 2:00pm, join The Ella Project and the New Orleans Jazz Museum for a discussion on the cultural significance and lasting legacy of these spaces.
Moderated by David Kunian, Music Curator of the New Orleans Jazz Museum, the panel features Jason Church, Director of Technical Services at Northwestern State University of Louisiana; Donna Poniatowski Sims, educator, author, and former co-owner of Donna’s Bar & Grill; and Joel Scilley, visual artist and founder of Audiowood.
Crescendo: Festivals and AI
Join The Ella Project and the New Orleans Jazz Museum for Crescendo 2026, a free music business workshop led by Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone with special guest Greg Schatz of French Quarter Festivals Inc. Learn more about festivals and AI. Held from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on Tuesday November 10, 2026 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Free admission; advance RSVP requested.
Crescendo: How A Song Breaks in 2026
Join The Ella Project and the New Orleans Jazz Museum for Crescendo 2026, a free music business workshop led by Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone. Discover how a song breaks in 2026. Held from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 2026 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Free admission; advance RSVP requested.
Crescendo: Record Deals and Contracts
Join The Ella Project and the New Orleans Jazz Museum for Crescendo 2026, a free music business workshop led by Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone. Learn more about record deals and contracts. Held from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Free admission; advance RSVP requested.
Rampart: Protecting Artist Legacies
Join The Ella Project on October 27, 2026 from 2:00–3:30 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum for a free panel on protecting artists’ legacies, featuring curator David Kunian, producer Don Bartholomew, attorney Ashlye Keaton, and archivist and musicologist Melissa A. Weber.
Crescendo: Publishing & Revenue Streams
Join The Ella Project and the New Orleans Jazz Museum for Crescendo 2026, a free music business workshop led by Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone. Explore music publishing, sound recording copyrights, royalties, and revenue streams for independent musicians. Held from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Free admission; advance RSVP requested.
Crescendo: Intellectual Property for Musicians
Our six part Crescendo program kicks off Tuesday, October 13, 2026 as musician and entrepreneur Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone take artists through the different aspects of intellectual property and how to protect your work.
Crescendo Returns October 13
Led by musician and entrepreneur Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone, Crescendo offers six free music business workshops from October 13 to November 17, 2026, at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Sessions run 5:30–7:30 p.m. Most are Tuesdays; the November 2 session is on Monday.
The Art of Contracts and Negotiation on May 19
You’ve often heard the phrase “We’ve got a contract,” but what does that mean? On Tuesday May 19 at 5:30 p.m. join The Ella Project and the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation for a free workshop featuring attorney Mark Davis as he covers topics including:
Working with the Media on May 14th
On Thursday May 14th at 2:00 p.m, join Haley Livaudais, Segment Producer for WWL-TV Channel 4, Jan Ramsey, Founder, Publisher and Editor in Chief of OffBeat and Murf Reeves, Music Director of WWOZ, for Working with the Media, The Ella Project and the New Orleans Office of Nighttime Economy’s latest free Music Census Sessions Live Zoom workshop. Issues to be addressed include:
How Artists Can Influence Change: Engaging in Cultural Advocacy on November 18 via Zoom
Join Michael Bracy of Music Policy Forum, Ashlye Keaton of The Ella Project, and Tiger Verdin of the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts for a discussion of how artists can organize and engage in advocacy campaigns. Topics include:
Leveraging Licensing & Sync Opportunities
Join us via Zoom on Wednesday October 1 at 2:00 p.m. for Leveraging Licensing & Sync Opportunities. Presented by musician and entrepreneur Lou Hill, The Ella Project Co-Founder Ashlye Keaton and music supervisor Blake Leyh as they discuss:
Building & Managing Your Music Team
Join us via Zoom on Wednesday September 24 at 2:00 p.m. for Building & Managing Your Music Team. Presented by musician and entrepreneur Lou Hill, owner of Rosebud Agency Mike Kappus, and attorney Bri Whetstone as they discuss:
Career Sustainability in the Music Industry Zoom workshop September 11
Join us on Zoom as Shamarr Allen, Raney Antoine, and Sarah Quintana discuss how to build a sustainable, long-term career in music. Topics will include:
Alternative revenue streams
Building a business model
Balancing creative work with financial planning.
Plus your questions!
Mayoral Forum on Cultural Policy September 9
On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, The Ella Project will present the Mayoral Forum on Cultural Policy. This public event will bring together candidates in the upcoming mayoral election to share their visions for the future of arts and culture in New Orleans.
Moderators will include John Stanton, editor of The Gambit; Don Bartholomew, musician and producer; and Ashlye Keaton, co-founder of The Ella Project.
The State of New Orleans Culture: 20 Years After Katrina on August 28
— On Thursday, August 28, The Ella Project presents The State of New Orleans Culture: 20 Years After Katrina, a public panel discussion from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, moderated by journalist and documentarian Lolis Eric Elie.
“Hurricane Katrina changed New Orleans and the nation in profound ways,” says moderator Lolis Eric Elie. “Still many of the potential lessons of our historic levee failures have not been learned. We hope that this panel discussion will provide an opportunity both to reflect on our Katrina experience and chart a path forward through the disasters and opportunities to come.”.
Maximizing Revenue Streams for Musicians on 04/16
On Wednesday April 16 at 2:00 p.m. at the Algiers Regional Library - 3014 Holiday Dr. join us for our latest Music Census Sessions Live workshop on Maximizing Revenue Streams for Musicians. Join Deborah Evans of Della Music Publishing, Jeremy Kelley of Bon Bon Vivant, and The Ella Project’s own Ashlye Keaton as they discuss:
Touring Tips for Musicians on April 9
On Wednesday April 9 at 2:00 p.m. at the East New Orleans Regional Library at 5641 Read Blvd. join us for our latest Music Census Sessions live workshop, Touring Tips for Local Musicians, a conversation featuring Gerard “Bo” Dollis Jr and Eric Johanson, moderated by Julia Heath as they discuss:
Building a Music Business Marketing Plan on April 2nd
On Wednesday April 2nd at 2:00 p.m. join us at the Nora Navra Library at 1902 St Bernard Ave for Building a Music Business Marketing Plan. Presented by Amy Kirk Duvoisin of WWOZ along with Axel Rosa of South 25 Entertainment as they discuss: