The Preservation Hall Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving and supporting New Orleans musical culture, has announced that its Legacy Emergency Relief Fund was chosen as a partner of the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief Project. In efforts to support members of the music community in this time, Spotify will make a donation to the Legacy Emergency Relief Fund as well as match donations made through the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief page “dollar-for-dollar up to a total Spotify contribution of $10 million across all non-profit partners.”
The Preservation Hall Foundation is one of 16 non-profit organizations selected as a partner of the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief. Though streaming is essential to supporting the livelihood of musicians, Spotify recognizes the dire economic circumstances musicians around the world are facing and have responded through their Music Relief project, which donates and matches donations given to their partnered organizations in addition to contributions they have made to public health organizations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has economically devastated the 60 jazz musicians who make up the Preservation Hall music collective that rely on music performance and education as their primary income. The Legacy Emergency Relief Fund functions to sustain the musical legacy and tradition of New Orleans and the musicians who maintain this culture through live gigs, music lessons, and festivals in New Orleans.
Additionally, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation has been added as a partner. This enables the Foundation’s Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund to receive direct and immediate financial assistance to continue supporting Louisiana music and culture traditions. The Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund seeks to support Louisiana musicians whose livelihoods have been compromised due to the indefinite cancellation of gigs and venue closures. As described by Executive Director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Don Marshall, “The goal is to help our musicians impacted by quarantine, disruptions of income, and other challenges, while ensuring an equitable distribution of funds.”
Both New Orleans based foundations and relief funds are grateful to Spotify for being included in the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief Project. Through the donations of Spotify and music patrons from around the world, these musical foundations will be able to sustain and honor Louisiana musical legacy. In a statement from Ben Jaffe, Founder of the Preservation Hall Foundation, he expresses the invaluable assistance this partnership offers to the Foundation: “On behalf of all of us at the Preservation Hall Foundation and the 60 musicians who comprise the Preservation Hall collective, I would like to acknowledge Spotify for selecting us as a partner in their COVID-19 Music Relief Project. We are touched by the generous assistance from Spotify, our donors and everyone around the globe. Thank you for supporting our work during this difficult time.”
