Biography
Hannah Kreiger-Benson directs programming and research for the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO), focusing since 2012 on cultural economy, musicians’ rights, and the ways in which law and policy systems shape New Orleans culture. Hannah makes her living playing piano/singing in a French-Quarter piano bar, and she freelances as a trumpet player, singer, pianist, music-director and in bands including The Asylum Chorus and Marina Orchestra. She was a 2015 City Business Woman of the Year, is a proud resident of Midcity, and a Camel Toe Lady Stepper.
Research
I will collect, analyze and publicize quantitative and qualitative data about the economics of playing music on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans. Frenchmen St. is a tiny geographic area with enormous importance to the cultural landscape because it is densely packed with music venues and performance opportunities that provide a pillar of many musicians’ livelihood. Over the next 12 months I will create a centralized, multi-faceted body of information covering such topics as the amount of money that Frenchmen contributes to the city economy, musicians’ pay rates in different venues, how many performance opportunities are created across performance cycles and seasons, and the needs and challenges of the different venues.
Research includes counting the number of gigs played (compiled from a variety of sources), finding publicly-available financial data on the music venues that make up Frenchmen Street, and estimating the number of musicians and the amounts of money that are brought in. In addition to the quantitative work, I will talk to musicians to acquire anecdotal information which provides the context for the numbers. The end goal is an easily digestible report which can be used widely for discussions around musicians’ advocacy and livelihoods, city policy, best practices for businesses, musicians’ ability to organize and advocate for themselves, and general conversations on how New Orleans is moving into its next century.
