New Orleans is home to a sound you can’t find anywhere else, and Crescent City Sounds wants to help everyone hear it.
Created by the New Orleans Public Library, Crescent City Sounds is a music streaming platform exclusively for local musicians. The project’s leader, Joshua Smith, has guided its growth to not only share music but also support the community behind it. Over time, Crescent City Sounds has expanded to spotlight emerging artists, give students a stage for their work, and connect the city’s historical sounds with contemporary listeners.
Reflecting on the platform’s origin, Smith explained “[the site] was processed in 2020, but took a couple years to get it up and running.”
He was inspired by a friend who also developed a platform like Crescent City Sounds called Electric Lady Bird at the Austin Public Library. Smith believed that New Orleans needed a similar platform, which strives to question what makes the music of New Orleans so unique according to Smith..
“New Orleans music culture is such an integrated vital thing and we have such an amazing array of things, such as Latin music and world music,” Smith said.
His perspective underscores how Crescent City Sounds captures not just songs, but the city’s cultures, energy, traditions, and communal spirit. For students at Loyola University New Orleans and other emerging musicians, getting their music added to the platform is a key opportunity.
“When submitting a track or album, there’s an open submission round for six weeks each year and the starting dates were from the beginning of September and closes on the 7th of October,” Smith explained regarding how students can submit their tracks.
Submissions can be made at https://crescentcitysounds.org/. The website allows artists to submit both singles and full albums after answering a few verification questions.
The selection process is designed to ensure that every track contributes meaningfully to the collection.
“The team of curators pick the songs that will be considered for the selection process,” Smith said.
According to Smith, there isn’t really a specific rubric of which songs are picked. By balancing quality, originality, and representation of the city’s sound, Crescent City Sounds maintains both its credibility and its mission to showcase a wide range of local talent. Beyond simply hosting music, Crescent City Sounds functions as an educational resource.
It encourages students to learn about music curation, history, and production, offering real-world experience alongside the opportunity to highlight their own work. By providing access to recordings, the platform strengthens the connection between the city’s musical past and its future, offering a living archive of creativity and culture.
As Crescent City Sounds continues to expand, it remains a vital part of New Orleans’ cultural landscape. Through careful curation, community engagement, and a dedication to excellence, Smith and the New Orleans Public Library are ensuring that the city’s music not only endures but thrives, giving both artists and audiences a platform to celebrate what makes New Orleans unforgettable.
