NEW ORLEANS — Music Habitat will launch Sept. 25 in New Orleans, offering a new platform that brings booking, ticketing, merchandise sales, live streaming and other tools for independent artists, music venues and fans into one system.
Artists will be able to create profiles, book shows, sell merchandise and connect with fans, while venues can use the platform to find artists, manage bookings and promote events. Fans can discover artists, find live performances and purchase tickets.
“One of the problems for artists is there is so much information, it’s fragmented everywhere. The cool thing about Music Habitat is that it’s all the information in one place,” said Brandon Beard, founder and CEO of Music Habitat. “It’s all the tools, it’s everything you’d possibly need to sign up, to monetize, to market, to create, to connect.”
The platform will be free for artists, venues and fans. Beard said the company ultimately plans to generate revenue through sponsorships, live events and transaction fees.
“Mission over money is our core value,” Beard said. “I am only concerned with having an impact and building something real that changes lives.”
Music Habitat will first launch in the New Orleans market on Sept. 25, with plans to expand nationwide in 2027. Although Beard currently lives in Kalispell, Montana, he chose New Orleans as the platform’s initial market. Artists, venues and fans can join at MusicHabitat.com. It will also be available as a downloadable app.
“There are many reasons why we chose New Orleans, but the single greatest reason is that we feel it’s the city where we can have the most impact,” said Beard.
Ahead of the launch, Music Habitat will host a free New Orleans event, with RSVP required for entry, on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Hangar 33, 1511 S. Rendon St. The event will feature performances by New Orleans artists T-Ray the Violinist, Alfred Banks, Sess 4-5, Hondo & Xsomnia, DJ Paige, DJ Evan, DJ Mig and Surco, along with live platform demonstrations and opportunities for fans, artists and venue owners to meet the Music Habitat team, ask questions and provide feedback.
From Louisiana Roots to Music Habitat
Beard, a Lafayette native whose father was a traveling musician, said his father’s experience in the music industry helped inspire the creation of the platform.
“Like so many independent artists, my father had the talent, the passion and the work ethic—but he never had the infrastructure to help him build a sustainable career,” said Beard. “For decades, we’ve expected independent artists to navigate a fragmented industry with disconnected tools, impossible odds and very little ownership. I created Music Habitat because I believe they deserve better. Now artists, venues, fans and songwriters can come together in one connected ecosystem and all benefit from each other’s success. When independent music thrives, communities thrive.”
Beard co-founded Music Habitat with his close friend Dr. John Noble, who died of cancer before the platform officially came to market. According to the company, Noble helped shape Music Habitat and its mission from its earliest days.
“Dr. Noble believed in me, and he believed deeply in Music Habitat,” said Beard. “I loved Dr. Noble. He was my co-founder, my friend and someone who believed in what we were building before the rest of the world could see it. Bringing Music Habitat to market is a win for Dr. Noble, for his beautiful wife Lucinda, and for the millions of independent artists, venues and fans we built this to serve. We’re finishing what we started together. I will miss you, my friend.”
Tools for Artists, Venues and Fans
Music Habitat is designed as a one-stop solution for artists, songwriters, music venues and fans:
Venue Intelligence: StageBid booking engine that connects artists to venues, private clients and event bookers through discovery, structured negotiation and automatic payment; Patron Communication Suite; ticketing; and analytics.
Artist Infrastructure: Discovery via StageBid, structured booking system, secure payments, live streaming capabilities, real-time tipping, direct licensing capabilities, ticketing, AI artist tools and education.
Fan Discovery: Local show discovery, artist following, show alerts, ticketing, tipping and Go Live streaming.
Songwriter Economy: Co-write marketplace, virtual writing sessions, direct licensing and royalty tracking.
Artists and venues on the platform will also have the opportunity to participate in Music Habitat’s “Habitat Sessions,” an artist storytelling podcast series. The ongoing series will feature artists, venue stories, songwriter conversations and music culture perspectives from New Orleans and beyond. Episodes will spotlight independent artists through performances and conversations. Music Habitat has signed a strategic partnership with FoxDog Studios in Baton Rouge, where Habitat Sessions will be filmed.
“Music is simply embedded into the culture of New Orleans,” said Beard. “With one of the largest percentages of musicians per capita in America, there are thousands of struggling artists here, and we came to make real change.”
“This is just the beginning and if we affect one life, one venue and one household I am happy with that,” said Beard.
