Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall is a privately held, family-owned live jazz venue founded in 1961 in New Orleans' French Quarter, presenting traditional New Orleans jazz 360+ nights per year through a 50-60+ master musician collective. It serves tourists, local music enthusiasts, private event clients, and foundation donors across ticket sales, events, merchandise, and a nonprofit foundation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Preservation Hall does
Preservation Hall is a historic live music venue and cultural institution founded in 1961 and operating from a Creole mansion at 726 Saint Peter Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The venue presents intimate, acoustic traditional New Orleans jazz concerts 360+ nights per year, with four rotating ensemble products (Preservation All-Stars, Preservation Brass, Preservation Legacy Band, Preservation Jazz Masters) drawn from a collective of 50-60+ master musicians connected to the venue by direct lineage to original performers. The flagship Preservation Hall Jazz Band extends the brand internationally through global touring documented in Japan and Thailand.
The company monetizes through four primary streams: (1) ticket sales for nightly 45-minute performance slots purchased in advance through a Salesforce-based online calendar (multiple showtimes per evening, prices not publicly listed), (2) private event venue rentals including weddings, corporate gatherings, and receptions handled via a dedicated inquiry-based sales process, (3) merchandise (vinyl, CDs, apparel, accessories) sold through a Shopify e-commerce storefront, and (4) foundation support via the affiliated Preservation Hall Foundation nonprofit, which runs music education, archival preservation, and legacy musician care programs funded in part by tiered benefit events (Midnight Preserves). A sister venue, Toulouse Theatre, accommodates up to 400 guests for larger events with modern production capabilities.
Preservation Hall is a privately held family business founded by Allan and Sandra Jaffe and currently led by Creative Director Benjamin Jaffe, with no external investment, funding rounds, or M&A activity identified. The technology stack is standard commercial SaaS — Salesforce for ticketing, Shopify for e-commerce, Mailchimp for email — with no proprietary software, AI capabilities, or patents disclosed. The business operates with 11-50 employees from a single New Orleans headquarters, serving music tourists, local jazz enthusiasts, private event clients, and foundation donors.
Preservation Hall firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Preservation Hall
- Legal name
- Preservation Hall
- Website
- https://www.preservationhall.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Preservation Hall is a privately held, family-owned live jazz venue founded in 1961 in New Orleans' French Quarter, presenting traditional New Orleans jazz 360+ nights per year through a 50-60+ master musician collective. It serves tourists, local music enthusiasts, private event clients, and foundation donors across ticket sales, events, merchandise, and a nonprofit foundation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Preservation Hall industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Venue and Traditional Jazz Performance
- NAICS
- Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)
Keywords
Where Preservation Hall is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Preservation Hall business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Live Performance Tickets: Preservation Hall presents intimate, acoustic New Orleans Jazz concerts over 360+ nights per year. Tickets are sold directly to consumers through the website calendar with multiple showtimes per evening.
- Private Events Venue Rental: The venue is available for private events including weddings, receptions, corporate gatherings, cocktail parties, school groups, and tours. Events can also be hosted at the sister property Toulouse Theatre which accommodates up to 400 guests.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of Preservation Hall Jazz Band vinyl and CDs, apparel, accessories, and other merchandise through the online store at preservation-hall-store.myshopify.com.
- Preservation Hall Foundation Support: The Preservation Hall Foundation works to protect, preserve and perpetuate the musical traditions and heritage of New Orleans through music education, archives, and caring for legacy musicians. Foundation programs include Midnight Preserves benefit events and various fundraising initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Midnight Preserves Benefit - Platinum Tier |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Midnight Preserves Benefit - Gold Tier |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Midnight Preserves Benefit - GA Tier |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Midnight Preserves Benefit - Courtyard Tier |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Performance Tickets |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Private Event Venue Rental |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Preservation Hall product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Preservation Hall operates a historic live music venue in the French Quarter of New Orleans, presenting intimate, acoustic traditional New Orleans jazz concerts 360+ nights per year featuring ensembles drawn from a collective of 50-60+ master practitioners. The organization also rents the venue (and sister property Toulouse Theatre) for private events including weddings and corporate gatherings, and sells branded merchandise through an online store, with all proceeds supporting an affiliated nonprofit foundation dedicated to music preservation and musician welfare.
Product overview
Preservation Hall is a historic New Orleans jazz venue founded in 1961 that operates as a single-venue live music presenter, offering nightly traditional jazz performances through multiple named ensemble products (Preservation All-Stars, Preservation Brass, Preservation Legacy Band, Preservation Jazz Masters) featuring its roster of 60+ master musicians. The organization complements its core performances with a sister venue (Toulouse Theatre), private event hosting services, an e-commerce merchandise store powered by Shopify, and the affiliated Preservation Hall Foundation nonprofit supporting music education and musician welfare. The flagship Preservation Hall Jazz Band serves as the touring ensemble representing the institution globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Music Performances Intimate, acoustic traditional New Orleans jazz concerts held 360+ nights per year at the historic French Quarter venue, with multiple 45-minute showtimes per evening featuring ensembles drawn from a collective of 50-60+ master Traditional New Orleans Jazz practitioners. The nightly programming rotates across named ensembles including the Preservation All-Stars, Preservation Brass, Preservation Legacy Band, and Preservation Jazz Masters, each with distinct repertoire and personnel.
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band The flagship touring ensemble of Preservation Hall, holding the torch of New Orleans music for over 50 years with original music releases and worldwide performances at major venues and festivals.
- Private Events at Preservation Hall
Quantifiable outcome
- 360+ nights of live performances annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Preservation Hall
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Preservation Hall technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
Preservation Hall partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Preservation Hall competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Tipitina's: Iconic New Orleans live music venue operating since 1977, presenting a broad range of music genres in a larger capacity setting. Direct regional peer to Preservation Hall in the same city's live music ecosystem, though Tipitina's focuses on contemporary and roots music rather than exclusively traditional jazz.
Direct peers
- The Spotted Cat Music Club: Intimate French Quarter live music venue featuring traditional and contemporary New Orleans jazz nightly with no cover or low-cover admission. The closest direct competitor in format and offering — small, walk-in-friendly jazz venue in the same neighborhood — though at lower price points and broader genre mix.
- The Maple Leaf Bar: Long-running New Orleans music venue hosting nightly live performances with a focus on traditional and contemporary jazz, funk, and brass bands. Comparable in nightly live music focus and intimate venue experience, serving a similar tourist and local jazz enthusiast base.
- Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro: Uptown New Orleans jazz club and restaurant that hosts nationally and locally recognized jazz performers nightly. Closely comparable as a ticketed, seated jazz venue with a culinary component, sharing the traditional New Orleans jazz positioning and ticketed nightly performance model.
- Village Vanguard: Legendary 95-year-old NYC basement jazz club presenting nightly ticketed performances by leading jazz artists in an intimate setting. Direct peer in the small-capacity, tradition-steeped, ticketed nightly jazz venue category — the East Coast equivalent in brand prestige and operating model.
Broad incumbents
- Blue Note Entertainment Group: Multi-venue jazz club operator (Blue Note NYC and international locations) presenting scheduled ticketed jazz performances with food and beverage service. Broader incumbent in the premium jazz club space, offering a comparable intimate-venue ticketed jazz experience at larger scale and multiple locations.
Peers
- Jazz at Lincoln Center: Major jazz presenting and producing organization operating multiple performance venues at Columbus Circle in NYC with associated educational programming. Comparable in mission (preserving and advancing jazz heritage) and in combining performance, education, and institutional brand, though at vastly larger scale and as a nonprofit institutional operator.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Preservation Hall social profiles
Digital presencePreservation Hall financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Preservation Hall leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Preservation Hall subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Preservation Hall funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Preservation Hall M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Preservation Hall
What does Preservation Hall do?
Preservation Hall operates a historic live music venue in the French Quarter of New Orleans, presenting intimate, acoustic traditional New Orleans jazz concerts 360+ nights per year featuring ensembles drawn from a collective of 50-60+ master practitioners. The organization also rents the venue (and sister property Toulouse Theatre) for private events including weddings and corporate gatherings, and sells branded merchandise through an online store, with all proceeds supporting an affiliated nonprofit foundation dedicated to music preservation and musician welfare.
Is Preservation Hall a public or private company?
Preservation Hall is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Preservation Hall founded?
Preservation Hall was founded in 1961. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Preservation Hall based?
Preservation Hall is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does Preservation Hall make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Live Performance Tickets are the primary driver. The others are private Events Venue Rental, merchandise Sales and preservation Hall Foundation Support.
Who are Preservation Hall's main competitors?
Tipitina's is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are The Spotted Cat Music Club, The Maple Leaf Bar, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro and Village Vanguard. Blue Note Entertainment Group is listed as a broad incumbent. Jazz at Lincoln Center is listed as a peer.
Does Preservation Hall have an API?
No public API is recorded for Preservation Hall.
What industry is Preservation Hall in?
Preservation Hall's product category is Live Music Venue and Traditional Jazz Performance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues, with a secondary code of MPAGALAC, Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues). Its NAICS code is 7111 and its SIC code is 7900.