The beautiful city of Long Beach is the home to a variety of famous music and performances. The close proximity of Los Angeles gives it a distinct advantage over cities of similar size regarding the recording industry and other entertainment. There are many famous musicians, performance venues, and radio stations who all have deep roots in the city.

Music festivals drive traffic into Long Beach from all over the country. These include the Bob Marley Reggae Festival in February, the Long Beach Jazz Festival in August, and the El Dia De San Juan Puerto Rican Festival (featuring Salsa music) in June. These festivals showcase the local talent as well as some fantastic international music.

The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra performs classical music as well as pops at the Terrace Theater. The symphony is currently led by music director Enrique Diemecke. The Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, presents many classical, jazz, and world music concerts each year - most of which are performed at CSULB. California State University, Long Beach also broadcasts KJAZZ (KKJZ) 88.1 FM which features jazz and blues music and can be heard via the internet.

Long beach is also home to the notorious, pot smoking, rapper Snoop Dogg and the band Sublime.