This week, the Georgia House of Representatives will consider, for the first time, a bill focused on growing the music industry by attracting big touring productions and scoring opportunities. The music industry in Georgia is a $3.7 billion dollar industry contributing more than $313 million in tax revenue to the state and local government. With numerous opportunities for growth, the soil has long been rich and fertile to consistently nurture home-grown musical talent.
We now aim to further improve the musical landscape. This new bill encourages our legislature to invest and value music — and the business of music — in the same way states including New York, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas value and support this industry. To strengthen and build the music ecosystem, we need your help.
State and local governments use a wide variety of incentives to attract and encourage new and existing businesses to expand investments and create jobs. While these newly proposed music incentives may not directly impact our wallets now, the incremental growth and increased opportunities achieved because of them will as we move forward. We originally had proposed a bill to include incentives for both live and recorded music. However we did not receive support on the live portion. For now we are focused on passing the Georgia Musical Recording and Synchronization Incentive, HB The sound recording credit would provide opportunities for studios and musicians with work including scoring, recording, sound design or commercials, video games, television and film.
Let’s not forget about the incentive to make the purchase of musical instruments in schools more accessible and affordable on the tax-free shopping day. At a time when music programs are being slashed from school programming, we must lead the way to make it affordable and accessible to all. The music students of today are the music professionals of tomorrow.
How can you help?
- Write your lawmaker and let them know why it is important to you/your business — we need their support to grow music in Georgia. Click here to find your representative.
- Help strengthen and unify our voice by sharing this email with friends and colleagues so this bill will pass.
- Join us on March 2, 2016 for Georgia Music Day at the Capitol. Details here.
Below are our co-sponsors — if they represent your district, please thank them because we had bipartisan support from all over Georgia!
Sponsors include:
Rep Bert Reeves (Marietta)
Rep Ron Stephens (Savannah)
Rep Lee Hawkins (Gainesville)
Rep Brett Harrell (Snellville)
Rep Amy Carter (Valdosta)
Rep Spencer Frye (Athens)
Rep Brian Strickland (McDonough)
Rep Katie Dempsey (Rome)
Rep Margaret Kaiser (Atlanta)
Rep Betty Price (Roswell)
Rep Matt Ramsey (Peachtree City)
Rep Jason Shaw (Lakeland)
Rep Niki Randall (Macon)
It’s time to turn up the volume on music in Georgia! Music is not just what we do, it’s who we are.
Join us and help move this legislation forward from consideration to approval.
#TurnUpTheVolume #GeorgiaMusic
