Georgia’s Music Investment Act
Sen. Jeff Mullis has introduced needed legislation (SB 441) to make changes to the Georgia Music Investment Act (which Georgia Music Partners (“GMP”) championed when it first passed in 2017). GMP supports this legislation, which will lower the spending thresholds, allow productions to aggregate qualified spending, increase the percentage that can be credited, and incentivize investments through a rebate credit.
GMP is the music industry’s coalition, one unified voice that represents many companies and industry professionals. We appreciate the ongoing support we have received from the RIAA, which represents Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group – the three major labels who account for more than $15 billion in annual turnover. Add to this Live Nation, who has added its name and logo to GMP’s list of tax bill supporters, and you are looking at more than $20 billion in businesses — all communicating to us that they intend to use the music incentives once their ability to leverage it is similar to how Hollywood studios use the film incentives in Georgia. A full list of supporters can be viewed here.
Job, jobs, jobs: Just as the film incentives empower film studios to lift the lives of actors, producers, directors, and hundreds of other job categories in Georgia, so will Georgia’s Music Investment Act, if amended as we are suggesting in 2020, empower record companies and production firms to lift the livelihood of musicians, songwriters, publishers, engineers, producers, venues, recording studio engineers and producers, and hundreds of other positions in the music industry across our great state. Clearly this was the intention of our legislators when the bill originally passed. Let’s ensure it is effective by passing the fix bill in 2020.
We hope you and your business will “sign on” in name in support of the new bill, a legislation that will grow Georgia’s music economy in harmony with the growth seen in films and games in our state. Please consider making a donation and becoming a GMP Member here.
Georgia’s Music Investment Act as it stands today (prior to our requested fixes): We want to thank GMP Member Bennett Thrasher and Peter Stathopoulos for allowing us to post the following article. It is a great “Need to Know” about the Georgia Music Investment Act as past in 2017. The following are excerpts from an article originally published by Oz Magazine in August 2017.
THE SOUND OF SUCCESS: GEORGIA’S MUSIC INCENTIVE
HOW THE CREDIT WORKS
The act provides for a Georgia income tax credit equal to 15 percent of a music production company’s qualified production expenditures in the state. For expenses incurred in Georgia’s least developed counties, there is an extra income tax credit of 5 percent, bringing the maximum possible credit up to 20 percent.
To the extent credits generated exceed a production company’s Georgia income tax liability, the excess of the credits can be taken against the company’s employer withholding liability (which is a form of a cash grant to the company) or carried forward for five years. The credits are not transferable or refundable (i.e., you can’t sell them for cash or have the state issue a cash refund).
The credit applies to the following kinds of musical productions:
- A touring musical or theatrical production that originates and is developed in Georgia and has its initial public performance before a live audience in the state, or that has its U.S. debut in Georgia after preparing and rehearsing for at least seven days in the state;
- A recorded musical performance, including, but not limited to, the score and musical accompaniment of a motion picture, television or digital interactive entertainment production.
In order to claim the credit, the production company must first meet certain minimum spending thresholds in the state.
- For musical or theatrical productions, $500,000 during a taxable year;
- For a recorded musical performance incorporated into a film, television, or digital interactive entertainment production, $250,000 during a taxable year;
- For any other kind of recorded musical performance, $100,000 during a taxable year.
There is a payroll cap of $500,000 for payments to any single employee or related loan out company.
Qualified production expenditures include costs for recording, studio and music equipment rentals, set construction and operation, wardrobe, makeup, accessories, photography, lighting, editing, vehicle and transportation costs, food and lodging, payments to employees, talent and producers or their loan outs, insurance and bonding, and other direct costs of production in accordance with generally accepted music industry practices.
The production company must apply for certification of the musical production with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (“DECD”). Rules for the application process and criteria for selection have not yet been issued by the DECD. After expenditures are incurred in association with a certified project, the expenses must be claimed on the production company’s Georgia income tax return. The act appears to also require pre-approval to claim the credits by the Georgia Department of Revenue (“DOR”).
COMPARISON TO FILM TAX CREDIT
Unlike the film tax credit, which has no cap, the music tax credit is capped annually, with the cap set at $5 million for 2018, $10 million for 2019, and $15 million thereafter until the credit sunsets in 2023. The credit will be awarded to production companies on a first-come, first-served basis and no single production company may claim more than 20 percent of the annual credit allocation.
Another difference alluded to earlier is that the music credit can’t be transferred or sold to a third party for cash. Accordingly, the value of the credit will be limited to the production company’s Georgia income tax or employer withholding tax liability over a six-year period.
It should also be noted that the recording of musical compositions for movies, television and digital games in Georgia also qualifies for credits under the film tax credit. However, the same expenses can’t be claimed for both the film tax credit and the music tax credit.
Because the music incentive is not transferrable or refundable, it remains to be seen whether the music credit will have the same kind of success as the film tax credit in attracting investment by the music industry in Georgia. The hope is that Georgia’s natural advantages in attracting the music industry (e.g., international airport, diverse and culturally rich cities, low cost of living, etc.), when combined with the new music tax incentive, will be enough to give Georgia a key advantage in attracting and retaining a thriving music industry.
Peter Stathopoulos is a partner at Bennett Thrasher LLP, one of the country’s largest full-service certified public accounting and consulting firms, and head of the firm’s Entertainment Practice.