Yesterday, Governor Nathan Deal signed into law HB-155, also known as the Georgia Music Investment Act. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I want to thank those of you reading this for not scrolling past an article with a house bill in the headline. Y’all are the real heroes.
Here’s a convenient breakdown of how HB-155 will likely affect you, the local musician, audio engineer, or pissed off sound guy:
Current you: Probably not at all.
Future you: Possibly a whole lot.
Have you noticed all the movies and TV shows being shot in Georgia the last few years? The emergence of Georgia’s booming film industry was a direct result of a bill passed in 2008 called the Georgia Entertainment Investment Act. The law gives huge (up to 30%) tax credits to film productions that spend big money in Georgia.
Maybe you have a friend who got a job catering on the set of a movie or something. Yeah, that guy. His job is a result of legislation that made shooting in Georgia attractive to big wigs in Los Angeles and New York. HB-155 aims to replicate that formula with the music industry.
What It Does
In it’s final form (there were several), HB-155 gives a tax break of 15-20% to musical projects that reach specified minimum thresholds of production costs. The thresholds are $100,000 for recording projects, $250,000 for film scoring, and $500,000 for live performances including rehearsals. With the exception of live performances, the costs can be aggregated over a year for an ongoing project. The goal is to incentivize production companies to set up permanent operations and hire Georgians.
I know what you’re thinking right now. That’s Miley Cyrus money. Worthwhile music rarely has a budget that inflated. We’ll get there. Let’s examine the good news first.
The entertainment industry (unlike some others) circulates it’s spending immediately back into the local economy where it produces. Local spending is inherent to shooting movies or putting on huge shows and festivals. Event spaces and studios are rented, crews and staff require catering, and the diva-ass performers utilize the entire spectrum of the hospitality industry. So you can see why HB-155 is expected to have a $2 billion impact over the next five years and is hoped to create over 10,000 jobs.
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Why It Could Be Cool
The bill saw a considerable push from Georgia Music Partners (GMP), a non-profit advocacy group with members spanning the breadth of the state’s music industry. GMP collaborated with state legislators in crafting the bill and lobbied on its behalf. Kyle Stapleton, who works for Turner Studios and is a member of GMP, took some time to help explain to us what HB-155 is all about.
“This is an effort by musicians and music industry professionals for musicians and music industry professionals,” Stapleton says. “The reason I’ve been involved and advocated for the bill is that I’m friends with people in bands. It’s going to take a little time, but the light at the end of the tunnel for me is that it’s going to create an environment that helps turn the tide for a lot of independent working musicians or people that want to be.”
Stapleton has stressed patience when seeking the support of local musicians who’s recording budgets will likely never even approach the tax credit’s six-figure minimum production cost.
“So here’s how I’m explaining it to my buddies in bands: It’s a rising tide floats all boats situation,” Stapleton says. “The idea is to get more of those opportunities here as opposed to other places. Yeah, $100,000 is a big number, but ultimately the help that [HB-155] affords is about avoiding drain and keeping more of the ecosystem here and then it has a snowball effect from there.”
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Why It Might Not Be Cool
Reported less often than the predicted economic impact are the voices of HB-155’s skeptics. Despite vinyl’s widely celebrated comeback, overall physical record sales remain in a sluggish coma and a consolidating streaming market is giving giants like Spotify ample leverage in artist payment structures. The result is a serious squeeze on the would be middle class of musicians and bands that are increasingly more famous than they are financially stable.
“While HB-155 is a step in the right direction for Georgia’s music scene, it leaves out many of those who need its intended benefits the most — the musicians,” says Travis Hill, an Atlanta record producer and owner of Looking Glass Recording. “In the scene I’ve grown up in and been a part of for more than 15 years, there are only a handful of absolute truths. One of them, unfortunately, is that bands are broke. I see it every day. Unbelievably talented young bands will leave the studio or get back from a month-long tour only to get up the next morning to leave for their low paying part-time job.”
The production cost thresholds will likely remain a soft spot for criticism from those who view HB-155 as a music bill that immediately disqualifies the vast majority of musicians.
“If you’re a member of Atlanta’s thriving music community, the best your expectations are hoping for is a cooler full of cold PBR tall boys at 529 or the Masquerade,” Hill argues. “A 15% tax credit on a $100,000 production budget isn’t even on the mind. That’s where HB-155 is off the mark.”
Hill articulates a point many of you have probably been thinking so far: This bill is not designed to help the starving artists who wash dishes on the nights they’re not on stage. While hefty investment from the national music industry could lead to more jobs in studios and working arena tour rehearsals, the average axe-slinger or emcee isn’t seeing a dime any time soon. Your band will never spend $100,000 on a record and this might as well be a law written for Martians, right?
The Takeaway
I think the key component here is opportunity. Talented people gravitate toward places where they can network and create in proximity to opportunity. It’s why people move to New York and Los Angeles. Atlanta already has a gravitational pull on the hip-hop world, but when opportunities are few and far between, it can become a black hole sucking up talented creatives who can’t catch a break.
While states luring corporations with tax giveaways seem to encourage a race to the bottom, a lack of solid music industry presence will ensure Atlanta remains second-tier. HB-155 is a decent start. I hope it gets that snowball rolling, but I think meaningful investment will need to include the local music community and not just major production companies. But what do I know? I’m just a bassist in a band who works at fucking Fellini’s.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article had the threshold for tour origination listed at $250,000. The correct threshold is $500,000.