Tag Archives: Tax Credits

Musicians Target Offshoring to Bring Jobs Back to California

AB 1300 will expand domestic film and TV music scoring by boosting state tax credit for foreign productions

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 13, 2017) — As California suffers an exodus of film and television music jobs, musicians are battling offshoring head-on with a new bill that would boost the state tax credit for foreign productions.

AB 1300, recently introduced by Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, would bring the success of the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program to musicians and the scores that are an integral part of every motion picture and TV project. Continue reading →

Film & TV Tax Credits Fact Sheet: What they are and what they mean for California musicians

What are film/TV tax credits?

Movie and television incentives are tax benefits offered by many regions in the U.S. and abroad to encourage film/TV production in that region. These incentives began in the U.S. in the 1990s in response to the flight of movie productions to countries such as Canada. Today, these tax incentives are offered by countries around the world, and most states in the U.S. such as California, New York, Louisiana, New Mexico, Virginia, Georgia and Ohio.

How have tax credits impacted the industry worldwide?

Tax credits — whether they’re in California or any other state, or abroad — have become part and parcel of film and television financing. Financiers of a film or television project will look to maximize tax credits wherever they can in order to subsidize the production budget. It’s often said that now, when a film or TV show is being planned, the first very conversation is about the location of available tax credits! In general, tax incentives do not create NEW employment; instead they shift jobs from one state or country to another. As the number of tax credit programs around the world has grown, the number of films released to wide distribution each year has remained steady (or even shrunk). Continue reading →

AB 1300: Let’s bring music-scoring jobs back to California!

What is AB 1300?

Introduced in April 2017 by Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, AB 1300 – the Music Scoring Tax Credit – would implement a long-sought system for supporting film and television music scoring jobs in California by bringing overseas scoring home. The bill is aimed at bringing the success of our California film and television tax system to musicians and the scores that are an integral part of every film and TV project.

How would it work?

Foreign productions: The bill would provide a 30% credit for motion pictures shot outside of North America employing 35 or more musicians and completing at least 75% of the scoring in California.
Low-budget provision: Projects $5 million or under — regardless of filming location — employing nine or more musicians and completing at least 75% of the scoring in California would also qualify.

Continue reading →

Democracy Wins for ‘Veep’ Musicians

veep Hit HBO series signs agreement with AFM Local 47

Democracy wins for the musicians of HBO’s Emmy-winning political satire “Veep,” who starting this season will be covered by an American Federation of Musicians agreement.

AFM Local 47 approached “Veep” producers in July following the show’s relocation from Maryland after being awarded $6.5 million in tax credits from the California Film Commission’s revamped film and TV tax incentive program. Continue reading →

Democrats Say ‘Bring More Music Jobs to CA!’

California Democratic Party passes resolution to broaden state’s film & TV tax incentives to support music employment

In support of local musicians seeking to grow music scoring work in the state, the California Democratic Party’s Executive Board adopted a resolution Aug. 16, 2015 in favor of broadening the Film & TV Tax Incentive Program to support and increase music jobs.

The resolution was put forward by Local 47 member and activist Clifford Tasner, who serves as a delegate to the California Democratic Convention, and 25 DSCC members. It speaks to the merits of AB 1199, a bill aimed at improving the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program to bring more music scoring work to the state. Continue reading →

Musicians visit Sen. Connie Leyva to bring more jobs to CA

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On Monday morning, musicians in Los Angeles visited the office of state Senator Connie Leyva (D-Chino) in support of AB 1199, a bill aimed at creating more film & TV music jobs in California.

AB 1199 is now in the Senate Governance & Finance Committee and will be picked up again in January. Musicians are utilizing this time to gear up for visits to local state senate offices to voice their support of this important bill.

Several more visits in other districts are in the works up and down the state. Many Los Angeles Local 47 members have already heard from Local 47 Organizer Merideth Cleary – and if you haven’t yet, you will soon!

Show your support – sign the petition!

To learn more about this important work, visit our AB 1199 blog. If you’d like to get involved, sign up for Local 47 Action Alerts or call Merideth at 323.993.3143 to stay posted to future developments on this and other news that affects California musicians.

Sen. Jerry Hill signs on as AB 1199 co-author

sen jerry hill

Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) has signed on as co-author with Assemblymember Adrin Nazarin (D-Sherman Oaks) to AB 1199, a bill with the potential to bring thousands of music scoring jobs back to California.

Musicians have been busy pushing to add language to the legislation that will secure a revenue-neutral allocation for music scoring from the existing Film & TV Tax Credit Program. Because no new money is being asked for, this effort has been gaining fast support.

Show your support – sign the petition!

Get involved! Sign up for Local 47 Action Alerts or call 323.993.3143 to stay posted to future developments on this and other news that affects California musicians.

California Musicians Support AB 1199 With Live Performance at the Capitol

New legislation will save jobs for California film and TV musicians

SACRAMENTO, CA (May 18, 2015) — Today members of the American Federation of Musicians from Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco hosted a live musical performance and press conference outside the state capitol in support of AB 1199, a bill proposing changes to the Film & Television Tax Credit Program they say will bring more music work to the state. Continue reading →

AB 1199 passes unanimously through Arts & Entertainment Committee

Sign our online petition to support AB 1199 to improve the CA Film & TV Tax Credit Program for Musicians!

On April 28, in Sacramento, AB 1199 was heard before the Committee on Arts & Entertainment. Local 47 Vice President Rick Baptist and rank-and-file member Clifford Tasner presented all of your letters of support and testified before the committee in support of the bill. We are pleased to report it passed unanimously!

JOIN US AT THE STATE CAPITOL ON MAY 18

AB 1199 now moves on to its next hearing before the Committee on Tax& Revenue on Monday, May 18. For this hearing, we are coordinating a media event to take in Area 22 (Capital Park, next to pond), complete with a live musical performance. We will meet at the above location at 12:30 p.m. We hope to see as many of our supporters possible there. Please contact our Communications Director at linda.rapka@promusic47.org for further information.

We thank you for your continued support!

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A message from President Acosta on film/TV tax credits

Dear Local 47 Members:

For those Local 47 members unfamiliar with him, Richard Kraft is an agent who represents composers. He believes film/TV tax credits don’t work for musicians, and has in fact supported and promoted a slick campaign, complete with a big-money, Fox-News style video, against them. The thrust of his campaign is that we musicians should not try to seek jobs, or follow the lead of actors, writers, engineers, electricians, directors, grips and others in legislating tax credits to support our employment. This is a response to some of his many misinformed statements. Continue reading →