Bill passes to establish a Georgia Music Office to support industry

The office will also certify cities and counties seeking to promote music-related economic development in their areas as “Music Friendly Georgia Certified Communities.”

The passage is a step forward in formalizing Georgia’s approach to supporting its music industry, following the footsteps of other Southern states, such as Texas and Tennessee, that have music offices. That’s according to Mala Sharma, the president of music business advocacy organization Georgia Music Partners, a key lobbying group for the measure.

She calls the Georgia Music Office the “front door for the music industry.”

“There is so much work and investment that has gone on in Georgia over the past few years,” Sharma said. “I just think without that statewide office sharing the successes, people just aren’t aware of it.”

Georgia has a deep music heritage.

It’s considered the rap capital of the world, having produced the likes of Young Thug, Ludacris and T.I., among hundreds of other artists, producers such as Metro Boomin and powerhouse labels such as Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings and Quality Control. The state is also the home base of household names across rock, country and pop: R.E.M., the B-52s, Zac Brown Band, Little Richard, Gladys Knight and Ray Charles.

There is infrastructure to support the industry.

The state has a wealth of recording studios and rehearsal spaces, multipurpose venues, nightclubs, bars and restaurants with music programs. Other businesses essential to the music industry call Georgia home, from instrument manufacturer Gretsch, which maintains its headquarters near Savannah, to United Talent Agency, which opened an Atlanta office in 2023 and shortly thereafter signed locals Ludacris and Summer Walker, among others.

But the state is missing an entity that could — as Republican state Rep. Kasey Carpenter describes — direct traffic.

“The biggest thing is coordination,” said Carpenter, who is a cosponsor of the bill. “Making sure everyone knows the assets that are out there. Government business, economic development is a people business. When folks from out of state look to come to Georgia to operate, putting people in the right places and in touch with the right person is really important.”

Sharma said sharing information about the investments being made in Georgia can attract new business opportunities. Recently, Sharma said, a major record label was looking to open offices in Georgia, and the label didn’t know in the beginning where to get information about the local market.

“When they’re coming to the private side of the business asking for help, we know that there is a gap,” said Sharma, who declined to disclose the label.

The Georgia Music Office would be similar to the Georgia Film Office, which serves as the key marketing entity for the state’s film industry, provides information for its tax credit and has its own local liaison program called “Camera Ready Communities.” Along with generous tax incentives, it has played a role in making Georgia a top filming destination.

The effort to create the music office has its origins in a study committee assembled during the 2022 session. The committee focused on assessing the economic impact of the music industry in Georgia and the best ways to measure, expand and promote the music economy.

In its final report, the committee recommended establishing a dedicated office, as well as a competitive music tax incentive and music grant opportunities, both of which have yet to come into fruition.

Bills calling for the creation of the statewide office were introduced in the following three legislative sessions, but each did not make it over the finish line. Regional efforts did — last year, lawmakers in Savannah approved legislation to create the Savannah Music Commission, an entity focused on addressing the needs of the coastal city’s music community.

It will take at least a year for the Georgia Music Office to get up and running. Lawmakers will return to the Capitol next year to discuss appropriations.

During a hearing for identical legislation that died in last year’s session, Brian Hudson, a lobbyist representing the Recording Industry Association of America and the Recording Academy, estimated the startup costs could be “a couple hundred thousands, maybe half a million.”

Sharma said the timing of the bill allows Georgia to not fall behind other states. Since the 2022 assessment, North Carolina has established its own music office.

“The longer we drag our feet, more states are leapfrogging us and getting their music offices established, and they’re working hand-in-hand with their film and entertainment offices to make meaningful progress on strengthening their music ecosystem,” Sharma said. “We want to do the same here.”