The US must renew the #MUSICACT

Renew the Music ACT and start supporting US Made Music.

What is the Music ACT

US MUSIC Act.

“Our small, independent music labels are finding it increasingly difficult to sell their goods in the global marketplace,” said Nadler.  “This bill would help promote U. S. exports in an extremely competitive industry whose talents cannot be outsourced.  Helping these businesses access foreign markets is also an important part of President Obama’s goal to double U. S. exports in five years – an effort in which New York, home to many independent music labels and artists, continues to take the lead.”

http://nadler.house.gov/press-release/nadler-seeks-bolster-global-market-american-independent-music

To learn more about the Music ACT please visit MUSICACT.ORG

What we need to do is reauthorize it till 2021 

11 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

12 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Com-

13 merce $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2013

14 through 2017 to carry out this section.

So here's the issue.

The majority of the US Population while listening to country, popular artists from the USA don't understand that none of them are exported out of the USA by the Major Distributors (AMPED, BMG, EONE, SONY, UNI, WEA) or their fake indie companies, This will be my next blog and for more on why TheMajorsSuck.com visit that link it's a blog that further explains this issue.   Here is the data and it's taken from official USA data

United States Exports By CategoryThis page displays a table with United States Exports By Category in U.S. dollars, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

There is nothing there, CLICK TO SEE about Trade Catagory 334612 or 336614. Yet, last week the majority of the music sold in the USA was physical music and it's a growing industry with mergers and expansions happening weekly in Entertainment.

I'm not going, by the look of it, be able to say this often, however; President Trump has rightly called on all American to #BuyAmericanHireAmerican  and that includes US Made Music.  To do that we need the MUSIC ACT to be renewed till at least 2012.  There can be not American reason to not invest in our own music.   It's an export class 334612 and finding out information about something that used to be our largest export by 2X is now nearly impossible.

#ReNewMusicACT

So let's renew the act for another four years, put the money into a Commerce Department program that artists, bands, and labels making Made in America Music can access it, and use to develop, manufacture and export one of the US's greatest cultural and economic assets US Made Music

Alice Cooper Band MusicBiz2017 @SonofNels

First quarter results are in and like this weeks' sales --digital's only 42%

I've been so busy with bringing an ArtistsOwnedPublic.co to life, that I've not really been able to look too deep into the sales of music as reported via the National Sales report from Nielsen Soundscan. I figured it was a good time to test my gut (that physical was kicking digial ass, dispite all the hoba-abo -blo about streaming), address the  growing grumble about the value of Record Store Day, issues about Independents getting on Pressing Plants to even become competitive with the majors, and how the USA is still floundering with it's cultural and economic policies, and make a prediction for what this means to the overall marketplace and our culture as we export it.

For a lack of better analogy, the USA is Entertaining our Economy to Death.

Let's  start with my growing bewilderment of the Obama Administration inability to move forward any kind of exporting of US Made Music.  The USA each year under this Administration has exported less.  Sure, The independent community was excited when Obama first entered office and everyone was onboard with Rep, Jerry Nadler when he introduce the M.U.S.I.C. Act, which I've blogged about many times however I'm givin the highlights below.

(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘United 18 States independent music label company’’ means a cor- 19 poration, partnership, or other association created under 20 the laws of the United States or of any State (including 21 the District of Columbia or any commonwealth, territory, 22 or possession of the United States) 

(1) signs musical recording artists to contracts 24 to assist in the recording, promotion, and sale of the        25 recorded music;  for the immediately preceding fiscal year 2 has— (A) total revenues of less      than $50,000,000; and (B) total recorded music sales of less than one percent of the total    recorded music sales in  the United States; and is not majority owned by a corporation,  partnership, or other association that has total revenues of more than $50,000,000. 

(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2013 14 through 2017 to carry out this section.

Here we are at the door step of this program ending in 2017 and a look athe Seasonally Adjusted U.S. Eports of Good by End Use Cataegory -- shows that the USA is still importing more music than it exports.

That is just crazy (arent the most of the largest recording artists in the world are from the US) since so many often sing about how proud they're of being an American. Aren't we as a nation proud enough to export it? 

This bring me back to part of the issues.  The Majors understand too well if the Indies start to get into this larger pool of fans that are still buying physical ( a majority 58.1 percent is physical) and start to export US Made Music,  the Majors goolden goose is cooked.

However since I've watched this MusicAct pretty much come and go with the situation only getting worse;  I'm not sure what can be done short of the revolution along the lines of  what  is happening in politics. Yet, The US music business is owned by Multi-National-Corporations that don't want "Made In the USA" exported (for any number of reasons with $ being online 1 of them) and surely don't want to have it known that Congress has sat on it's hands every year since the enactment of this measure and done NOTHING.

On a peronally note, I"ve asked my Representive Eleanor Homes Norton in person and on social media more than once, if she'd setup to support DC Made Music by inquiring into how #DCMusic makers can access Music Act funding; And, never gotten a response.   I also know the Music Act wasn't  brought up this year for Grammys on the Hill and that' because the Majors Suck and Congress don't care about local music or don't known that it's important?

 It can't be understanding of it's Economic Impact or Congress would do more to support this Export item (334612) that happens to be our Culture and often the Cornerstone or cultural diplomacy  

Now on to the Occuping of Vinyl plants since Vice  was covered it people are thinking something may be afoot.  And, after last weeks Record Store Day, I'm sure more grumbling will commence.   However I've been on about this for some time infact about a year ago I posted on Reddit about the "Occupying of Vinyl Plants" and got labeled a tinfoil hat fools and this issue of them just clogging up the plants (Capacity Restraint). Now they're rubbish that is being pressed is keeping the fans from getting releases from the Indie bands they truly are going to record stores day-in-and-out to discover and reward recording artists by Buying This and helping a local music release find an audience.

As the whole notion of having a Record Store Day --some where along the line has become this day where top artists release pet projects in very limited, for them, batches and essencially clogging up the whole ecosystem and keeping defacto local music deminutive to the majors.  IMHO It's got to stop and we need to get back to vialable stragegy for Clicks and Bricks Distribution issues.  And,  whomever is the next President can deal with the mess that Obama made of the US Recording business.

Predictions if we don't done anything it's going to get worse, if we just start to take notice of how other countries activally promote their export of this peice of culture and make a half ass attempt at it our econony can only improve.   Infact if we could get this going and the Majors back to exporting their US based artists as US Made Music the US Economy would be humming a different tune.

However until we close the loop hole created by President Clinton and reinstitute the Check Box Rule on Custom forms, asking if the item is IP, who's and pay them and the USA a tax on it', The USA will keep Entertining our Economy to Death and our Culture too as this has allowed one of the few indusries making jobs to become haliburtonized and it's hurting our standing abroad. 

Public Procurement Policies: That don't include the Music Act hurt economy

BRIEFING: Strengthening US Manufacturing with Buy America and Domestic Content Policies

• 
  
• Tuesday, December 8, 2015
• 2:00pm  3:00pm

• 2167 Rayburn

Please join Reps. Dan Lipinski and David P. Joyce, Co-Chairs of the Buy America Caucus, on Tuesday, December 8th at 2:00 p.m. in 2167 Rayburn HOB for a briefing on the release of the report:

How Procurement Policies Can Promote

Innovation and Good Jobs

By Robert Pollin, James Heintz, and Jeannette Wicks-Lim

Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

The only thing I'm going to say is that there will be no mention of USMadeMusic and the MusicAct that is buried in Congress that I have to ask why?    As well seeing how US Made Music was one of our largest export categories (prerecording music 33612) and now it's negative -397 that leaving this unaddress represents a collosale failure.

Frankly the USA doesn't have all that much of value in comparison {manufactured and export} besides our Culture and Entertainment --IP-- and according to the Cenus Trade Data today We're Entertaining our Economy To Death 

Doesn't anyone else notice that all the Top US act are owned by Overseas Corporations? 

Music Policy Briefing

Every major city in the USA has same problem the Halibutronization of culture

And, the theft of it's music to the world and enumeration for it. 

I wanted this to be the whole blog title; However, life is too short and most or my titles aren't normally. So what am I saying.   For one the Majors, each use the Import Export Bank IMEX to finance US Made Film, NPR News even made a point of it yesterday when covering President Obama's plea in front of Nike (irony) for more Exporting of US goods.

However what he didn't say nor has any news outlet even hinted at is that the same Majors don't use the Import Export Bank to finance US Made Music.

Think about it the biggest stars in the world, well most of them, are US Recording Artists. Don't use the IMEX bank nor are any of their release being tagged Made in the USA and exported out of it. Now when you here major country stars that sings about the their love of the USA how about asking them how come their releases aren't exported out of it?

We've Halliburtonized the Music of America.  I personally feel this is a real conspiracy; Since every day someone at the Department of State is going on about Cultural diplomacy and even crowing about the impact of Arts. When we don't even bother to export the one art form that we dominate --Music. Last year we exported -397 % in this trade category.

So what does this mean for our USMusicCities It means that the voice of the streets, the soul of the home, the lift in the heart is stuck there just like them.  Meanwhile the best artists, bands, groups are zipped up into the Majors and that city and it's culture will never get another dime from it and the US will lose yet another important exporter of American made Intellectual Property, which is another twist in President Obama's speech yesterday which was protested and I have to ask how come no one is calling out this Administration on it's role in undermining US Made Music?

The two artists that President is most widely know for hanging with don't export one single unit of pre-recorded music out of the USA.  I'd say if the better half of the two alone did that we'd have a trade surplus and our local Blu-Ray, Cassette, CD, DVD, manufacturing plants, not just vinyl operations would be working around the clock.

Here's where it comes home to roost, beside the loss of local economic co-development that Music industry is know for the voices from the people aren't getting out.  Think about it we've had a number of large civil movement in the last decade and not one protest song has made it into the stream of media.    There is a very simple reason.  Most of the protests are about large multi-national companies are taking over the world and guess what they did and likes frogs in pot we're boiling over and protest like the one in Ferguson and Baltimore will keep happening.

What's more American than the Copyright, it's the one thing what we can agree is in the Constitution for our Government to protect and for what it's worth last weeks sells 57% where physical and I dare say not one of these will be backed by the IMEX or Congress via the MUSIC ACT or this President to be exported out of America and fulfilling the need to lift out communities, in music case one song at a time.

While the Sky ain't falling Distribution isn't getting any easier either - which explains everything.

While Glenn is right that music sales are down at the start of 2014 there's a couple of things that the article and for that matter very few people are considering.   And, that's the State of Distribution and the lack of it's importance it has in the mindset of so many when they are talking about the Music business. 

Let's be clear being on a Major Label means it guaranteed distribution. The END.... 

Trust me every major selling artists knows the value that their distribution team brings to the table and that why you see so many old guys, since it's still mostly guys -- save the few executives like Jess Sarmiento; CoCEO of Altavoz Distribution and Leota Blacknor; VP at Caroline Distribution -- in so many pictures with all your favorite music stars.  -- I'll look for a video I have of Katy thanking her's at a convention two years ago. 

Nelson Jacobsen, Ron Spaulding & Jess Sarmiento #MusicBiz13la

However, back to the point... Considering that only one full service distributor has entered the marketplace since 2004 and consolidations have been going on since 2005 there was going to come a time when the chickens err CDs, BluRays, DVDs and Vinyl --yes some is coming back* come home to roost and that is nye.

So what is happening you ask?    If you've been in this business since the 90s think 1995 store returns and 1997 bankruptcy coming together at one time.  Start with if you didn't notice there where a crap load of releases in the 4th Quarter and consumers didn't consume.   Ego Hoc returns are already in trucks heading back to distributors and labels will be finding out about now.  Plus the merger of the onestops and their combining warehouses along with there other distributors moving warehouses created a cluster jam few could have predicted. 

Sure there are some great things happening and efficiencies are being reached at the very high levels; however, the trickle up that is the music business is about to trickle out.  

We need to start thinking that Distribution is the engine that STEAM runs upon and if we don't plan for it just like electronic parts, food, beer & wine and pot growers whom all know distribution is King Music just won't go any where.  While cities like Austin, Nashville Seattle and fingers crossed Washington DC are starting to understand the importance of music to it's culture and economy.   

There is a cycle that will invariably happen and just when things start reaching a boiling point in each city and the musical talent comes together to generate tangible IP and goods.  This talent has to get it's self in a bus, car or van and get to the next place; So, they can spread word of their music while  a distributor (there are only a handful of companies that do it) have to be along for the ride to make sure that every store online and physical is carrying the releases and knows that story behind it and the artists putting it out.

However before that happens planners, investors and those that are looking at the direction that we want to grow our economies from the local to the global markets nothing must start to consider, fund and promote as economy partners in the economy.    

PS  Soundscan is showing that physical music is  presently outselling digital music. 

Ave wage of US worker 27k. The average working musicians is way better.

According to berklee.edu nice chart over here we can see that we are not only talking about more than comparable wages ~working with the Music in the equation.

The VALUE doesn't stop here, since presumably these endeavors are producing some kind of output in the biz sometimes music is Magic or not so much;   However! each time it's Intellectual Property and the mere act of is (if you've been reading by blog) just raised the whole GPD of the USA by upwards of 3 percent.


So, as the demand for American music is growing (Ad Hoc - since music is something that everyone on the planet and perhaps others experience. Ergo Hoc  in case you didn't know it there are more customers every day.  Proctor Hoc more people to make more music. DUH [homersimpson voice])

I'm not sure why I would have to pitch USMADEMUSIC to US leadership however I do and under the current Administration we are on track to become a NET Importer of Music into the USA.   Again, let me let this sink in we will have more CD's shipped into the USA then we ship out.

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE BIGGEST RECORDING STARS and we're becoming a net IMPORTER come back for that blog too.  

So while I'm sure all the tech incubator are full on powerpoint and fluff blogs the WORLD revolves around music and thanks to our lack of leadership USMADEMUSIC is only 10 percent of it.   Again let this SINK in.

IMHO more music is needed here and around the world we do nothing to support meeting this demand. And, all of the jobs and educational investment to day has gotten us this.

The "raw" average wage, computed as net compensation divided by the number of wage earners, is $6,529,097,960,690.75 divided by 153,632,290, or $42,498.21. Based on data in the table below, about 67.1 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the $42,498.21 raw average wage. By definition, 50 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the median wage, which is estimated to be $27,519.10 for 2012.  http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2012

Again, Leaders are pouring money hand over fist into Job training however it doesn't include  STEAM. Proof is in the budget that Washington and your home towns put out and there's very little is for the Arts.  I've blogged about this...see here;  However, I'ma gonna do another one on it because there is more so... come back for that blog too.  

I'd love to hear from someone in the US as to why we're not beating drums and talking about building upon USMADEMUSIC. Since  the average wage is better and it comes with groupies (that go out and spend money.  I know we can do better, we deserve better and frankly the world needs USMADEMUSIC.

THINK about this Amerika it will keep to the politicians out of defining who we are as a nation overseas and that mostly tasseless and valueless Major Record Label music (aka part of a Multinational Corporation ) ya know they've haliburtonized the US Record Biz!

Let's face I'd rater have Doyle Wolf Gang Von FrankenStein then Joe WolfGang Biden reppin me in China. come back for that blog too 

Music increases US GDP and some still debating if it's a viable industry?

Gotta give a huge shout out to Glenn Peoples and  +Billboard for putting out this article about something that I've been saying for years.  Music has value. 

To me music has always been the why not the how.  Something along the lines being the medium.. well without the intent to communicate there is no need for a medium.  And! it now seems that the  U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) agrees with me on this and decided to give the US Gross Domestic Product a 3% boost and a HUGE win for those of us in the music world. 


Or in Glenn's words 

"TAKEAWAY: The music industry has always punched above it's weight in profile, but didn't always have the influence that matters. this GDP shift could help fix that disconnect. 

According to Bloomberg's Peter Coy   this rise of the Intangible economy is for real and a couple of quotes from his article got my attention: 

"The effect of the revision will be immediate. Measured GDP will get a one-time boost of about 2.7 percent when the government starts counting R&D and artistic creation as investments. (New Mexico and Maryland will get the biggest lifts.) The future growth rate will probably be fractionally higher, too. With R&D treated as an investment, measured economic growth from 1959 to 2007 would have been 3.39 percent annually instead of 3.32 percent, the BEA estimates." 

 "If all forms of intangible investment were officially recorded, they would exceed investment in bricks, mortar, and machines, according to estimates by economists Carol Corrado of the Conference Board and Charles Hulten of the University of Maryland."   Link 

The Rise of the Intangible Economy: U.S. GDP Counts R&D, Artistic Creation

It also seems that the Secretary Pritzker, from the Commerce Department is getting in on the act too by touring Music making facility and promoting USMADEMUSIC  on the Sec's blog.  which also points this fact out. 
"In fact, entertainment, literary and artistic originals contributed $74 billion to the U.S. economy last year, according to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis."








So will these new “intellectual property products.” ( which is a now how cost of new music and other artistic endeavors are to be categorized) bring in the investors that are seeking sustainable returns like the double digits one I' recently blogged about as well as those that want to be part of something more. IMHO music has always been more than most of us can put a handle on and this new way of our economist looking at it helps others start to see the more too.

Terrance and I Capital Hill~ Grammy On the Hill 2013