The Obama Administration record on supporting US Made Music.ain't so Good.

Now that the Obama Administration has come to an end I wanted to do a bit of a rap-up post about his time as of running the economy and being the commander in chief and top spokesperson for US Made Music and figured that just before the April 4th Trade Data is released we can catch everyone up on where US Made Music stands in the business world and how Obama's 8 years in office impacted the entertainment in the US;  Specifically, Prerecorded Compact Disc (Except Software), Tape, and Record Reproducing: which is category 334612.

And, it's easy to see that imports are larger than Exports.

January 2017
Trade in Goods
and Services

Deficit: $48.5 Billion

Exports: $192.1 Billion

Imports: $240.6 Billion

Next release: April 4, 2017

Complete Release Schedule

Just so we're all on the same page: 334612  is the same "rock and roll" that is coming into the US as an Import and not being exported. Moreover, this category used to be an industry leading sector driving the US economy and the dissemination of US culture abroad.  Remember the phrase Cultural Diplomacy,   I've been the one asking Obama's  Secretary of Commerce, numerous Under Secretary's  plus leading figures at the State Departhemet.

I've taken the newest trade date for NAICS334612 and posted it as a Google Sheet for anyone to take a look without having to jump through all the hoops and dig through all the data.   HERE

If  we don't export our music how's the US doing this Cultural Diplomacy? 

Worst of all is the Obama Administration knew that we needed to do something about spurring US Made Music that it helped to pass the Music Act in 2012 that set aside money in the Commerce Department to -- Develop, Manufacture, and export it and I've never met someone that even knew it existed or that it's expiring.

Moreover! How is it possible, I love to ask, that we have some of the biggest recording artists in the world; Yet, the USA is negative in it's export of music made in the USA?   Want to Learn more about how we got here and what to do by the above link or visit TheMajorsSuck.com and the question I have to ask is why is this subject so under reported and hard to find data about something as important as US Made Music?  

Prerecorded Compact Disc (Except Software), Tape, and Record Reproducing: 2002

As Micheal E. Porter eloquently pointed out in “The Competitive Advantage of Nations,” that a nation's prosperity is created and not inherited, states must recognize that a nation's competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industries to innovate and upgrade.’

We have failed to heed these words and worse is that -- we are entertaining our economy to death!   Nelson Jacobsen, USMADEMUSIC.ORG 

Thanking Lil Flip, for his show during SXSW 

Ps Why we need the US Music Act is the next blog and I'll wait for the April Trade Data.

Until the EOY let's look at the UK's trade balance in Prerecorded music.

For the Datanerds, the following is the breakdown in trade of Software and Prerecording music between the USA and the UK for the year 2015 presently cited as Cat 334614*.  I'm posting it here because I believe in the next month trade data will have the Adele release totals.  And, this one artists is enough to move the needle of trade between the US and the UK;  And,  that the saturation of all things Adele between now and the New Year's will benefit the UK much more then the USA and this blog will be the only one mentioning it. 

"Adele’s 25 (due November 20) could go double platinum in less than a week. According to Hits Daily Double, industry insiders now predict an opening tally in the region of two million copies. That would rank as the second highest debut of all time behind NSYNC’sNo Strings Attached, which sold 2.4 million copies in its first seven days of release back in 2000. The Brit’s third LP already has 250,000 preorders."

Based upon these numbers alone it's clear that 25 is going to sell it's just at what point in time does anyone in the USA wake up to realization that this is Entertaining our Economy to death. And, just to put a fine pine upon it... I'm saying that the UK will be importing more Cat 33614 into the USA than we export to them (US Made Music) and Adele will be the tipping point and just about no one in the USA sees this as a bad thing.

I have to say.... When a county stops exporting it's culture it's only left with war and the Irony of on this Thanksgiving that a UK artists will outsell US's based artists and most of the help doing s0 comes from the USA; And the headline is about how great Adele is, which is true... it's just she's an import. 

NRJ

From the whole Altavoz Family to your have a blessed Thanks Giving. 

PS of the 5,049,000 units sold only for week ending 11/19/2015  2,245 where digital or 44% 

*The  Categories used to be 334612 for Prerecorded music and now it's combined with software into 334614.