Tag Archives: KTS press

‘Keeping the Score in CA’ Rally Highlights Good Jobs for Musicians Via Tax Credit Legislation

“Keeping the Score in CA” kickoff concert & media event outside of Los Angeles City Hall on Aug. 19, 2017. (Photos: Linda A. Rapka)

“Momentum is strong, and we can’t let up now!” That was the dominant message on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the “Keeping the Score in CA” free concert and rally at city hall where a crowd of 150 gathered to hear music, politicians and union leaders push for the AB 1300, the music scoring tax credit that will help keep good jobs in California.

“When you look at the overall state budget, the value of retaining these jobs here is of significant state interest,” Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon (D-57^th), told the crowd who gathered to hear performances by musicians including Rickey Minor (bandleader for the 69^th Annual Emmy Awards whose credits also include “The Tonight Show” and “American Idol”) and Siddhartha Khosla (composer for NBC’s “This Is Us”).

Related: Variety – Musicians Union Members Stage Free Concert to Bring Scoring Jobs Back to L.A. Continue reading →

Max the Trax: Musicians Turn Up Volume on Scoring Tax Credit

California Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon addresses the crowd at the AFM “Keeping the Score in California,” with (from left) RMA’s Marc Sazer, RMALA’s Steve Dress, AFM Local 47’s John Acosta, LA County Federation of Labor’s Rusty Hicks, and Local UNITE HERE Local 11’s Jordan Fein. (Photo: Paula Parisi / MaxTheTrax)

– Published by Max The Trax, Aug. 28, 2017

With three top California assemblyman singing their tune at the American Federation of Musicians’ “Keeping the Score in California” event, it appears as if the tax incentive designed to keep recording work in the state is destined for passage. “I don’t see it as a question of if it’s going to happen, I see it as a question of when it’s going to happen,” said Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, who in April introduced the measure, AB 1300. Continue reading →

Variety: Musicians’ Union Members Stage Free Concert to Bring Scoring Jobs Back to L.A.

By Jon Burlingame, Shirley Halperin

As part of an ongoing effort to return scoring jobs to California, some 150 music professionals supporting Los Angeles musician unions gathered on Saturday (Aug. 19) at Los Angeles City Hall for a free concert. They included members of Local 47 of the American Federation of Musicians, SAG-AFTRA and IATSE; and other music groups including the Society of Composers and Lyricists, the American Youth Symphony, the L.A. Chamber Orchestra, and the Recording Academy of Los Angeles.

Longtime “American Idol” music director Rickey Minor led a six-man band in music throughout the event, and songwriters Siddhartha Khosla and Chris Pierce performed “We Can Always Come Back to This,” the Memphis-soul-style song that proved popular during the past season of “This Is Us.” Continue reading →

LA Times: Hollywood musicians are backing a new bill that seeks to stop runaway film scoring

by David Ng, Los Angeles Times

The livelihoods of Hollywood musicians have long been under siege as major movie and TV productions continue to outsource scoring to other states as well as abroad.

Local instrumentalists have tried pressuring the major studios to bring more scoring back to Los Angeles and many are backing a new state bill from Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon (D-Whittier) that would increase tax credits doled out to movie productions that choose to do their music scoring in California.

On Saturday, musicians will step up their protest by staging a free concert at L.A. City Hall, starting at 10:30 a.m. The event is designed to raise awareness of the state bill and bring attention to the issue of runaway scoring. Continue reading →

Variety: Musicians’ Union Backs Legislation to Return Scoring Jobs to L.A.

DAVID HARTLEY/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

by Jon Burlingame, Variety

Work for Los Angeles studio musicians continues to decline as production companies find cheaper alternatives elsewhere, so musicians’ union executives are backing California legislation designed to provide financial incentives to return film- and TV-scoring jobs back to Hollywood.

Assembly Bill 1300, the “Music Scoring Tax Credit Bill,” recently introduced by Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, would offer a 30 percent tax credit to U.S. productions made in foreign countries, as well as for low-budget films, that use California musicians. Union officials believe that passage could mean millions in regained wages for studio players. Continue reading →

Musicians Talk Tax Credits on KPCC

Rank-and-file AFM Local 47 musicians Tim Davies and Marc Sazer joined KPCC The Frame’s John Horn in studio to talk about the benefits a new music tax credit would have for music jobs in California.

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 film and television tax system to musicians and the scores that are an integral part of every film and TV project.

Listen to the podcast here (interview starts at 18:57), or download on iTunes.

Learn more about AB 1300 and sign the online petition here.

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 →

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 →