Tag Archives: film music offshoring

Musicians Applaud State Legislators’ Commitment to Enhance California’s Film and TV Production Incentive Program

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Press contact: Linda A. Rapka 323.993.3162

LOS ANGELES, CA (AUGUST 28, 2014) — The American Federation of Musicians Local 47, the labor union representing more than 7,000 Los Angeles musicians, and the Recording Musicians Association of Los Angeles applaud the announcement by Gov. Jerry Brown and other state leaders affirming their commitment to expanding California’s Film and Television Job Retention Act.

Members of the California Film & Television Production Alliance, AFM Local 47 and RMALA stand alongside fellow entertainment guilds and thousands of hard-working men and women up and down the state in commending the governor and a band of state legislators who yesterday confirmed that California’s film and television production incentive program will be expanded, extended, and improved through the passage of AB 1839. The bill gives the program additional funding of $330 million per year for five years, more than tripling the current annual allocation.

Musicians are happy about language included in the legislation that will increase the credit for qualified expenditures relating to music scoring and music track recording by musicians. Further, the bill will urge Congress and the International Trade Commission to investigate aggressively and impose sanctions and tariffs on elements of production, including music scoring, visual effects and virtual photography, protected by the Tariff Act, to combat unfair and illegal competition from international parties. Continue reading →

Listen Up! Campaign Gains International Support

At an advance screening for Lionsgate-released film “Step Up All In,” Hong Kong campaign supporters distributed leaflets to moviegoers in both English and Cantonese that described how the company is offshoring music jobs on U.S. taxpayers’ dime by accepting millions in tax subsidies. Photos & images: Courtesy Listen Up!

Activist and labor groups in Hong Kong show support for American musicians calling for Lionsgate to stop offshoring film scoring jobs on U.S. taxpayers’ dime

Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) and several other Chinese activist groups have announced support of the American Federation of Musician’s Listen Up! campaign calling to end offshoring film scoring jobs.

At an advance screening for “Step Up All In,” the fifth release in the motion picture franchise, Hong Kong campaign supporters distributed leaflets to moviegoers in both English and Cantonese that described how Lionsgate Entertainment is offshoring music jobs on U.S. taxpayers’ dime by accepting millions in tax subsidies. Continue reading →

Mayor Garcetti Endorses Listen Up!

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — recently named Honorary Member of Local 47 — shows his support of Listen Up! pictured above with rank-and-file Listen Up! campaign members Elizabeth Hedman, Marc Sazer, Phil Ayling, Doug Tornquist, Rafael Rishik, and Neil Samples. Photo by Kori Chappell

L.A. city leader joins with AFM in calling on film production companies to end practice of offshoring film scoring jobs; AFM Local 47 reaffirms support of campaign

by Linda A. Rapka

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in June his support for the American Federation of Musicians’ Listen Up! campaign, which calls upon film production companies that benefit from taxpayer-funded film credits to score their films in the United States.

“I’m fighting for good paying middle-class jobs across California, and our work to pass legislation — which will boost production and music scoring — must be with that goal in mind,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. Continue reading →

Listen Up! Moves Full Steam Ahead

Musicians hand-deliver more than 12,000 petition signatures to Lionsgate to stop

offshoring film scoring work

by Linda A. Rapka

Momentum continues to grow for the American Federation of Musicians’ member-driven Listen Up! campaign aimed at stemming the offshoring of film scoring and bring more music jobs back to the United States.

Musicians made a special delivery at Lionsgate’s Santa Monica headquarters May 13 of a petition signed by over 12,000 supporters of their Listen Up! campaign. Around 40 musicians gathered at Stewart Street Park about a mile from Lionsgate for a pre-delivery rally. Speakers included Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo, Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, Pastor Bridie Roberts of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, and rank-and-file AFM musician Neil Samples. Continue reading →

Musicians’ Listen Up! Campaign Delivers Petition Signed by 12,000 Supporters to Lionsgate HQ

Courtesy of Listen Up! “Listen up, Lionsgate!” — The Listen Up! campaign hand-delivered more than 12,000 petition signatures to Lionsgate Entertainment’s Santa Monica headquarters May 13 calling on the company to uphold industry standards for musicians and end its practice of offshoring film scoring work. Helping with the delivery were L.A. County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary Maria Elena Durazo, Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, and Pastor Bridie Roberts of Clergy and Laity for Economic Justice. Lionsgate executives accepted the petitions but refused to meet with the musicians.

“Listen up, Lionsgate!” — The Listen Up! campaign hand-delivered more than 12,000 petition signatures to Lionsgate Entertainment’s Santa Monica headquarters May 13 calling on the company to uphold industry standards for musicians and end its practice of offshoring film scoring work. Helping with the delivery were L.A. County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary Maria Elena Durazo, Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, and Pastor Bridie Roberts of Clergy and Laity for Economic Justice. Lionsgate executives accepted the petitions but refused to meet with the musicians.

Petition calls on Lionsgate to uphold industry standards and end practice of offshoring film scoring work

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA (May 13, 2014) — Today members of the American Federation of Musicians made a special delivery at Lionsgate corporate headquarters in Santa Monica of a petition signed by over 12,000 supporters of their Listen Up! campaign. Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo, Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, and Pastor Bridie Roberts of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice were present to support the musicians and be part of the delivery delegation.

“L.A. is the entertainment capital of the world,” says Durazo. “Working women and men in our communities demand that working musicians get treated with the same level of professional respect as other workers. Today, we are asking Lionsgate to listen up and do the right thing.” Continue reading →

Musicians Kick Off Listen Up! Campaign Today

AFM President Ray Hair speaks out against film-music offshoring at the Listen Up! campaign launch in Los Angeles.

WESTWOOD (April 11, 2014) — Yesterday Los Angeles-area musicians held a press conference and rally across from the Regency Theatre in Westwood as part of a nationwide kickoff for Listen Up! – a campaign for fairness for musicians working in the motion picture and TV film industry.

The campaign calls out the motion picture-TV film industry for treating U.S. musicians unfairly by offshoring movie soundtrack recordings. Many offshored soundtrack recordings are made for films funded in part by U.S. taxpayers. At the Listen Up! kickoff event, musicians who are members of the American Federation of Musicians and its affiliated Los Angeles Local 47 were joined by representatives from the AFL-CIO, and other labor, faith, and community leaders to call on the film industry to stop offshoring film scoring work. Continue reading →

Musicians Protest Marvel Entertainment in Cleveland

Protesters want the studio to keep jobs in the USA

CLEVELAND, OH (May 22, 2013) — Tomorrow at noon, members of the American Federation of Musicians will form an informational picket line outside a location shoot for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” to protest Marvel Entertainment’s outsourcing of musical score work to Europe.

Musicians are outraged that rather than employ local musicians, Marvel pockets millions of taxpayer dollars from U.S. tax credits meant to keep work in the United States and instead hires foreign musicians on the cheap.
Continue reading →

Musicians to Protest Marvel Entertainment Today

Recording musicians want studio to keep jobs in the USA

HOLLYWOOD, CA (April 23, 2013) — Today at 10:30 a.m. members of American Federation of Musicians Local 47 will form an informational picket line outside the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood to speak out against Marvel Entertainment’s outsourcing of musical score work to Europe.

Recording musicians are upset that rather than employ local musicians, Marvel pockets millions of taxpayer dollars from U.S. tax credits meant to keep work in the United States and instead hires foreign musicians on the cheap. Continue reading →