NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — The music industry scored a victory in Tennessee after its advocates convinced the state government to provide financial support for film and video game scoring projects.
The Tennessean reported on Tuesday that details of the new incentives, approved by the state’s lawmakers, will be established in the coming weeks after policymakers conduct “listening sessions” with industry stakeholders.
The incentives come as Tennessee’s musical heart of Nashville becomes an increasingly important part of the scoring project world. Notable projects that have originated in Music City include “O, Brother Where Art Thou,” “The Shack” and more recently, the television show “Nashville.”
“I think by dedicating incentives it shows that we as a state are serious about this area of the industry, especially in the face of increasing competition from neighboring states,” Pat McMaking, director of operations at Belmont University’s Ocean Way Studio told the Tennessean.
“The main reason why we’re doing that is Tennessee has a unique competitive advantage in music,” Raines said. “Our goal is to utilize the talent we have here, utilize the vendors we have here and the infrastructure we have here to become a first-look for film, television and video game scoring for the state,” Bob Raines, the executive director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission added, noting that the incentives were intended to “pour fuel” on the sector to drive scoring work to Nashville.
Along with scoring projects for traditional media, the new legislation also included provisions for video game creators and other digital media projects such as animation that might employ a musical score. Like the film and television component, the details of the financial support still need to be worked out, the Tennessean said.
