S1E2 - Georgia Music Policy w/Mala Sharma

Nik Patel, David Lowery, and Chris Castle feature in this podcast where they discuss the current issues of artists’ rights in the music industry. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share!

On this episode of the Artist Rights Watch, Nik Patel, David Lowery, and Chris Castle sit down with music advocate, Mala Sharma to talk about the latest legislations in music policy in the state of Georgia. Mala Sharma started writing pieces for friends in bands which then lead to working with a small indie label in Athens, GA. Sharma then went from doing PR for musical acts to managing a band. Because of this job, she became really connected within the industry and landed a job as Rick Ruben’s executive assistant and head of production. Sharma worked in the production space for a while and started running a label that was an affiliate of Sony named 57 Records. And if that wasn’t enough, she pivoted yet again and moved to an entertainment banking firm. From there, she lands at your current destination in Georgia Music Partners.

 

Below are some links for further reading on Georgia music policy and the legislations we discussed in the episode:

HB 226 Introduced by Representative Gregg Kennard( D-Lawrenceville Ga District 102). This bill would exempt sales and use tax for tickets and fees for fine arts performances.  This bill would re-instate an exemption that existed a few years back that ended due to sunset clause.  For theatres, fine art centres that are suffering during Covid, this would provide additional opportunity for them to recover.  

 

SB 157 Senator Bill Cowsert(R- Athens District 46) will reintroduce this bill from last year.  It aims to protect the trademark of musical recording artists. 35 states have already passed this protection for legacy artists. Mary Wilson, was a big supporter of this bill and moving forward will be called the Mary Wilson Truth in Music Advertising Bill. The legislation provides that the name of a famous musical group cannot be used by a group of performers unless they include at least one member of the original group. The intent of the legislation is to prevent unfair or deceptive trade practices, and to protect the livelihood of musicians who were in famous musical groups.  This bill is supported by the RIAA, artists organisations around the country as well as in Georgia.   It passed through the Consumer Affairs committee unanimously.  It will go to the Rules committee next.

 

HB 508 Introduced by Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton Ga District 4).  This bill is similar to the SB157 in providing protection to legacy artists names and unfair trade practices.  Additionally it requires online sites that deal “in substantial part in the electronic dissemination” of commercial recordings or audiovisual works to properly display true name and address information on the site.  The law is the online equivalent of True Name and Address statutes across the country intended to protect consumers and the legitimate marketplace.  Currently, Tennessee and Florida have these already in place.  This is supported by the MPAA, RIAA, Artists Rights Coalition, labels and artists.  This bill will be going in front of the House Creative Industries Committee for the first hearing.  

 

HB486 Introduced by Representative Beth Moore( D-Peachtree Courners, District 95).  This standalone bill would provide musical licenses used in qualified productions of film, tv, video games to be counted towards the minimum spend provided the composition is created, held by Georgia based composers.  This legislation would incentivise film/tv and digital entertainment company to use songs and compositions from Georgia based creators.  This bill will be going in front of the House Creative Industries Committee for the first hearing.  

 

Below are our social links and terms of use:

Chris: http://www.christiancastle.com/chris-castle

David: https://twitter.com/davidclowery?s=20

https://www.instagram.com/davidclowery/

Nik: https://www.instagram.com/nikpatelmusic/

       https://www.nikpatelmusic.com

Website: https://artistrightswatch.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artistrightswatch

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtistRights?s=20

Terms of Use: https://artistrightswatchdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-1-i-1.pdf