It’s no secret that when a composer is recording a big budget film score for a major studio, scoring stages in California (like Skywalker Sound and the Eastwood Scoring Stage) and London, are the first choices. But what about for the next tier of live scoring, like the scores for indie films, TV shows, and big video game releases? Due to high production costs in these US and UK scoring hotspots, many of these major scoring sessions are taking place in studios in major Eastern European cities like Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Enter the Tennessee Visual Content Modernization Act. This legislation is offering financial incentives to projects that are produced in Tennessee with a goal that Tennessee (Nashville, specifically) will become a larger musical hub and that they will be able to attract and retain higher paying creative jobs. Now, cue the debate. The TVCM Act isn’t without valid opposition from union musicians. Since Tennessee is a right-to-work state, meaning you don’t have to be a union member to perform in the studios, US-based unionized musicians fear migration of major projects from non-right-to-work states to Nashville to capitalize on the local talent.
