BATON ROUGE (LSU Manship School News Service) — The House voted Thursday to create a subcommittee to study the makeup of the state’s music industry ecosystem and its economic impact.
Authored by Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, House Resolution 294 passed 95-0.
The resolution says the subcommittee would make recommendations by next Feb. 1 for policy and legislative changes to promote the development of a self-supporting industry.
Internationally renowned as the birthplace of jazz, Louisiana has produced music styles like rhythm and blues, zydeco, swamp pop and bounce. Musical legends such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino and Amédé Ardoin are among the vast list of artists from the Bayou State.
The music industry in Louisiana is an economic driver contributing over $1 billion dollars to the state’s gross domestic product, and it employs over 30,000 residents, according to the resolution.
The resolution “does exactly as it says,” Davis said. A House Commerce subcommittee had been studying the economic impact of music industry for the past year, she said, “and we just want to continue that.”
The subcommittee would be chaired by the chairman of the Commerce Committee, Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Marksville, and it would have a minimum of five meetings. The subcommittee would also review the state’s incentive laws for the music and live-performance industries.
By Maddie Scott
