New Jersey Musicians Welcome New Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Employment of State Musicians
New Jersey Musicians Welcome New Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Employment of State Musicians
New Jersey Tax Credits Should Support American Musicians, Not Subsidize Foreign Scoring Work, Musicians’ Union Leaders Say
PATERSON, NJ, May 30, 2025 – New Jersey members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) applauded the introduction of Senate Bill 4392 sponsored by Senator Joseph Lagana (D-38) and Assembly Bill A4382, sponsored by Assemblyman William Sampson IV, that would close a loophole in the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act that would prevent recipients of the state film and digital media production tax credit from using tax credits to outsource scoring work to foreign countries.
“The Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act has been an important piece of legislation that has established New Jersey as a top-tier filmmaking designation,” said Anthony Scally, President of Local 16-248 AFM in Paterson, New Jersey. “Unfortunately, too often musicians in New Jersey are not benefiting from these tax credits and instead, scoring work is shipped abroad, to countries where musicians lack union benefits and earn much lower wages. I’m grateful for the leadership of Senator Lagana and Assemblyman William Sampson IV for helping us close this loophole and fighting so that New Jersey film tax credits support New Jersey-area musicians.”
“New Jersey is home to world-class musicians, composers, and recording professionals, all of whom deserve to share in the success of our growing film industry. This bill ensures that when New Jersey invests in film, we’re also investing in the incredible local talent who bring those stories to life through music, instead of leaving them on the cutting room floor,” said Senator Joseph Lagana.
Enacted in 2018, the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act provides tax credits to incentivize film and digital media production in New Jersey. The bill would prevent studios from outsourcing post-production musical work overseas while benefiting from New Jersey tax incentives and ensure domestic musicians, including thousands of New Jersey residents, have fair access to employment in the state’s growing film industry.
Musicians hired in scoring sessions abroad are sometimes paid an equivalent hourly wage as low as $19 in Eastern European cities like Skopje or Bratislava, according to AFM research.
