Music Has a $212 Billion Economic Impact in the U.S., Says New Study

In 2020, the U.S. music business contributed $212 billion to the country’s gross domestic product, up from $180 billion in 2017, according to the latest iteration of a report titled 50 States of Music that integrates data provided by independent record labels, performing rights organizations, independent music venues, music museums and other organizations. 

The booming music industry has also been good for the labor market. From 2017 to 2020, the number of jobs supported by the music industry grew 1.9% annually from 2.17 million to 2.54 million while overall U.S. employment growth was flat, according to the report’s study from two economists at the firm Secretariat. Direct employment — jobs in the music industry — grew from 1.13 million to 1.32 million over that time, while indirect and induced employment improved from 1.04 million to 1.22 million. Indirect employment includes jobs that result from the goods and services used by direct employment. Induced employment accounts for the jobs created by the additional spending of direct and indirect employees. 

Fueled by streaming services and a revitalized vinyl market, U.S. wholesale recorded music revenues increased from $5.78 billion to $8.02 billion from 2017 to 2020, according to the IFPI. That growth coincided with an uptick in music businesses. Over that four-year time span, the number of music industry businesses and establishments — spanning brick-and-mortar entities to digital companies — increased from 227,000 to 252,000.

In putting a dollar amount on the U.S. music industry, the report effectively underlines the stakes in failing to stave off the threat artificial intelligence (AI) poses to the business. A thorough study of music’s economic impact is important for an industry that frequently seeks lawmakers’ intervention against new technologies and threats to copyright. If music business revenue and employment are hit by AI, the losses would create a ripple effect that touches other businesses and workers.

“As Congress and state leaders grapple to figure out smart guardrails and innovative policies for the AI age, we face a truly unique, once-in-a-generation inflection point,” wrote Mitch Glazer, chairman/CEO of the RIAA, which funded the study behind 50 States of Music. Glazier continued that he welcomed “new opportunities, sounds and experiences made possible through responsible AI innovation” but warned of the risks of “irresponsible and unethical AI.” Unauthorized and uncompensated use of copyrighted music to train AI models “threatens to rip a gaping hole in the fabric of America’s music communities” and shift music’s economic impact to “global tech giants at the expense of the artists, writers and music companies who shape America’s 50 states,” he added.

California, where music contributes $51.4 billion to the economy, has the largest impact of the 50 states in terms of earnings, employment and value added. Texas, home to nearly 128,000 songwriters (per ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR), ranks second at $26.6 billion, while New York is a close third at $24.9 billion. Florida, home to the Latin music business, is fourth at $9.3 billion. Driven by country music in Nashville and the blues in Memphis, Tennessee ranks fifth at $7.5 billion. And Pennsylvania, where music supports nearly 115,000 jobs, is sixth at $6.3 billion.

The report’s authors used data from sources such as the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and private-sector data sets. Music’s economic impact was calculated by estimating its direct revenue and employment and then using what’s called a RIMS II multiplier — statistical tools developed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis — to estimate direct revenue’s downstream effects on local economies.