News – News
Governor’s Small Business Webinar: Update on SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Grant
The Governor's Office of Small Business Assistance, in partnership with the Texas Music Office, will provide an update on the Shuttered Venue Operator’s (SVO) Grant. The webinar will focus on the information required for small businesses to get ready to apply for the new grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Senator John Cornyn, author of the new bill that enacted this funding, will open the event. The expert panel will include Tim Jeffcoat, District Director of the SBA in Houston, and Blayne Tucker, music industry lawyer, venue operator and champion of the new bill.
SBA Announces Reopening of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
The SBA has announced the reopening of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for new & existing borrowers. This round of PPP authorizes up to $284 billion in potentially forgivable loans that can be applied to job retention & certain expenses thru 3/31/21. New applicants can apply for PPP loans through SBA approved "7a" lenders including many Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). As with prior rounds of PPP funding, borrowers may be eligible for PPP loan forgiveness.
Federal Income Taxes & Your Unemployment Benefits
Getting ready to prepare your 2020 taxes? If you received unemployment benefits and/or pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) benefit's, make sure to view the Texas Workforce Commission's info on how federal law requires reporting all of the benefits as taxable income. “Unemployment benefits are taxable income reportable to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under federal law. You must report all unemployment benefits you receive to the IRS on your federal tax return," notes TWC.
VIDEO - Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Webinar
On Thursday, January 21, the Texas Music Office + the Office of the Governor's Small Business Assistance Team co-hosted a webinar about the SBA's new SHUTTERED VENUE OPERATORS GRANT. Watch an archive video of the entire webinar, including the Q&A session wherein attendee's questions about the grant were answered. The slide deck from the webinar presentation is also included here.
TMO Director Brendon Anthony’s “2020 Year in Review”
TMO Director Brendon Anthony delivers his annual "Year In Review" letter, detailing Texas Music Office accomplishments and highlights from 2020. Anthony goes through the office's work during the last year, reviewing how the TMO had to pivot in the ways the office communicated with constituents, while continuing its role as an economic development office for the Texas music industry. The TMO quickly adapted to create new communication channels to assist the state's music industry professionals, helping them persevere through the Covid-19 pandemic.
20 in 2020 Achieved: Texas Music Office Certifies 20 Total Music Friendly Communities
The Texas Music Office's community-focused economic development program - MUSIC FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES - grew from 10 certified cities to 20 in 2020, proving a growing need for music industry resources and enhanced communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. The "20 in 2020" goal to certify 20 Texas communities by the end of 2020 that was set at the start of the year - before Covid-19 - was still able to be achieved thanks to the hard work of TMO Community Relations & Outreach Specialist Chip Adams, the various Texas cities and MFC liaisons, and the entire TMO team. The "20 in 2020" work is illustrated in the infographic herein.
Watch the Archive Editions of the Mechanical Licensing Collective + TMO Co-Sponsored Webinars: THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL AUDIO MECHANICAL ROYALTIES FROM DSPs IN THE USA
On Tuesday, December 8th - and on December 16th - the TMO welcomed the newly created Mechanical Licensing Collective (the MLC) to Texas as we joined the MLC in co-hosting two FREE webinars for Texas music creators, producers, and self-administered songwriters entitled “THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL AUDIO MECHANICAL ROYALTIES FROM DSPs IN THE UNITED STATES." The webinars provided crucial information for songwriters who administer their own publishing to help ensure they receive this important revenue stream from digital service providers.
Governor Abbott Announces Arlington Designated As Music Friendly Community
Governor Greg Abbott today announced that Arlington, having completed the multi-step certification process, has been designated as a Music Friendly Community by the Texas Music Office (TMO). The Music Friendly Community program seeks to foster music business economic development in Texas cities and communities. TMO Community Relations & Outreach Specialist Chip Adams will present the Music Friendly Community designation to Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams on Friday, December 18, 2020, at 12:30 PM during a virtual certification ceremony in partnership with Levitt Pavilion Arlington, the City of Arlington, and the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau.