Advocating for NAMM Members

NAMM's Public Affairs and Government Relations team has been hard at work advocating for and supporting the music products and music making communities through financial and logistical challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues. NAMM public affairs has focused on educating NAMM members about how to access COVID-19 relief funds, including PPP and EIDL loans, Shuttered Venues Grant, SBA debt relief, and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER) as part of the CARES Act. We have also funded and promoted the results of a groundbreaking aerosol study and have closely tracked and updated members on pocketbook issues such as sustainability, Prop 65 in CA, PIP (3:1), supply chain disruptions, trade (Lacey Act, Ocean Shipping Reform Act, “Made in the USA” Rule), and tax credits as part of COVID-19 relief packages.

NAMM Public Affairs Highlights

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds as part of the CARES Act

NAMM closely tracked ESSER funds state approval plans, collaborating with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME),the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and others to educate NAMM members, who, in turn, took this information to the schools and communities they serve, resulting in millions of dollars in allocated funds for music education programs.

COVID-19 Small Business Relief

NAMM convened experts to explain COVID-19 relief options as part of its Small Business Relief webinar series that provided members with specific and detailed information so they could determine eligibility and apply for programs within the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, HEROES and HEALS Acts, Education Stabilization Fund (including ESSER and GEER), and the American Rescue Plan Act. The series also covered ongoing updates to PPP and EIDL loan forgiveness opportunities through the Small Business Association portal.

Aerosol Study

The NAMM Foundation was the title sponsor of the independent aerosol mitigation strategy study initiated by the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS). Our team worked closely with NFHS, Arts Ed NJ, NAfME and others to make sure mitigation recommendations that resulted from the study were distributed to schools, private music teachers and retailers through press releases, social media campaigns, and webinars. The NAMM Foundation also collaborated with NFHS and NAfME to add mitigation strategy recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education Clearinghouse for Best Practices for Music Education so that public and private music programs could easily access this information and resume in-person music learning.

Sustainability

With the creation of the Sustainability Task Force, NAMM members convene quarterly to share best practices to improve current sustainability efforts within their companies. NAMM also provides timely updates on the Lacey Act, a federal statute that regulates the import, export and commerce of protected wildlife, plant species and products.

Phenol, Isopropylated Phosphate (3:1)

NAMM continues to educate members on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s ruling to ban processing and distribution of phenol, isopropylated phosphate (PIP (3:1)), a plasticizer and fire retardant found in a wide range of consumer electronic products, including electric pianos, consoles and cords. EPA has a compliance deadline of October 31, 2024, though NAMM is actively lobbying the EPA to insert “manufactured by” and “sell through” dates that give manufacturers, retailers and distributors time to (1) investigate and (2) document their supply chain to see where PIP (3:1) is used and (3) to come up with a timeline to phase it out.

Trade

NAMM hosts webinars and continues to provide informational support on several matters regarding tariffs, free trade, supply chain, and shipping.

Tax

NAMM is monitoring and continues to update members on Independent Contractor Rules new tax and labor laws, and tax credits such as those provided by Employee Retention Tax Credit legislation.