President Donald Trump signed the American Music Tourism Act into law, a bill years in the making that directs the Department of Commerce's Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism to identify and promote qualifying music destinations across the country. The White House confirmed the bill, officially known as S. 195, was signed on October 9.
According to The White House, S. 195 was signed into law. The legislation was introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, and Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado, and it directs the U.S. Department of Commerce's assistant secretary to develop a plan supporting and increasing music tourism among domestic and international visitors, per WSMV. Blackburn said the law will help spotlight Tennessee destinations including Graceland, the Grand Ole Opry and Dollywood.
A Long Road Through Congress
The bill's path to the president's desk stretched across multiple sessions of Congress. The Senate passed the proposal in 2024, the station's report notes, while the U.S. House approved the measure in September 2026 before it headed to the president. As detailed by Pollstar, S. 195 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on May 14, 2025, before the House adopted the Senate text by voice vote 16 months later on September 15, 2026, after a previous version from the 118th Congress expired without House action in late 2024.
The law amends the existing Visit America Act, expanding the National Travel and Tourism Office's mandate to formally include music-related destinations and requiring an initial progress report to Congress within one year, followed by updates every two years after that, the same outlet reports. The office carries out tourism-promotion work.
Low Cost, High Expectations
Despite the sweeping scope of its mandate, the law carries a surprisingly small price tag. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in March 2025 that implementing the act will cost under $500,000 over the 2025 to 2030 period, according to Music Business Worldwide, since the law restructures agency focus rather than creating new federal grant programs or dedicated appropriations. The travel office previously received $3.5 million to execute the broader Visit America Act in 2024, the outlet notes.
Supporters of the act say a coordinated national strategy could draw additional visitors and spending to Tennessee destinations including Nashville, Memphis, Pigeon Forge and Bristol, per the WSMV report. Nashville Songwriters Association International, which owns the Bluebird Café, backed the measure and projects music tourism to generate more than $11 billion in revenue by 2032, with the group saying it expects the industry to thrive beyond that figure now that the act has been signed. Bart Herbison, the association's executive director, leads the organization, which said it was elated that the act was enacted and recognizes music tourism's economic and social impact.
A Broad Coalition Behind the Bill
The measure drew backing from a wide range of groups beyond Tennessee's borders. Supporters named in the WSMV report include the Recording Academy, the Tennessee Entertainment Commission and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, alongside Nashville Songwriters Association International. National advocacy organizations endorsing the bill included the National Independent Venue Association, Live Nation, the Recording Industry Association of America, the National Music Publishers Association and the Society of Composers & Lyricists, according to IQ Magazine. Live music promoters and venue operators have increasingly partnered with hospitality brands to capture growing global demand for concert travel, the outlet notes.
The scale of that industry is already substantial. Independent music venues and live festivals generate $10.6 billion in annual visitor spending and account for 9.2% of all U.S. travel and tourism revenue, according to figures from the State of Live study, published in June 2025 and publicized by the National Independent Venue Association in September 2026. The group was established during the COVID-19 pandemic to advocate for independent stages, cultural halls and promoters nationwide.
Why Tennessee Pushed So Hard
Tennessee's outsized role in shaping the legislation traces back to the state's own tourism numbers. Direct visitor spending in Tennessee reached a record $32.5 billion in 2025, a 40% surge since 2018 that nearly doubled the national tourism growth rate of 22%, generating $3.3 billion in total state and local tax revenue, per the Tennessee Municipal League. Tourism represents the state's second-largest industry and saves the average Tennessee household an estimated $1,180 in annual tax liability, the league notes.
Davidson County visitor spending grew 3.5% from 2024 and 55.7% from 2018, while Greater Nashville visitor spending grew 3.3% and 50%, respectively, according to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, with Greater Nashville generating more than a third of the state's entire visitor economy. Nashville International Airport served 24.7 million passengers in FY25.
The new federal focus arrives as international travel spending nationwide reaches record heights. International visitors spent more than $250 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2025 across lodging, food, recreation and local transport, according to The American Quorum. Prior to the act's passage, federal travel strategies designated sports and cultural heritage as priorities but lacked a formal framework for music destinations, the outlet notes — a gap supporters of the new law say they intend to close.
