Italian Government Recognizes Music Videos as Art Eligible for Tax Credit

On January 22, 2020, Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini signed a decree officially recognizing music videos as works of art, making them eligible for tax credit benefits previously reserved for films, video art, and video games. The decree responds to a 2018 petition launched by Italian musicians including Fiorello, Giovanni Allevi, Gianna Nannini, and Gino Paoli, who argued that music videos are a form of creativity deserving protection. The petition was supported by FIMI (Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana) and IMAGinACTION, an international festival dedicated to music videos. Stefano Salvati, artistic director of IMAGinACTION and director of over 300 music videos, called the decision an epochal change. Franceschini acknowledged that excluding music videos from the 2017 cinema and audiovisual law was an error, stating that music videos have interpreted popular imagination and made generations dream. The Ministry of Cultural Heritage (MiBACT) issued a press release specifying that the measure recognizes music videos as universally acknowledged artistic works with creative content analogous to other tax-eligible products. The decree was announced via a MiBACT Facebook video where Franceschini said, "You convinced me."