Tennessee’s entertainment industries are an important piece of the state’s economy whose economic impacts touch many industry sectors in the state while employing thousands of Tennesseans with high-quality jobs. The investment from these industries creates new incomes, increases growth in infrastructure, and generates additional tax revenues for state and local governments.

In 2021, the entertainment industry generated an estimated $751 million in Gross State Product1 for the state. Additionally, these industries created over $483 million in new earnings2 for Tennessee workers. The entertainment industry covers a broad range of industries including motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting, interactive digital media, and music publishing. Tennessee’s pro-business environment and talented workforce have encouraged worldwide entertainment brands including, William Morris Endeavor, Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., Gibson Guitars and Live Nation to locate significant operations in the state.

The Tennessee Entertainment Commission (TEC) helps support the economic development and growth of the creative economy through advancing infrastructure, workforce and content development in the state. In addition to the economic and fiscal impacts to Tennessee, its entertainment industry remains a strategic focal point for marketing and promoting Tennessee to a national and international audience. The Center for Economic Research in Tennessee (CERT) analyzed entertainment industry projects that received funding from the Tennessee Entertainment Commission to estimate the economic and fiscal impacts on the state. In addition, CERT completed an overview of the broader entertainment industry in Tennessee, which include industry establishments, employment, and wages.

Download the 2022 Tennessee Economic Impact of Creative Economy Report.