Trump Signs American Music Tourism Act Into Law
President Donald Trump signed the American Music Tourism Act into law on Wednesday, Oct. 14, tasking federal tourism officials with drawing more visitors to the United States through music. The signing was reported by Billboard.
The measure is listed as S. 195, the “American Music Tourism Act of 2025,” according to the White House. It was sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, and John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat. Congressional records show it was introduced in the Senate on Jan. 22, 2025, in the 119th Congress, as detailed on Congress.gov.
At its centre is a clear instruction to the U.S. assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism. That official must carry out a plan to increase music tourism among domestic and international visitors. Music tourism is simply travel built around sound. Festivals and concerts. Clubs and concert halls. Studios, museums and streets where particular styles took shape.
The Commerce Department is also directed to promote travel to U.S. locations and events important to music tourism. The assistant secretary must then send Congress a report on the successes and vulnerabilities of those goals. That reporting duty is set out in Section 2 of the bill text, titled “Responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism.”
The business at stake is large. Future Market Insights forecasts the U.S. music tourism market will reach $11.3 billion in revenue by 2032. That figure covers much more than tickets. It includes hotels, flights, meals, merchandise and local transport, the spending that keeps venues staffed and high streets busy.
For fans, this means the change will show up in how trips are sold rather than how shows are staged. Think visitor guides, itineraries and campaigns built around gigs and music history. The law does not set ticket prices or artist pay. It is about footfall.
What makes this stand out is the mechanism. Congress has not told travellers where to go. It has told a tourism office to make the case for going, and then to explain to lawmakers what worked and what did not. Venues, promoters and city boards now wait to see how that plan takes shape.
