RIAA Applauds Senate Confirmation of Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo

Washington, D.C. (March 3, 2021) Today, RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier issued the following statement on the confirmation of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo as the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce:

'The Recording Industry Association of America applauds Governor Gina Raimondo on her confirmation as the new Secretary of Commerce. We have no doubt that her executive and leadership experience will serve the Commerce Department well during this critical time for both the U.S. economy and those that are contributing to its recovery, including the recording industry.

'As she articulated during her confirmation hearing: 'exports equal growth equals more jobs.' With the music industry contributing $170 billion to the U.S. GDP annually, supporting 2.47 million American high-quality well-paying jobs, and earning $9.1 billion in foreign sales each year through music exports, we could not agree more with the Secretary's clear-sighted vision on the importance of commerce and trade.

'RIAA looks forward to working closely with Secretary Raimondo in her new role, which includes oversight of the International Trade Administration and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to help catalyze creators' contributions to American jobs, wages and growth, and to promote strong copyright protections that are critical to ensuring that those contributions continue.'

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Contact:
K. Kim Atterbury[email protected]