Music Dodges A Bullet As CDs And Vinyl Will Be Exempt From Tariffs

Everyone in the U.S. is preparing for the impact of the oncoming tariffs, but the good news for the recorded music industry is that imported CDs, cassettes, and vinyl will be exempt. That’s because they’ve been classified as “information materials”, which no doubt brought about a huge sigh of relief around the music business.

This is especially important for record collectors and music retailers, who stood to be on the losing end of any tariff restriction levied on physical music products.

Obviously, the exemption won’t apply to music and audio gear, which still may bear the brunt of huge import duties that most likely will result in higher prices to the consumer.

At least for now, a big part of the music business is safe. According the to latest United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule, “publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, tapes, compact disks, CD ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds” are classified as “information materials.”

Most music merchandise sellers like Discogs and Bandcamp have issued statements on the situation.

Discogs said: “Simply put, music and informational media have always been exempt from tariffs and continue to be so at this time. This means neither sellers nor collectors on Discogs should be charged additional customs fees.”

That said, the company “can’t guarantee how US Customs and each postal carrier will implement these exemptions.” To alleviate any potential problems, the company suggests sellers use clear descriptions when shipping products by specifying “Informational Materials: phonograph (vinyl) record,” instead of just “vinyl” which was previously sufficient.

Anyone that ships outside the United States knows that the process can already be complicated and expensive, and it’s expected that this will only add a new layer of complexity. However, that’s still better than being hit with a huge tariff charge.

Maybe the best news is that digital goods will not be affected by the tariffs, so no problem with streams and downloads.