Younger Crowd

Are they waiting for their copyright numbers or something? There's no indie option? :). When you're speaking of entertainment, are you speaking of selling their album via download or playing their music in the background?

No, there is what I call a "music mafia" that controls royalties on virtually all music: http://www.bmi.com/
While we won't be selling their music, we will provide links to their site and are using soundtracks behind various educational slideshows on the areas of Mexico where our products come from. Sure we would like to promote the products we have for sale but it is our intention to try and educate about various areas and hopefully promote some business which they desperately need. When creating the ideas for our site, we wanted to avoid being a stereotypical website with mariachi music playing in the background. Since our target customer is NOB, we felt that the Tall Boys music was perfect and applicable.

Did they record in Mexico? If so you can avoid bmi. Especially if you're not providing the service to sell their music. Have they established a music site? Anything simple like CD Baby to itunes that you could link them to. Even a free site called Reverb Nation. If you aren't selling the music and have their permission there's no royalties to collect. Sounds like you're working with a complicated web provider? Bmi(copyrights) are pretty simple to get.

http://www.tallboysband.com/newsflash.cfm

They have to have copyrights to be on these sites. All you have to do is get their permission. I'm sure they'd be flattered.

This has been a learning experience even though I knew about BMI and the various other music mafia operations! Flip and I have been in conversations but all of the proper forms have to be documented, otherwise we can be in deep do-do. With all that we are doing, I happen to believe in doing things the right way. While that appears to be a small portion of what our concerns are, it needs to be done right! We have enough issues on our plate without asking for trouble.

No different from the Tall Boys, we will be promoting restaurants and hotels in the various areas where our products come from. It is all about the basic premise for our site. We are both either in or approaching retirement age and this entire project isn't designed for us to get rich. It is more about promoting the excellent artisans of Mexico and feeding our "habit of traveling, experiencing and learning"!

I think it's a wonderful project and what makes it even greater is that it's not a get rich scheme. Back to the music. It shouldn't be that difficult to use their music in the background. I guess what you're saying is that the Tallboys are asking you to pay royalties to use their music? Royalties aren't that much. If so, I don't know how that works. However, I do know that if you have contacted them and would like to promote their music in the background, you'd be providing advertising for them, all you'd need is written permission from them, via email, and it's legal.

No discussions what-so-ever about paying royalties!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is just a matter of "getting the ducks in order" to do it the right way! Flip has been working with us and we will get it put to bed but I also accept the fact that things often take time and patience. Wouldn't have worked when I was younger but Mexico has taught me to laugh and not worry about the small stuff!

hound dog wrote:60 knows 30 but 30 does not know 60.

Even though Dawg will hit 70 in February, God willing, I am still 35 and always will be.

My favorite quote is recently from Willie Nelson:

"Well, I´ve recently turned 73 and have outlived my d*ck."

you go dawg!!!! hahaha Love ya!