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Jimmy Buffett, the beloved mayor of “Margaritaville” who died last weekend at age 76, successfully cultivated an image over 40 years of a guy who took full advantage of the laid-back tropical lifestyle that regularly appeared in his music.
Don’t believe it for a second. When “Margaritaville” came on the radio in 1977, nobody could have known it would be the only top-10 hit of his long career. But it’s clear that the song became the first step in Buffett’s immense creation of personal wealth.
When his obituary ran, estimates of his assets varied from $550 million to $1 billion. Who’s counting when it gets to half a billion, right? But whatever the number, it’s an incredible achievement for any entertainer, made even more admirable by the way Buffett built his empire.
According to a 1998 interview with The Washington Post, Buffett learned in 1983 that a Mexican restaurant chain had copyrighted “Margaritaville” for one of its drink. So he sued. He did the same thing when he found out a woman in Hawaii had copyrighted the title of another of his most popular songs, “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
“There was a demand there, and everyone was exploiting it but me,” Buffett said. “So I started taking care of business.”
Buffett — born in Pascagoula and a 1969 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi — was a gifted songwriter and performer. He was well aware of the impact “Margaritaville” had on his life and the lives of his loyal Parrotheads. Introducing the song on one of his live albums, he announced, “Please remain standing for the national anthem!” And he was right.
For all his artistic talents, the end result shows he was a pretty good businessman, too. That is a rare combination indeed.
“After settling the lawsuit against Chi-Chi’s, Buffett began branding assets with the Margaritaville name,” the Post reported this weekend. “By the time Buffett died, his Margaritaville brand graced cruises, resorts, senior living facilities, apparel and bar and pantry products. This was in addition to non-Margaritaville entities such as Buffett’s children’s books and Coral Reefer marijuana line.”
This list does not include the Margaritaville resort in Biloxi, which has operated on the Gulf Coast for a number of years. As for the marijuana, it’s 2023; you can’t fault somebody who defines the laid-back lifestyle for getting involved in that business.
Buffett also was ahead of the game with his live performances. He approached Corona beer about sponsoring his concerts before that became a routine thing. “The deal was credited with dramatically increasing Corona sales in the United States,” the Post noted.
He once said in an interview that excelling in business allowed him to maintain his creative independence. In other words, he didn’t have to write songs that would become No. 1 hits. It’s a good way to remember a successful musician — and businessman.
— Jack Ryan, McComb Enterprise-Journal
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