From The Inspi: “Jimmy Buffett Won’t ‘Apologize for Being a Good Businessman’ as He Celebrates His $1.5 Billion Margaritaville Empire“
Music touches everyone differently. Although Jimmy Buffett’s brand of island-inspired rock might not be to everyone’s taste, the singer-songwriter has made a wildly successful brand out of hits like “Margaritaville.”
While some critics might balk at Buffett’s shameless efforts to build on his music career, the artist himself refuses to apologize for how he’s cashed in on his reputation.
Buffett wasn’t always so synonymous with island-lounging and tropical drinks. But the singer admitted to The Washington Post in 1998 that he was inspired to expand his brand after he saw people doing just that without his consent:
“I kept seeing people in Key West walking around selling airbrushed Jimmy Buffett T-shirts. Not only were they ripping me off, they were misspelling my name. So I went to a friend of mine … and I said, ‘We can do this better.’ If anybody’s making money off my name, it ought to be us. At least we can put out a decent product.
So we went and gathered the lumber for the first store from what we found under her house. Literally. And we hired one carpenter and built the first store ourselves. That’s really the way it started.”
That’s how Buffett’s first store, aptly called Margaritaville, came to be. His business ventures have only grown from there. Buffett even had to sue companies like Chi-Chi’s restaurants to secure trademarks to use his own song titles in businesses like his now-defunct chain of Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants.
Buffett refuses to apologize for his business acumen
Some critics might accuse Buffett of being a hypocrite. After all, his music often touts the value in the simple things in life. But the singer behind such tunes is hardly the minimalist in real life, at least financially. But Buffett has no regrets about how he’s conducted his business.
“I’m not about to apologize for being a good businessman,” he told the Washington Post. “Too many people in music have ruined their lives because they weren’t. I’m not a great singer, and I’m only a so-so guitar player. I started running the band years ago because nobody else could, and I turned out to be good at this stuff. There’s never been any grand plan to this thing. I’m making it up as I go along. … Just trying to work the system while maintaining my ’60s anarchic soul.”
Considering he is making it up as he goes, Buffett’s business acumen is even more impressive. The singer not only turned “Margaritaville” into the foundational anthem that led to a store of the same name.
His company, Margaritaville Holdings owns more than 30 hotels and resorts as well as 150 restaurants, bars, and cafes as well as Landshark Lager and Margaritaville Spirits. As a result, Buffett is one of the richest singers in the business. He reportedly carries a net worth of $600 million. All of that from casually noticing others exploiting his brand.
Who’s to say where Buffett would be if he hadn’t turned his music into an empire all its own. Perhaps even “wasting away” on a tropical island somewhere.
This is just one more re-hash of the hogwash from a 1998 story in the Washington Post. Don’t bother wondering just how his restaurant in Hawaii (Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber) made out. Or even the Margaritaville Resort that closed on Mallory Dock. There isn’t a single one of “his” so-called “casinos” still in bidness. And how about that Cheeseburger in Paradise baloney? There are still more kenny Roger’s Roasters in operation around the world than there are Cheeseburger in Paradise franchises. And Rogers quit showbiz (and life) a few years back. Buffett “Empire?” Hah!
Not really accurate. The Mallory dock hotel closed to reopen a larger resort on the other side of Key West. Cheeseburger/Paradises closed after they were sold to a 3rd party company.. We’ve traveled to half-dozen of his resorts including Palm Springs and Nassau to find them impeccable, with a quality somewhere between Marriott and a Ritz. They aim for a higher clientele $ and are getting it. We did the cruise ship and plan on doing it again. So with liquor, a food line, timeshares, furniture and an tire cruise ship, the Kenny Rogers reference seems stuck in the 1990s.
Idiot
Why does anyone bother to comment in this way. There is an anger there, perhaps from a drunken evening gone wrong or a love lost. Shake it off man and live a good and happy life if you can. If you can’t, then we will pray someone or something rescues you from yourself.
So where is your 1.5B invested since you are such an expert???
No need to be such a jerk.
Lol… Dude discounts the Old Pirate who’s done good…sad loser….
Sure sounds like “sour grapes” to me as well or maybe it’s jealousy coming from someone that tried but failed. Either way, there’s no reason to be so snarky and well, assholish. I think JB deserves a ton of credit for building such a brand and an empire from a song he admits took about 15 minutes to write. I have never once seen or heard of him flaunting what he has and I know he is quite philanthropic with his money from saving manatees to hurricane relief donations. I think the grouchy poster above needs a change in latitude or a change in attitude. Maybe both but definitely the latter!