Although the actual song itself -- a simple, three-chord paean to the pleasures of lazing around drunk -- only peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 100 charts when it was released as part of Jimmy Buffett's 1977 album Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude and hasn't even broken into the Top 10 "richest songs in the world" according to a recent BBC documentary on the subject, "Margaritaville" as a lynchpin of an entire marketing empire has garnered monumental returns on par with some of the largest film franchises of all time.
"Margaritaville" has therefore, as a property, been recently named the "most lucrative song of all time," according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
An article on the subject that appeared via Bloomberg on Tuesday, May 28 explains that "Margaritaville" is far more than a mere 210-word song, and therein lies the secret to its massive profitability.
Founded in 2006 and based out of Orlando, Fla., Margaritaville Enterprises sells just about everything under the sun (pun intended), from its own rum to specialized margarita blenders and drink mixers, not to mention furniture and beachwear (with all things in between). The titanic empire also superintends at least three full-fledged resorts and no less than four themed casinos.
In recent years, it hasn't been unheard of for Margaritaville Enterprises to usher in revenue to the tune of $100 million per annum.
"If there is anything on the same scale as a 'Margaritaville,' it's not a song -- it's a motion picture," George Washington University Law School's Robert Brauneis said.
In addition to being a professor of intellectual property at GW, Brauneis is the author of a research paper that delves into "Happy Birthday to You," which itself continues to generate as much as $2 million a year to this day.
"When you're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars," Brauneis continued, "you have to think in terms of Star Wars, Winnie the Pooh or Transformers. That's probably in the same order of magnitude [as 'Margaritaville']."
Despite the fact that, just as a standalone song, "Margaritaville" does not rank up there with the top three pop songs of all time ("You've Lost That Loving Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers, "Yesterday" by the Beatles and "Happy Birthday to You"), as a property that has become the main thrust of Margaritaville Enterprises, there's no comparison to these three other songs.
Buffett himself is well aware of the synergy between the song "Margaritaville" and the marketing power behind it. Hence why you will not find tour dates and official information about Buffett at JimmyBuffett.com. For that, you will have to go to Margaritaville.com.
"From a larger business perspective, when you ... look at what the song stands for as a lifestyle and as a branding vehicle," Brauneis concluded, "it's worth far more than 'Happy Birthday.' I can't think of another example of a song that has that total impact."
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