Has The James W. Buffett 1990 Trust made any direct investment in Camp Margaritaville?
Camp_Margaritaville Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Jimmy Buffett did not (and the Trust does not) receive any compensation in connection with his consent to use his personality rights and music material in this manner, other than royalties ordinarily paid to music publishers, record companies, book publishers and their respective contributors (e.g., songwriters, recording artists, authors) for the exploitation of audio recordings, video recordings, audiovisual recordings and books that may be made in connection with the branded RV resorts. Additionally, the Trust is an owner of Margaritaville Holdings LLC, the parent company of Margaritaville Enterprises. As such, the Trust may receive an indirect financial benefit from fees paid by franchisees to us. Neither Jimmy Buffett nor the Trust has not made any direct investment in us.
Source: Item 18 — PUBLIC FIGURES (FDD pages 68–69)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Camp Margaritaville FDD, The James W. Buffett 1990 Trust has not made any direct investment in Camp Margaritaville. However, the Trust is an owner of Margaritaville Holdings LLC, the parent company of Margaritaville Enterprises. As such, the Trust may receive an indirect financial benefit from fees paid by franchisees to Camp Margaritaville.
Jimmy Buffett, along with his entity, Coral Reefer Music and all other entities majority owned and controlled by Jimmy Buffett, granted an exclusive right to use and sublicense his compositions, works of authorship, and personality rights to Margaritaville Enterprises, pursuant to a license agreement dated February 27, 2014. These rights and obligations have been assumed by The James W. Buffett 1990 Trust. Margaritaville Enterprises then sublicensed the use of these rights to Camp Margaritaville Resorts for creating, operating, and franchising the Camp Margaritaville System via a sublicense agreement dated January 14, 2019.
Jimmy Buffett and the Trust do not receive direct compensation for the use of his personality rights and music material, aside from standard royalties paid to music publishers, record companies, book publishers, and their contributors for the exploitation of audio, video, audiovisual recordings, and books related to the branded RV resorts. This arrangement allows Camp Margaritaville to leverage Jimmy Buffett's brand and intellectual property without a direct investment from the Trust, while still providing a potential indirect financial benefit to the Trust through its ownership in Margaritaville Holdings LLC.