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Musique
Savante™ |
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Summer
2009 |
News
Issue No. 5 |
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In This Issue · Hi from Musique Savante ·
Inventing a Music Game:
Chap. 5 ·
One More Thing ·
Next Issue Contact Us Phone: Email: info@musiquesavante.com We Want To Hear From You! Share a funny student story with us. We may even print it for others to
read. Click on link below to
submit your anecdote.
Did you miss a previous newsletter? Click here to view |
Hi
from Musique Savante! Summer
is an interesting time of year for many of us American educators. We and our students have a break from
the normal routine, although many of us stay in a type of school mode. Some of my students choose short term
music camps to meet more music-loving kids and to gain additional
skills. Some of my colleagues choose
to teach those camps and for them I’m grateful because my students
always come back to me as better musicians. Whatever
you have chosen for your summer activity, I hope it has been refreshing. For
the game players among you, Issue no. 4 of the Musique Savante Newsletter discussed
the costs involved in protecting the games you invent. Issue no. 5 lists some of the fees and
regulations you may have to deal with. One More
Thing: Thanks
to Mary Craig Powell of Inventing a Music Game: or, Are You Crazy? Chapter 5: Murder by Red Tape. By this time, you’ve invested tons of time, lots
of money, and perhaps sacrificed a hunk of your pride in pursuing your dream.
Just when you think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,
there’s an ambush of red tape waiting for you. Trust me, this is not for the
fainthearted. Here’s a partial checklist of forms to fill out,
fees to pay, and other regulations: a)
Will your business be a
Corporation, Sole Proprietorship, or LLC (Limited Liability
Corporation)? You have to pay the
state for this license. b)
What licenses does the state
require you to have, specific to WHERE you intend to do business? So far I’ve needed to pay the state
for two of these. Even some
friends at the Inventors Council didn’t know about the “delivery
vendor” license. So either I’ll be paying too much in taxes, or
they’re getting away with paying too little. Also, make sure you know when to send
the state info for these taxes every year. c)
If your game needs a label, there
are pages of I am not joking. Some wonk made it his life’s
work to make this label thing his crowning achievement. d)
You must protect yourself, in
writing, on the off chance that some child will try to insert your entire
game down his esophagus. One of the testing phases for my game pieces involved
putting curtain weights in them.
But a cursory search online put an end to that, when I discovered some
kids had swallowed curtain weights that had been SEWN INSIDE of curtains, and
gotten critically ill. e)
Selling online, if you want to
accept credit cards, requires a painful initiation into a world in which everyone gets a
piece of the action: 1)
Website: If you’re not internet savvy,
you must pay to have this created. 2)
Name Server: You must pay a company whose computer
has the capability to put your website on the internet. 3)
Business Account: You might need to have a business
account with a bank. This is a
checking account with the name of the actual business on it. Every bank has its own programs, and
you might find one that has no fees until your business is successful. 4)
Merchant Account: You must pay a company which is linked
to the shopping cart on your website.
They get a percentage of every sale as well as an additional fee for
every sale, and may also have a sign- up fee. 5)
Authorization Company: This company verifies that the credit
card which is used to buy your game actually has funds in it. They get paid, too, either directly by
you or from your merchant account fees. On the plus side, I urge you to religiously keep a log
of each and every place you travel to for meeting potential vendors, buying
office supplies, and searching for just the right materials for your
invention. You can get a tax
deduction for your mileage.
Believe me, it adds up! Next Issue In
the next quarterly installment of the News will be Chapter
6: There’s Always a Way, which sums up the adventure of
inventing. I hope it will inspire
you to re-read all 6 Chapters which you can access by clicking on “Past
Issues” in the sidebar of this Newsletter. As always, if you have a humorous story about your students
and “Toss-a-Tune,” or any other funny comment or situation
involving your music students, send it to me at info@musiquesavante.com and I might
be able to include it in future newsletters. Until then, I wish you both rest and rejuvenation with all
your activities. Susan Kight, M.Mus.Ed. ©Musique Savante, Summer 2009 |
