Posts Tagged ‘finance’

BMI Collection Agencies Turn To Ring Tones To Collect Royalties

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

It appears as though the music industry has found a new strategy to cash in on royalties. As music lovers are well aware, at first these companies tried to sue individual users for illegally downloading music. But it is painfully clear that this approach to recover from major financial loss has destroyed their image in the public eye.

In lieu of lowering the price of albums in order to go up against the free music circulating through the internet, the music industry has turned to collection agencies who are now taking legal action against cellphone companies over royalties from ring tones. They claimed that ring tones counted as public performances so cell phone companies should be obligated to pay performance fees. The courts quickly renounced this claim.

Despite this unsuccessful attempt to collect on royalties, Broadcast Music Inc is now suing T-Mobile over ring back tones, claiming that the mobile carrier is selling them without licensing agreements. Unlike ring tones, which play out loud when someone calls a cellphone, ring back tones play specifically to the person calling. In other words, instead of hearing a cellphone dialing, the caller will hear a song that was chosen by the cell owner.

Cynics are quickly to point out the seeming irony of this lawsuit. Ringtones which can be heard by anyone around a cellphone do not count as a public performance, so it seems ridiculous to sue the mobile carriers over a ringback tone that can be heard solely by the caller. The music industry, suffering from major financial losses, seems to be grasping at straws in order to collect any money that they possibly can.

It does not appear that lowering the cost of CDs, DVDs and other media is an plan that has occurred to the music industry. There are still quite a few fans out there that prefer to collect and own the actual products, but with prices constantly spiking, downloading music for free seems very appealing. Many CDs generally go on sale for about seventeen dollars.

A few bands have bypassed the issue of free music downloads through creative tactics. Radiohead, an alternative rock band, built a website where fans can obtain the mp3s for free, or for a donation. Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor made a similar site. The music industry’s unsuccessful lawsuits and declining public image leads one to believe that thinking outside of the box and lower pricing may be more effective than bullying money out of mobile carriers and individual users.

Use Vintage Pin-Up Girls to Make Your Checks More Glamorous

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

Nothing speaks glamour like the 1940′s pin-up girls of Hollywood. If you want to bring a little bit of glamour to your personal bank checks, then you should definitely consider purchasing vintage-inspired pin-up girls on your checks. Not only are they great looking, but everyone will remember the checks that you write to them.

WWII was raging in the 1940′s, but Hollywood was alive and well. The beautiful pin-up girls of that time period appeared on calendars, magazines, and playing cards. They were gorgeous, alluring, and sexy. With their perfect looks, beautiful clothing, and come-hither smiles, they were not jus sex symbols-they were stars. Men and women alike loved them.

Not all pin-up girls were movie stars and not all movie stars were pin-up girls. In fact, it took something a little more than beauty and sex appeal to be considered a pin-up girl. A woman had to have glamour and a quality about her that set her apart from everyone else. She also had to be accessible, which was one of the reasons why pin-up girls became so popular-their images were mass-produced and had wide appeal.

Betty Grable was a very popular pin-up girl in the 1940s, and one of the first. You could find her poster “pinned up” by soldiers in their lockers during the War. An illustration containing the image of an ideal woman, the Gibson girl, was another popular pin-up girl during that time period. Carmen Miranda, Jane Russell, Veronica Lake, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, and Ava Gardner were also popular pin-up girls in the 1940s. One of the most popular pin-up girls of all time was Betty Page in the 1950s. Even though many of her present-day fans were not alive during her prime, merchandise containing her image is still being sold today.

While there are still pin-up girls these days, some fans argue that these modern women lack the glamour and style of the women in the past. Although posters can be purchased with images of the majority of popular female movie and televisions stars and models, the Golden Age of the sexy sirens of the past is over.

If you adore the 1940s and 1950s, then the pin-up girls checks and their classic feel might be a great idea for you and your bank checks. The checks come in 4 rotating images so each charming lady will be different from the one before her. Not just good looking are these checks, but they can also be creative ways to showcase your personality.

If you get your checks online from a safe site you can save as much as 50% off the price that you might have spent at your bank. The Internet is a good place to purchase bank checks at any rate because you have a wide selection to pick from. You can plan on getting your checks in around 5 days. Keep in mind that you need to have your routing number and checking account number handy when you place your order.

Show You Care with Care Bear Personal Checks

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Care Bears have been going strong for nearly thirty years and have millions of fans all over the world. If you are a fan of the lovable good-feeling spreading bears, then you might want to consider using their furry little faces on your personal bank checks.

The American Greetings Company introduced Care Bears in 1981. At that time, they were simply images used on greeting cards. However, they soon became hugely popular and in 1983 they were turned into collectable stuffed animals as well. Every pastel-colored Care Bear had a special “tummy symbol” that signified its mission and personality. Although each Care Bear had its own specific mission, their overall mission was to bring caring and good feelings to the world.

The Care Bears lived in the fantasy world in the clouds called Care-A-Lot. They also had “cousins”, who were not just bears, which lived in the Forest of Feeling. The cousins were not introduced until the Care Bear’s first movie. The original Care Bears were Cheer Bear, Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Grumpy Bear, Love-a-Lot Bear, Wish Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Funshine Bear, Friend Bear, and Good Luck Bear.

The Care Bears had their own TV show for three years in the 1980′s. They also had three popular movies including The Care Bear Movie, The Care Bear Movie II: A New Generation, and The Care Bears’ Adventure in Wonderland.

Since their introduction to the public in the early 1980′s, the Care Bears have been re-launched twice. As a result, more recent generations have been able to enjoy them. As they are re-launched, more bears re introduced into the line.

The Care Bears are also international and have fans around the world. Their merchandise can be spotted in such places as the Czech Republic, China, Iceland, Hungary, Spain, France, Germany, Bulgaria, and Finland.

Care Bear merchandise is almost as popular as the cartoons themselves. For fans of the little furry bears, there’s no better way to show off your love of the characters than to carry around Care Bear personal checks. The checks feature Share Bear, Cheer Bear, Lucky Bear, and Grumpy Bear.

On these brightly colored checks, complete with rainbows and hearts, you will also find fun Care Bear messages such as “Have a Rainbow Day!”; “Caring is Sharing!”; “Let the Fun Shine In!”; and “Share Some Fun!” Just watch people smile when you hand them checks with these words and images.

If you want to coordinate your checks, you should also consider purchasing a matching checkbook cover. These white leather covers come with all of the original Care Bears on the front.

In the past, it has been expensive to order bank checks that weren’t just plain and boring. Today, however, it needn’t be so. If you order online at sites you can save as much as 50% off of what you would pay at your local bank. The Internet also has access to thousands of images so it’s easy to find something that fits your style. All you need to order your Care Bear checks is your checking account number and routing number.

Let Garfield and Company Redefine Your Personal Checks

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

Do you find yourself commiserating a lot with Garfield when it comes to Monday mornings and your routine? Do you wish that you had more interesting looking personal bank checks? Well, if you’re a fan of the endearing, and sometimes gruff, big orange cat then carrying Garfield checks in your checkbook will always give you a reason to smile-even when it comes to your finances.

Created in 1978 by Jim Davis, Garfield is the world’s most syndicated comic strip. Everyone around the world is familiar with Garfield and his pals. The comic strip centers on the life and adventures of Garfield, a large orange, and sometimes lazy, cat as well as his owner Jon and Jon’s dog, Odie.

Garfield’s abhorrence of Monday mornings, his laziness, his obsessive love of eating, and his distaste of diets are some of the common themes that can be found within the comic strips. Both children and adults are able to enjoy the humor, somewhat due to the fact that the storylines are not political in nature and instead center on the daily humor that life can bring.

Jon, Garfield and Odie’s owner, is a geeky but good-hearted man. According to Garfield, he has questionable taste in fashion and eccentric habits, such as watching polka ninja movies and collecting stamps. Jon’s failure of being able to find a date is one of the comic strip’s long running jokes.

Odie is an amiable yellow dog that is mostly shown to be naive, but endearing. However, his naivete could be an act since sometimes when Jon and Garfield are gone Odie can be seen watching educational programs on television and reading. Although Garfield usually gets the better of Odie, the two do seem to share a friendship with one another.

Now, if you’re a fan of Garfield and his friends, then you can get Garfield personal bank checks at a portion of the cost that you might have paid at your bank by ordering your checks online. When you use a safe site you can save as much as 50% off the price that you might have paid in the past.

The Garfield checks are engaging and cheerful just like the comic strip itself. You can even get coordinating address labels and a matching checkbook cover to go with your checks if you’d like. It will be hard not to smile when you write a check over a picture of Garfield, no matter how much anxiety the idea of your finances usually gives you.

Purchasing checks on the Internet is simple and fast and takes out the ordeal of having to visit your local bank. You just need to know your routing number and checking account number to begin. These will be printed directly onto the checks themselves. You can usually expect to receive the checks in about 3-5 days, which might even be quicker than your bank got them to you in the past.

Spruce Up Your Checks With Hello Kitty

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Hello Kitty, that cute little white kitten with the bow in her hair, is literally everywhere. She has a worldwide fan base that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. If you are a fan, and you’re looking for a way to liven up your boring personal bank checks, using her image can be a fun and stylish way to show off your personality.

Hello Kitty has become a worldwide phenomenon in the past 30 years. She can be found on products in more than 40 different countries. She has also been passed down through at least two different generations. Now, if you so choose, you can even carry her image on your personal bank checks.

Hello Kitty is an invention of the Sanrio Company originating from Japan. When Hello Kitty was first launched, she was nameless. A year later, she became all the rage, by and large with Japanese schoolgirls, and she was named Hello Kitty.

Since then Hello Kitty has grown to be tremendously fashionable in and out of Japan. Her likeness can be found on a multitude of objects such as lunch boxes and purses. One of the attributing factors leading to Hello Kitty’s popularity is that she is a British citizen and lives in London. This has given her international interest.

Hello Kitty also has a fairly distinctive personality. For example, she enjoys eating cookies and traveling. She also likes her Mama’s apple pie and listening to music.

Hello Kitty has many friends, including Badtz-Maru, Chibimaru, and Pochacco. Badtz-Maru is a penguin that every so often takes his alligator for a walk on a leash. Chibimaru is a puppy that plays basketball and enjoys eating carrots and banana ice cream. Pochacco is also a puppy that frequently makes appearances.

Other characters that also make appearances in Hello Kitty, and are sometimes featured on personal checks, are Mama, Papa, Tippy the Bear, Deery Lou, Jody, and her sister Mimmy. Hello Kitty often proclaimed that friends are like diamonds.

The Hello Kitty personal checks resonate Hello Kitty’s motto of “You can never have too many friends!” Since so many people all over the world carry items with her image, this proclamation must be true.

Hello Kitty is not just limited to memorabilia. In 2006 EVA Airlines, out of Taiwan, put Hello Kitty’s image on their airbuses. Even the airsickness bags contained her image. In Taiwan, over 1/5 of Hello Kitty’s fans own their own homes and 60% are married. She is a character for all age groups.

On most online check stores you are able to purchase not only Hello Kitty personal checks but also check covers and labels as well. In addition, you can generally find duplicate checks for a fraction of the cost that you would be able to find them at your local bank. Shopping online can sometimes save you as much as 50% off the price you would pay at the bank.

Sweeten Up Your Checks with Tweety Bird

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

Are you looking for a way to make your checks more unique? If you’re tired of your plain boring bank checks, then you might like the Tweety Bird checks! Tweety Bird is a classic and engaging cartoon character that people have been enjoying for decades. If you want a way to improve your personal bank checks, than this endearing little canary can sweeten nearly everyone’s day.

Most people are familiar with Tweety Bird and his adversary, Sylvester the Cat. Tweety Bird is a canary that was produced by Warner Brothers in the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons. The word “Tweety” is a combination of the words “sweet” and “tweet.”

Tweety is an agreeable and congenial little bird and for the most part and is quite happy swinging in his cage or napping in his nest. Frequently, however, he has to think and act quickly when it comes to his adversary, Sylvester the Cat. When this occurs, he can be scheming and even devious if he has to be.

Bob Clampett created the character of Tweety Bird in the 1942 short “A Tale of Two Kitties.” His original name was Orson and he was a wild baby bird that was pink and aggressive. However, over the years he changed into the yellow canary that everyone knows and loves, although he could still be ornery at times when he needed to be.

Tweety Bird has a variety of famous sayings. Even those who haven’t watched the Looney Tunes cartoons are probably familiar with “I tawt I taw a puddy tat!” and “I did, I did tee a puddy tat!”

There are a couple of different Tweety Bird check designs to choose from. The “Totally Tweety” checks contain 4 different check designs, each one with a subdued pastel colored background. With a variety of backgrounds, every check you write will be different from the one before it.

You can also buy checks that have a small picture of Tweety Bird in the upper left hand corner. This check series also has 4 designs and each one shows Tweety in a special pose and with a different border. Corresponding address labels and a matching checkbook cover can be bought with these checks, as well.

If you would like to buy Tweety Bird personal bank checks then keep in mind that by buying them online from a reputable website you can save as much as 50% off the price of your checks. In addition, you will have a larger variety of checks to select from than you might have had at your local bank in the past.

When you order your checks online, make sure that you have your checking account number and your routing number handy so that they can be printed directly onto the checks themselves. It should only take around 5 days to get them in the mail, which might even be faster than your bank got them to you!

Wonder Woman on Your Bank Checks Will Make a Personal Statement

Friday, December 25th, 2009

Many little girls wanted to be Wonder Woman when they were growing up. These days, she is still a force to be reckoned with in the superhero realm, charming both men and women. If you are searching for a way to liven up your personal bank checks, and you’re a fan of this lovely lady, then you might want to think about getting Wonder Woman checks. It’s not as difficult as you might think, and the checks might even be cheaper than the plain ones that you already carry.

Wonder Woman first emerged in December, 1941 and has been published continuously since 1944, albeit for a small pause in 1986. She is one of only 3 DC Comics superheroes that has done this. A member of the all-female tribe, the Amazons, she was meant to be a feminine role model that brought the world peace, love, and sexual equality.

Some of the strengths that Wonder Woman possesses include stamina, fighting powers, and super strength. She is also very good at hand to hand combat fighting and is able to converse with the animal world. Besides these abilities, she can also fly and uses her Lasso of Truth to force people to be truthful.

Wonder Woman has appeared in a variety of media including her own television series, cartoons, and comic strips. She has also been on an assortment of merchandise that includes everything from underclothing to lunch boxes and coffee mugs. Nowadays, you can also get her image on your personal bank checks, too.

Not only did Wonder Woman spread the message of love, but she was also a very enlightened woman and a feminist of her time. Indeed, Gloria Steinem even put her image on the first individual copy of Ms. Magazine. Wonder Woman was athletic, tall, and intellectual and symbolized those women that had exceptional thoughts during the time period in which she appeared. Because of this, she was more than just a character in a comic strip.

In the brilliant and animated Wonder Woman personal bank checks, you can practically feel her flying through the air. The checks come in 4 rotating images which means that each check will be different from the one before it. You can also find a matching checkbook cover and coordinating address labels to go with your Wonder Woman checks, too.

In the past, it could be pricey and time-consuming to go to your bank and purchase personal checks. Plus, they tended to have limited selections, too. Now, however, you can buy your personal bank checks online at safe websites and save as much as 50% off of what you might have spent at your bank. Even better is the fact that you will have a wide selection of checks to choose from so you won’t have to settle for something that you don’t really want. Have your routing number and checking account number handy when you order your Wonder Woman checks online and they should arrive to you in the mail in around 5 days or so.