How the Entertainment Industry Can Help

Special Voices® Sing On Forever!

Q:      What is the concept behind Special Voices?

A:      Special Voices is both an extremely simple and complex concept.  Simple because at the end of the process, which culminates in local community concerts, parents and family members, friends, teachers, and mentors will enjoy watching a group of adolescents with special needs, up on stage with a video monitor, singing their hearts out to robust acclaim, and having the time of their lives.  By this point, through this apparently simple process, these performers will have come a long way in learning teamwork, discipline, memorization, commitment, and how to make a public presentation.

Complex, because the new industry that we are creating to make these concerts possible is unique, multifaceted and dense with intellectual property rights.  The business model that we need to create is unprecedented and will require the input and knowledge of entertainment industry professionals.  

Q:      Why is it necessary to have the cooperation of the entertainment industry?

A:      Our first challenge is to garner advice and knowledge from individuals with the experience and expertise we lack.  Our advisory committee and pro bono legal advisors have already put together much of our business plan, however we lack knowledge in some key areas.  These include rates for film production services, speculative film and music deals, intellectual property values, parameters of industry financials, and many other facets of our business plan that are still to be determined.  We are searching for business administrators, tax professionals, and lawyers from the entertainment industries and other related non-profit experts to help construct our business model. We realize that we may have to tap into several sources to find the knowledge we need.  Developing a solid, effective business plan gives us the ability to begin raising the funds to bring the Special Voices unique experience to teens with special needs and their families across the country. 

Our second challenge is developing long-term, cooperative relationships with music publishers to facilitate licensing and synchronization rights.  We intend to produce a continuous supply of concert product to meet the needs of the Special Voices community, including special releases showcasing particular musical genres and holiday themes.  Right now the Special Voices song performance ratio is five covers to two originals.  Covering established hits make the show more appealing to the audience and due to their familiarity, easier for children to learn.  Additionally, performing these famous songs gives these Special Voices participants the aura of being a superstar!

In the future, we will explore the possibility of developing a cooperative arrangement with record labels to allow Special Voices to tap into guest star lead vocalists appearances.  Much like the continuous stream of stars appearing on Sesame Street, we hope to eventually attract these artists to lend their allure and fan bases.

Q:      What are some of the specific issues the entertainment industry can advise on to help create a business model?

A:   Special Voices must construct a business model that will provide a fair compensation formula for the organization in order to maintain a professional program and materials. It must be determined if, for instance, Special Voices Inc. should conduct all of its programming as a non-profit or possibly conduct the concerts and youth activities under that structure and contract video production for the organization to external for-profit vendors.  For instance, the non-profit Girls Scouts sell cookies they purchase from a for-profit company.  It has been suggested that the Special Voices organization operate as a non-profit, owning all of the intellectual property rights involved.  But, that is not a possibility with outside music publishers.  Additionally, the appropriate monetary values for any number of elements that will be involved must be determined with formulas developed that will allow Special Voices to provide fair professional compensation for services. For this to be accomplished, the “going rates” for these elements must be determined.  For instance, one potential set of numbers that will be needed is the pricing for the first Special Voices DVD program.  We will need to determine that range as “work for hire” and also as part of a “speculative deal formula”.

Because so many families that have teenagers with special needs struggle financially, we need to structure the proper elements of our program as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation so that we can offer the “Special Voices Experience” to children at little or minimal cost.  For the IRS to approve this, all figures in our business plan must reflect current going rates and avoid what the IRS refers to as “excess benefit compensation”

Structuring a business model that best accomplishes these objectives is our current immediate challenge.  We hope that industry professionals will step up and lend their wisdom and talents to our efforts.  Through the Special Voices program, the entertainment industry can help bring tremendous joy, growth, and accomplishment to innumerable performers with special needs.  

If you are interesting in helping a cutting edge organization, please contact:

Carl Seeger Henry through: SpecialVoices@cox.net.

##