Skinny-Dipping In The Tape Pool

My last post was a picture of a tape used in TOD. This photo was sent to me by a former TOD member. Despite the blurry picture quality, the copywrite information on the tape reads as 2002. Unfortunately, the photo is of the reverse.

So what, you may ask?

Let us consider who the listed speaker is on this tape. Bo & Sandy Short.
Title of this particular tape. "This Day We Sailed On".

I have this same speech on tape from the AQMO I once belonged, ProNet. The date of my tape was 1999. If prodded, I can post a copy of this tape as well. PN2177 is the SKU.
(This tape, along with all other tapes by The Shorts were removed from active circulation in ProNet in January 2002 approximately. I was still in the business at that time and attempted to order all Bo Short tapes that appeared in the active catalog.)

A little background of the tape business in many of the AQMOs, at least within the Yager tree. As I understand it, when speakers are criss-crossing their way through the country at the various BBS and Major Conventions, they typically record these speeches. These recordings are warehoused at the duplication facility, in this case, more than likely the sprawling Yager plant. The raw tape is archived, cataloged, and a list is circulated through the major "kingpin" groups that run their own BSM networks. I don't know whether any actual licensing occurs in terms of purchasing the duplication rights, but these "kingpins" can choose from the collection of tapes available. (I have also heard that speakers, if designated as one of the weekly tapes, receive a portion of the total sales from that tape similar to a performance royalty.)

Due to this practice, it is not uncommon to see the same speech offered in various groups not directly related under several different SKUs. I saw this happen with a tape by Doug Wead not long ago. The title of that tape was "The Reluctant Diamond" and was produced under two different SKUs from two different organizations, both under Yager.

Toward the end of my time in Quixtar, I had begun a side business of buying and reselling old tapes through auctions. (No, I was not in violation of competing business restrictions because Quixtar does not market motivational tapes. Whew!) As a side "benefit" of this, my personal tape collection grew to over 3000 tapes purchased from sellers all over the country. I discovered this practice while I was creating my selling lists as I tried to weed out duplicate tapes.

Ok. Back to the rest of the post.

TOD, a downline somewhere in the Yager group, was obviously a participant with the "tape pool" and that would explain how a Bo Short tape would wind up in their library. Bo & Sandy had spoken for at least one TOD function prior to their resigning the business.

Bo & Sandy Short resigned their Quixtar business in 2001.

So, The Shorts leave the business and, at least the ProNet groups, discontinue all availability of tapes by this couple. Obviously, Orrin must not have gotten that memo. Or perhaps, he was trying to corner the market on Short tapes under the impression that they might resume their business?

This tape was part of TOD's Top 50 tape set until about August of 2003 according to my TOD source. TOP 50! What may have occurred in or around August 2003 that suddenly made Orrin realize that one of his "hand-picked" TOP 50 tape selection should be removed?

I seem to recall hearing, for the first time, a report that NBC Dateline was working on a story about Quixtar and that Bo Short was to be one of the people appearing on air. My recollection is that I heard about this sometime last summer. Perhaps August.

What I find mildly amusing is the fact the Orrin must have seen the value of having a Bo Short tape in the "preferred" listening collection. I am nearly certain that Orrin feels differently about it these days though I believe a Bo Short tape would greatly improve the value of any tape set sold in TOD.

One other possible explanation for Orrin having a Bo Short tape in his Top 50 nearly two years after The Shorts resigned is that he wouldn't have to pay any royalties. Sort of like, public domain property.

Despite the best efforts by the TOD leadership to distance themselves from Quixtar other than a distribution partner, a Bo Short tape coupled with the Dateline appearance, would have exposed the true relationship.

This is purely speculation on my part and there may be no connection whatsoever. Just a mighty strange coincidence.