Are you a fan of classic country/folk and tunes from the ’70s?

If so, you may already know about Just Throw Money, a local band with a large and loyal following. The band plays in clubs and bars as well as performing at weddings and other social events.

Band members Willy Wood, guitar/vocals/harmonica; Johnny Banks, congas/percussion; Bill Youngs, bass/vocals; and Doug Decker, guitar/vocals; describe themselves as an "acoustical excursion" offering music that is perfect for a fun, relaxing, not-too-loud afternoon or evening.

Recently, I spoke with band member Doug Decker.

Doug said, "We’ve only been together about a year, but we’ve already got 75 to 100 songs in our repertoire, and we like taking requests from our audience.

"We’re `family-friendly,’" he continued. "Our sound is made special by Johnny Banks, who plays congas, cowbells and tambourine. It’s unusual to see a band with just congas instead of a full kit. People like our music and it’s never too loud. We can play out and people can still have a conversation while we’re playing."

"Are you all local to the Oneonta area?" I asked. "Do you work here?"

Doug said, "We’re all members of the community. I live in Davenport, and I sell advertising for Time Warner Cable, and I’m involved with WUOW radio, the public radio station. Bill Youngs lives in Oneonta. He owns Priority Eyeware on Chestnut Street. Willy Wood lives in Trout Creek near Walton and works for the Veterans Home in Oxford. Johnny Banks lives in Oneonta and works for NYSEG. We all have families and we’re all happy to be here."

I said, "You play a lot of `covers,’ music that other people have written. Do you have any music you composed?

Doug said, "Yes, we have three or four original songs that we play at some of our concerts. They’ve been popular, and as we get more originals, we may put out a CD for friends and family."

"Why not sell a CD of original music at your concerts and on your website?" I asked

Doug said, "People are always asking whether we have CDs for sale. It’s flattering but we haven’t gone down that road yet. We just use our CD of covers to give to people who are thinking of hiring us to perform."

I said, "Although you’ve only been together a year, you’ve already built a solid group of people who attend your concerts. What are your goals for the band’s future?"

Doug laughed and said, "We don’t have a plan. Playing music is stress release for us. We were all born and raised with music in our blood. We can’t afford to play for free although we do some benefits because we like to give back to the community that supports us."

I said, "That’s great. I certainly agree that playing music is a wonderful experience. If you have no plans, does that mean that you don’t want to build your audience, or play in large venues, or make a CD of original music to sell at concerts or on your website?"

Doug smiled and said, "Of course we’d like to play to bigger audiences and earn more money. When I said we had no plans, I just meant that if everyone in our band were 20 years younger, we’d be touring, and if we made money, we’d buy a Porsche. We’re all too old to pursue that kind of life, and since we all have families, any money we earn now is spent on new instruments and paying for gasoline to go to our concerts."

I asked, "Are your original songs played on the radio?"

"No," he said, adding that he hadn’t really tried to get any airplay.

"Are your original songs registered with the Copyright Office?" I asked.

"One is," Doug said, "and I want to do that for the rest at some point."

"Does your entire band have the same understanding about who wrote the band’s original music? Do you all agree on who owns the band name? Do you all have the same travel and equipment expenses? Have you talked about how you’ll split future earnings and future band debts?"

Doug said, "We’re friends and we trust each other."

I said, "Of course you trust each other. That’s one reason you make good music. But if you trust each other, wouldn’t this be a good time to decide who wrote the music and to make some other simple decisions about band assets? I don’t mean you’d have to talk with a lawyer; I just wonder whether this might be the time to reach some basic agreement about your band and your music."

Doug said, "Well, I DID have some trouble a few years ago with another band, and if we had made an agreement, there would have been much less difficulty, so maybe that’s a good idea for any band."

I said, "Your website looks great. There’s a wonderful collection of T-shirts and other items for sale. Why don’t you sell your CDs of original music on the website? You could also sell your original music through digital music services such as CD Baby."

Doug said, "I’d like to do that. It would be great to make money from airplay, song writing and CD sales. I could retire if I had a song on Garth Brooks’ worst selling album!"

I knew that Doug and the band were growing in popularity, so I asked, "How many concerts are you scheduled to play in the near future?"

He said, "We’re booked every weekend through September, with some time off in July for family vacations, plus we have concerts booked into next April, but we still have some open dates starting in October, and we’re still open for the Christmas season."

"When’s the next time people can come hear you and Just Throw Money in concert?" I asked.

"We have a gig at TJ’s in Cooperstown on July 28. You can get more info on us at

www.JustThrowMoney.net and www.MySpace.Com/OneontaBand." As we finished our conversation, I thought for a moment about Doug’s statement that Just Throw Money is a "band without a plan."

I understood what he meant, but in a very good way, I disagreed with him. It seemed to me that Just Throw Money DOES have very important goals. The members of this band have successful personal lives and good ties to the community. They love music and they have an increasing number of opportunities to share their music with friends and a devoted audience. This band has already achieved some fundamental understandings that some other people never learn. Congratulations to Just Throw Money.

Dr. Janet Nepkie is a member of the music industry faculty in the music department of the State University College at Oneonta.

{"Standing Head"/}Music Industry Tips

1. Make a band agreement.

2. Register your original songs with the Copyright Office. (Go to www.copyright.gov and follow instructions there).

3. Use the band name in interstate commerce (play a concert in another state as well as New York state) and register your band name. (Go to http://www.uspto.gov and follow instructions there.)

4. Get airplay and join ASCAP or BMI to be paid performance royalties.

5. Make a CD of originals to sell at concerts.

6. Sell CDs of your original music on your website.

7. Consider selling your music online at CD Baby at http://cdbaby.net and/or the Independent Online Distribution Alliance at www.iodalliance.com.