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Article: Frame fame: Deborah Lotz's Jewel Box Platinum creates displays honoring the achievements of the recording industry's top-selling artists.(Small Business)(Jewel Box Inc.)
- Article from:
- Los Angeles Business Journal
- Article date:
- September 20, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 CBJ, L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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DEBORAH Lotz had always wanted to run a business that combined her passions of art and music: designing those often-elaborate displays that frame gold and platinum records.
But to break into this niche, Lotz needed a crucial license from the Recording Industry Association of America. Only a few small firms have it, and the RIAA preferred to keep the coveted license on a tight leash.
Every few weeks, Lotz would call the woman in charge of licensing at the RIAA. "It got to be a pretty funny routine: I called and she said, 'No, sorry, I can't get you that license,'" Lotz recalled.
Meantime, Lotz, who had worked for years in a West L.A. frame shop, ...