Golden Girls S3...$10 lower MSRP (1 Viewer)

[MatthewA]

I hope the reason for the lower MSRP on Golden Girls: S3 coming out in November ($39.99, whereas seasons 1 and 2 were $49.99) is not what I'm afraid it is...

The copyright owner of "Thank You For Being a Friend" (which was a hit song seven years before the show existed) got greedy...?

 

[Jay_B!]

I doubt it, maybe BV figured 49.99 was too high as MSRP considering the lack of special features, and that 39.99 is far more reasonable.

 

[Josh_HI]

So does that mean it will be cheaper than it's regular sale price of $29.99? I hope so.

 

[Sean Laughter]

Why would the copyright owner of "Thank You for Being A Friend" being greedy cause the price to go down? Wouldn't the price go up to make up the difference of whatever new money they were paying to the copyright holder?

 

[John*D]

I think he meant that if the SRP was lower maybe it was because the THEME was replaced so that they didn't have to pay the rights holder extra money.


Probably not the reason though.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

I doubt it as well. They really push the "original network versions" on the boxes. They probably just realized that for no features and just 3 discs these shouldn't be 10 less than the 6 disc sets they offer.

 

[EricSchulz]

That statement makes me curious...

"Thank You For Being a Friend" was originally recorded (and written, IIRC) by Andrew Gold. Since the version on the original broadcast versions was a cover, would it still cause a clearance issue? Up to now, it is usually the original recordings that seem to be a problem...

 

[ElijahS]

The second season of Scrubs has a $39.99 SRP also, with the first season having a $49.99 SRP. It seems to just be a reduction in the price of some of their sets.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

No, music rights are never that simple. Even with a cover version the cover artist can be due royalties. And whoever owns the publishing rights to the underlying song is also entitled to royalties. The original artist will generally cost more, but you're always going to pay something. And the on-going problem with all music rights is that (especially with TV shows prior to say, 2001) the producers generally only secured the broadcast rights - sometimes only the first-run network rights - and left home video out entirely. So new deals have to be negotiated for all the songs anyway.

Regards,

Joe

 

[David Rain]

I'm so happy about this price drop that I just have to sing about it:

"Thank you for being on sale
Travelled to the store and back again
Your price is new. Took my pal & a debutante

And if I threw a party
Invited every fan I knew
They would see all the praise would be for me
And my credit card would say

Thank you for being on sale"

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Well, I made it to the local target about 10 minutes before closing time. They had already removed the pricing from the "sale" WB TV DVD display as they set the store up for business tomorrow. (Similarly new sales signs with tomorrows prices were going up.) I picked up a Smallville Season One set (because I'm curious to see how the show started out, but doubt I'll want to become a collector) but they were sold out of Nip/Tuck. Because they had pulled the prices there was not even an empty space with the series name on it. I went in search of a Target employee, prepared to argue the point and go up the line to a manager if I were told that there were no rainchecks again. But when I asked the kid if I could get a raincheck, he said, "I'm sure you can. Show me where the show was so I can copy down the SKU." Unfortunately, the labels with the SKU were gone. Unfazed the kid said, "I'll check in the back for the number. Heck, maybe we still have some back there that never made it out onto the floor because the sale was ending tonight." Five minutes later he came back with a copy in his hand and he scanned it with a portable inventory scanner to show me it would still ring up at the sale price, despite the $44.99 label on the front. "It was the last copy we had, so things really worked out."

Needless to say when I need to buy something from Target I'll buy from the store near my house, not the one near my office. But I might call them on Monday to find out if each store sets its own raincheck policy or if their employees were just ignoring the national policy.

Regards,

Joe

 

[MatthewA]

Gee, I'm sorry to get everyone concerned.

But after what happened with "The Muppet Show," and considering what studio this is, I want to be safe and not sorry.

I suppose the fact that it is a cover created especially for the series (sung by a Disney studio singer named Cynthia Fee) works in their favor, and they only have to pay for the opening and closing use. S1 and S2 have had no cuts and no replaced music, Let's hope it continues that way.

Interestingly enough, Andrew Gold does not receive any credit until season 6.

IIRC, Sony's debacle with "Married with Children" involved the publishers of the song "Love and Marriage", not the company that held the rights to the Frank Sinatra recording.