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WHY are some recent shows having DVD music rights problems??? (1 Viewer)

Marty M

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A good example of factoring in the DVD with a TV series is American Dreams. I believe that all the original music from season 1 was included on the DVD. Since the series started in 2001, the music rights for DVD were probably negotiated at the time they were used for broadcast.

I read that the producers of Freaks & Geeks had to pay around a million dollars to secure all the music rights for the DVD set and have been commended for doing this. This DVD set would never had been the same without the original music.
 

Rob Gardiner

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The music rights on Freaks & Geeks were subsidized by sales of the $120 Internet-only 8-disc gift set. I understand Shout Factory made no profit on the gift set.
 

Craig: Mclaren

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You've got to wonder though if "Miami Vice": Season 1 contains all broadcast music (knock on wood) then they will have proved that it IS possible to overcome the tricky music situation.
 

Glenn Overholt

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It isn't tricky, it is just a matter of picking out songs that won't cost an arm and a leg later. I can actually see songs getting turned down while the script is still being written because they know that it won't be worth it.

Imagine a shit list circulating around Hollywood!

Glenn
 
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On the other hand, some artists must be happy as pie. Look at the aforementioned Dawson's Creek, Paul Cole's loss is Jann Arden's gain.

I'm guessing the sales of the first 2 seasons of Dawson's Creek where underwhelming, hence the replacement track in the title sequence. Do you think the Paula Cole wishes the rights holders had eased up on the asking price? Since that song is forever associated with The Creek, I imagine that not many producers would want to use it in future shows. In other words, that is money from an old recording she will never get back.
 

Keith I

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I, too, really hope that Miami Vice's music is intact. You can compare the final music that's on the DVD to the lists on various Miami Vice fansites to see if they're all there. I posted a list here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...67#post2452267

Like Married With Children's lack of the popular theme song, Universal's Las Vegas: Season 1 has replaced the Elvis theme song with something else (on all episodes except the pilot), a track used in "international markets."
(source: DVD Talk: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=13898)
 

Mark To

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How about blaming the producers? Until the recent past, and by recent I mean mid-80s or so, a composer was used who wrote the music and underscore for a show. There wasn't a need to fill ever TV show with current pop tunes. Personally, I think it was ridiculous to do this and I am now laughing my ass off at the problems that it caused. You reep what you sow and the chickens are coming home to roost.
 

TravisR

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Using current popular music lends a feeling of reality to the show. That's why they feel "a need to fill ever TV show with current pop tunes". It makes it seem like it's happening in your world if the characters listen the music that's in the real world. Maybe you don't like the music that's in the show but if it fits the character and the show- what's wrong with it? Maybe some shows don't need music but I think music can add alot to a show (which is the primary reason to not change the songs for DVD release).

Plus, if they put music in the show, they can release a soundtrack:)
 

LizH

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That's the thing that always bugged me about "Birds of Prey" (Being the WB show that it was, it had the standard-issue pop/alt-rock soundtrack: Michelle Branch, Maroon 5, etc.)

I didn't really think it was necessary. I mean, the Bat-films got along just fine on Danny Elfman's instrumental score. :cool:
 

John McM

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but the last episode of DC aired in 2003... after TV-on-DVD had become a hot commodity, so you'd think the last season or two of DC would have no issues on DVD, but yet they do. Geez, thanks for making me feel old, LOL. I was in high school when DC premiered.
 

Bryan^H

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I have a very, very simple solution to all these music rights holding up future releases of tv on dvd. Replace the song in question with source music, or another song.
I don't think anyone will argue 1 song in probably one episode of a season set will change the feel of that show dramatically. There may be purists out there, but I'm not one of them. I'm going to write Paramount soon, and let them know that the cancellation af a series on dvd because of a measly song(Happy Days. I know it's not recent, but this is a major problem with all tv on dvd) is not fair to the fans who will shell out the cash to buy more if they are released.
IF Columbia can do it with Married with children, then why can't all studios follow their lead?
Also, it will shame the pants off those greedy music rights holders!
 

Glenn Overholt

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I was thinking about this just the other day, mainly with Mama Cass's song in the season premire episode of "LOST.'

I don't want the series, but if I did and that song wasn't there, I WOULD FREAK! I mean totally.

What the studios need to do is to includ the DVD rights in the original contract, and if the artist doesn't like it, can it and find another song.

Glenn
 

Kevin/M

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And even then, Situations afflicting shows like Drawn Together (which was made last year, immediately in them iddle of the TV-DVD boom) pop up.
 

Mark Talmadge

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I sympathize with everyone here but one thing no one's paying attention to right now is that with current television broadcast rights, DVD is an entirely different medium.

When a network prepares to obtain music for a particular television series they often don't afford to spend the extra money or budget of that show to obtain the rights for release to home video. The way it works is that studios often only pay for music tracks for any given series and those rights only involve broadcast rights.

While it's never known how well a television series will do when broadcasted or when it gets released to home video or DVD those rights don't extend to the home DVD market simply because it's a different medium and they often have to negotiate for those rights at the time that the series begins its initial broadcast.

Since most studios don't want to pay for future costs because they don't know how successful a series is going to be they are stuck like a mule.

Studios often have to pay royalties to the actors and actresses on a television series every time it's broadcast in syndication and they also end up having to pay royalties to those actors and actressess when that show is release to DVD.

Since those cast members get royalties, isn't it reasonable to expect that these studios need to pay royalties to the artists that create the soundtrack songs for their shows? Yes. Even these artists deserve to be compensated for their work and it's not unreasonable to expect the studios to pay for the rights to those songs.

Oftentimes, more recently, than most. Studios have began replacing the original soundtracks for those television shows because they feel the liscensing costs for those songs are too high. Why. It's not too hard to expect that those singers and songwriters get compensated along with the cast members of that particular show.

While all of us fans of a particular show would like to have that original soundtrack, iut's oftentimes the studios who don't want to pay for the rights to that music and try to get it for free. These studios are oftentimes trying to basically "download that music for free" without giving the financial credit to those artists who created that wonderful music.

So, please, don't blame the artists, singers and songwriters for wanting to be duly compensated for their hard work. Blame the studios for not wanting to pay those artists and blame them also, for not paying for those future DVD rights at the time they commission those songs for the series. Just as the actors and acrtresses get paid for their hard work and get paid royalties for the DVD releases every time a boxed DVD set is sold, so should these singers and songwriters because their songtracks for this new generation are what make these shows as well.
 

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