wireservice.wired.com — "Imagine watching "Married ... With Children" without Frank Sinatra crooning the recognizable theme song. Ponder a pivotal moment in "Quantum Leap" forever altered because its requisite Ray Charles tune has been replaced. Consider revisiting an episode of "The Muppet Show," only to find that one's favorite musical number has been excised."
Dec 27, 2005 View in Crawl 4
rhomboidDec 28, 2005
See this is just a perfect example of the music and TV industries forgetting that they are in the business of entertaining people. The end user that buys DVDs doesn't really give a flying s**t how much the music costs, or how much trouble it is to negotiate these deals, or anything else. They just want to buy a DVD containing the shows, exactly as they aired. By making it such a pain in the ass to license those songs all they are doing is making it that much more attractive for someone to pirate the episodes in xvid and not pay a dime. If they would get their heads out of thier asses and stop being so greedy about every single little thing they might actually realize that people will gladly buy DVDs when they are priced right and aren't edited.
cambrown99Dec 28, 2005
Copyright should state that if a TV show or movie initially gets permission to use a song, then that song should remain attached to that property for as long as it exists, regardless of the format. But that would be common sense, wouldn't it? Just getting the copyright to use a song once can be a major pain. I was doing a flash animation for a corporation's president, and he wanted a particular song attached. Legal got involved and determined it would cost $5000 to use that song ONCE in a hotel convention hall with 300 people present. So we took a risk and used it "unofficially" and didn't pay. If that fee had been reasonable, that artist, record company, RIAA, etc., would have made some royalty money, but because it was insanely overpriced, we stole it and they got zilch. Stupid RIAA needs a nationwide boycott to teach them some manners methinks...
d4nz1gDec 28, 2005
Actually, "Married ... With Children" IS without Frank Sinatra, at least in the hungarian DVD version of the series.
bushcheney08Dec 28, 2005
My question about shows like WKRP: What sort of influence did the labels have on the music being included in the show in the first place? I'm willing to bet that the music industry pushed a bit to have their songs featured on the show. Of course, the producers of the show would have wanted it, too, for authenticy reasons.
skellenerDec 28, 2005
This is absurd! Both the studio and owners of the music rights to songs used on WKRP have nothing to lose by working out a deal. They would both make a mint! If they can work out a deal fro the original MIAMI VICE or even the video game VICE CITY, they can figure something out for WKRP!! I'd gladly pay a higher price for box sets of every season of WKRP uncut and with "original music 100% intact". Yes, the show was that good!
web_weaselDec 28, 2005
I thought everyone knew this? It's been going on for years with syndication and cable. I remember trying to watch The 5th Element on cable a number of years ago and it had a alternate, and lame, soundtrack so I turned it off.
thesonicfedoraJan 10, 2006
I am constantly amazed by peoples inability to understand what the RIAA actually does and how that has NOTHING to do with this problem. Comments like "that's why copyrights suck" are just about the most ignorant thing I have ever heard. You go to work... you get paid for that work right. Well... that is what copyrights are all about. Say you created a new piece of software... then microsoft stole your code and sold it... you would be pissed. You guys need to realize you don't just hurt millionares... but you hurt guys like me. I am a recording engineer in Nashville. I make maybe thirty thousand a year... but my business is effected by copyright infringement. Copyrights don't suck... they are the law... stop complaining cause people don't want you to steal their s**t.
ixliamJan 23, 2006
They did this with Tour of Duty as well. One of the coolest parts of the show was the late 60's music that went with it. On the DVD's it is cut out, but others have made "reedited" dvd's with the original music back in it.