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45 Comments
- spuggy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Out of curiosity, do you people have jobs that are complaining about this? Seriously, I'm sitting here reading this and can't figure out why everyone is so upset.
The union has an existing deal for Internet Video for 3.x% of the money the studios receive. That's it! They're not saying "Oh, Apple, you have to raise prices by 50 cents to cover our share", they're just asking for their normal payments for their work, per an existing agreement that they already have. The issues at hand are #1 : They're not getting *anything* right now, and #2 that they unions are worried that if they do get something, that they're going to get the reduced DVD royalties figure, not the Internet figures one. Again, *this was already an agreed upon figures*.
You guys flip out on the RIAA all the time for not paying their artists enough, yet when the Actors Guild(s) are just asking for their normal payment, you side against them?
Jeez--if you're going to be irrational, at least be irrational consistently. Or stop watching the damned shows or listening to the music if you hate them so much. - Seaton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Patric Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America (West), said: "I'm thrilled by the notion I can watch my shows in the palm of my hand, but I also want to make sure we are paid appropriately."
GREED personified. - Swift2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Look, the people who put these shows together are not big millionaires. Only the big, above-the-line talent is -- and believe me, they'll get a piece of the profit participation for whatever medium they release their movies on. Why shouldn't the lowly people -- like the actors and writers. Not everything, not something unreasonable, but a slice. It's only fair. DVDs were great for the studios, though they had to be dragged, kicking an screaming, to make them low-cost. But they especially liked it because so many of the union agreements were drawn up before DVDs. It's only fair that they ask for talks very early on this, to put the studios on notice. Otherwise, the people who are most responsible for the show's success will be left out in the cold.
I wonder how many people here are sons of billionaires? Not too many? Well, then, clean your head and realize that unions act in your interest. - itjamesd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1exactly what i thought. Why cant they understand its doing them better by getting their tv show out to a new audience
- NSXROX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Greed rears its ugly head again in Hollywood.
- Wade, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is about as stupid as taking money for accessories.
- gamabunta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0These unions can go kill themselves. The complaining on their behalf is only going to lead to higher prices on the downloads or removing them altogether. If they were not smart enough to add a stipulation in their contracts foreseeing something like the video ipod then they're dumber than I thought.
"The unions already have agreements that cover the re-use of their work on the internet or in "pay-per-view" models, such as video on demand."
Yes I see that and it seems like their complaint has to do with ABC and not Apple itself, whom they are no doubt going to involve in some way or another. - BlueStarr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I told you it wasn't over.
- graywolf323, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0is it the same people who wanted more money for any involvement with video games? (their likenesses being used, providing their voices, etc.)
- Squidly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Remember this when you see an actor oozing faux concern over one social issue or another. Dark motivations lurk right beneath the surface.
Go pluck another hurricane survivor out of the drink, Sean Penn, but remember that next time you're going to need a bigger boat. - DaviDK, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0These Unions worries are justified, ABC probably has not contacted them hopping it would slip by, and the 2 bucks a pop are very profitable, if the networks play hardball, this could kill legal movie downloads before they begin.
The 1.99$ is just a foot in the door for movies which will have better pricings. - dstart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Greedy Bastards.
- beeblebrox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Actors, directors and writers ALWAYS get residual payments for distributed content. Why should iTMS sales be any different? I'd be very surprised if the studios (ABC in this case) hadn't already included residuals in its deal with Apple. It would be an amazingly irresponsible oversight for them not to.
And the COMBINED percentage share of the union workers is less than the licensing fee Apple is demanding from iPod accessory manufacturers. - kyote, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Cause you know those actors are starving and aren't making enough money as it is. Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children?
- test5477, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I hate Unions. And I agree, This Is Greed Personified
- nwaynik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Why does it seem that any union nowadays are such a bad thing. I don't think that they forgot who they represent and why they represent them. They just look out for themselves and how much money swindle.
Unions = Bad - MoeB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I hope this forces apple to raise their price on the videos to the point where people realize they already do charge too much per video.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I wouldn't say that the unions are greedy. It's much more so the movie executives, since they are ones getting the biggest slice.
From what I've read, most actors and writers aren't paid very much at all (due to the large supply) and barely get by so I would hardly label this as greedy.
It's only like 0.1% of the actors in hollywood who get paid absurd amount. - Brak710101, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Oh well, 99.9% of what will be on my Video Ipod wouln't be payed for anyways.
- lordsandwich, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Actors, directors and writers ALWAYS get residual payments for distributed content. Why should iTMS sales be any different?"
From TFA: "A conflict could arise if studios decide to treat the internet downloads the same as they do a DVD sale, which might result in lower payments."
I'll add to this the fact that iTMS sales of TV shows will eat into DVD box set sales since the former is sold earlier (and cheaper) than the latter.
The unions are right to raise this issue, because they're likely being primed for a contractual ass-raping by the studios. - daurkin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If and when I get one, I only plan on using it to watch IPTV shows like digital life. Just pay the $30 for quick time pro and convert your own files.
- lipinski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Simply Ridiculous!
- Seaton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's all about the wording.
Mr. Verrone could have said "I'm sure we can resolve this with an amicable agreement that is beneficial to content creators and consumers"
Instead he said "Where's my money, bitch?"
It's a shame because I actually enjoy some of Mr. Verrone's work.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0894890/ - archer75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If the show is freely broadcast over the air you should be able to download it for free. It's no different than recording it in a VCR, Tivo, other DVR, PC with a TV Tuner card, etc.
Anyways, we've been doing this for years on pocket PC's and no one has cared. - andyd273, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This wont really cut into dvd box sets though... because of stuff like extra features and such that you cant get from iTMS.
Unions are good, but when they get greedy they hurt their members more than anyone else. take these sports unions that shut the whole franchise down for a season. No play means no pay, and while a ball player with millions can handle that, a normal middle class worker might find it harder. and then the greed of the company is what causes the problems in the first place. if we didnt have greedy companies, we wouldnt need greedy unions. - Chewie67, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0And, here it comes. Hollywood kicking and screaming as they're dragged forcefully into the present. We saw the same thing when the VCR was invented, then again when Laser Discs appeared, and again with the advent of the DVD. They hate change, and they don't like anything that they can't control 100%.
My advice would be to spend less time complaining about the Video iPod, and more time advertising Serenity! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Unions have to validate their own existences and grow financially at the same time. This is just one more opportunity to do that. The unions shouldn't act so altruistic.
- cwoolf34, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0unions suck balls... they screw up everything. especially grocery stores and the auto industry. Thats why you see a lot of crack heads working at krogers, they are nearly impossible to fire. quality of service always goes down after a union forms.
- rabiddogma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I totally side with the Unions on this. If they don't speak up now and they don't get contract provisions for Internet distribution, they will be ***** when it becomes the ONLY way of distribution. They'll lose all the progress they've made up until now. They got burned bad by cable, they aren't going to let it happen again, nor should they.
Also this isn't about dissing the video ipod. It's about making sure that they get their fair cut of income that they produce for the company. Company management doesn't produce content, labor produces the content. Management will try to screw labor every chance they get. - Aooogah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Indeed, the writers and actors are just trying to get their foot in the door so that when Internet distribution does become major, they will already have payment settled. It's job security really.
- rabiddogma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Why does it seem that any union nowadays are such a bad thing. I don't think that they forgot who they represent and why they represent them. They just look out for themselves and how much money swindle.
Unions = Bad"
Ummm do you know what a union is? Do you know labor history? Do you understand why unions became necessary? Unions are nothing more than an organization of employees that have decided to bargan for their employment contract rights together. They are necessary because they provide value to a company as a group not an individual. There are movie crews that work on these things. Nothing gets done without a "crew." But management wants to write emplyment contracts to individuals because they can bully individuals into taking bad employment contracts. So the crews got sick of getting screwed with individual contracts and formed a union to bargan for a single contract.
If the unions don't stand up and demand contract provisions for online distribution they will find themselves losing their hard won rights. - bipto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is not greed. This is the people who create the content looking for their fair share of a totally new revenue stream from the studios. If any of you were actors, writers, or other creative professionals, you'd have a very different opinion about this...
- zwilliams, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ The Article: Its not a ***** "video iPod" or an "iPod video" its an iPod. A fifth generation iPod with video. There is a god damn f*cking difference. The iPod is STILL geared towards being predominantly a music player. There is a reason why Apple says "iPod" and not "video iPod" or "iPod video." If it was an iPod video it would of been geared more towards video than music.
Anyways its those greedy bastards that don't make people feel any worse for pirating stuff. Those greedy s-o-bs are taking all the money, stiffing the consumers, the actual workers, and the artists. - DM05, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Are most of you retarded? Do you not appreciate the employee protections gained through unions? You really think that the big ol corporations are really going to look out for their employees interest if there was no unions? No, why don't you 14 year old sons of neocons do some reserch on the ford union formation. Look what the common working joe had to go through to find at least a small amount of job security.
If you idiots were a member of the actors guild, you'd be all for what they are doing. Put yourself in their shoes, and stop being so goddamn greedy. Pleace tell me what the ***** is wrong with someone wanting to get paid the money that they are contractually obligated to?
Get a real job, and all of you would be singing a very different tune then. - citizensagainst, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The big stars make too much money and the smaller stars and backstage people make too little. The distribution of wealth in the world is wrong--so what else is new? The acting and writing unions need to address their part of THAT problem, not trying to get pennies from Apple.
- archer75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0They get paid from the advertisements. They aren't making any less money if you just download it. If you watch it or don't. They don't get paid less.
If I turn on Lost on Wednesday Night to watch it, nobody knows. If I don't, nobody gets paid less. - CaptSnuffy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0So... how many people here would pay for ***** videos that you could download for free anyway?
Exactly. - Shatneresque, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Man, there are some REALLY stupid people posting here.
Also, if Disney went through with the iTMS TV download deal without first checking all the cast/crew contracts to make sure they had the proper rights to do so, they are almost as stupid. - Incognito, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Unions were slow and not doing their job, they got assed out. F Unions. (Cause children would starve in hollywood without them)
- Seaton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"My advice would be to spend less time complaining about the Video iPod, and more time advertising Serenity!"
*Applauds* - schroeder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Just remember not all actors are huge stars with millions of dollars and the writers don't always make so much (my friend's cousin wrote for Strangers Wtih Candy, not a millionaire). Plus in order for anyone to get paid at all they need ads or straight payment, and although the companies don't need as much money as they demand, they do deserve to get paid for the service they provide. And in this situation it's not greedy for these people to demand a portion of the revenue for their work... it's greedy for the ones responsible for the content of the programming not to be paid for their work by greedy corporations. Alot of unions are corrupt but this is not one of those instances.
- spartan777, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0what a bunch of f.a.g.s. what? oh, its the Film Actors Guild of course.
- Incognito, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0FU HOLLYWOOD GOOUNIONS
- ylocav, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0i'm amazed at the hypocrisy here. so many of you will argue that in the music industry,the record labels take everything, leaving those who created the music with little or nothing. and now in the movie/tv industry, the studios are taking everything, and those who have created the content are asking for their share, you're calling them greedy.
and i'm willing to bet most of you only said what you did because you saw the word 'union'. - maverick999, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0This is bullcrap. What morons. You get paid millions of dollars just for playing "make believe". How about joining the rest of us out in the real world who only get paid a small percentage of your salary for working our butts off?
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