Music Copyrights Keep TV on DVD Down...

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-03-03 04:36am

Found an interesting two-page article by Wired concerning the plight that music copyrights have on current and future DVD releases of television shows, in some cases preventing their release on home video entirely:

http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,66696,00.html

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2005-03-03 07:52am

What are they afraid will or would happen,that someone makes CDs with those?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-03-03 08:31am

No, it's just that the rights to use songs both cost money and eventually expire, and some songs cost a lot more than others.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2005-03-03 11:32am

Hmm, are the companies that produce tv shows getting rights to music for eventual DVD release now? This isn't an isolated occurrance after all.

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2005-03-03 11:41am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:No, it's just that the rights to use songs both cost money and eventually expire, and some songs cost a lot more than others.

The songs or theme musics are already available for free on some websites,so i wonder why they complain about them being on DVDs which in a way will give them money.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2005-03-03 01:09pm

Montcalm wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:No, it's just that the rights to use songs both cost money and eventually expire, and some songs cost a lot more than others.
The songs or theme musics are already available for free on some websites,so i wonder why they complain about them being on DVDs which in a way will give them money.

Not the songs in the show. You have licensed music there. You ever see Smallville or other WB shows where they have the thing at the end about what CDs and artists did the songs in the show?

And the licenses in the past didn't cover DVD releases. They wouldn't have gotten money off of them without a new contract.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-03-03 02:41pm

This is apparent to anyone that got the first season of Monkey Dust on DVD since the music track which is a big part of the show given the excellent content was changed due to copyright problems and so on. It's annoying, but the VHS of the show I taped is probably better since the music was so fitting and good.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2005-03-03 03:46pm

They did what?!

Dammit! The use of the music was practically the best part of Monkey dust!

Except, of course, the Pedofinder General

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-03-03 04:32pm

Dartzap wrote:They did what?!

Dammit! The use of the music was practically the best part of Monkey dust!

Except, of course, the Pedofinder General

Well, aside from the extras and digital quality, I'll stick with my video copies to be honest. I don't like the idea of them tinkering with something I already loved.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2005-03-03 04:46pm

Aye, i dont blame you...

Laird · Post by **Laird** » 2005-03-03 04:50pm

This same shit has halted the Married with Children DVD sets, on season 1 & 2 they have the sinatra "Love and Marriage" theme; however, on season 3 since they lost the liescene they had to put up some lame cracked out "new and improved" theme song. It totally ditracts from the show.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2005-03-04 10:12am

This is part of the reason it took so long for Heavy Metal to come out on DVD and video.

The radio station I listen to was just talking about this very subject being part of the reason the various incarnations of WKRP In Cincinnati will be a long time coming to DVD. All the song clips that were always in the background of a rock radio station all have to be licensed.

Post by **Zaia** » 2005-03-04 12:49pm

Moving to AMP.

That really sucks. WKRP was an awesome show, and I know both my dad and I would scoop up the DVDs if they ever came out. I think I'd rather not have them be released at all than with substitute music. Music, especially with a show like that, is part of the show. You can't change it.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2005-03-04 08:17pm

This problem started cropping up with WKRP in its last syndicated run on TVLand. I vividly recall that in the rerun of the episode in which Arthur Carlson runs for city council, the original Star Wars music which was used for his radio spot was replaced with something else; can't remember what but it diminished the scene because the bombastic SW theme was part of the whole joke in the original. Now of course WKRP isn't even in reruns presumably because of this music industry bullshit.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2005-03-05 03:04pm

It sucks. I really love Third Watch and they use quite a bit of music. I guess you could substitute it, but the songs just fit what's happening. And you certainly can't do away with the music altogether, because then you would have a lot of dead silence. Nifty visuals, but totally silent.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2005-03-06 10:35am

Third Watch might be new enough that the music rights were arranged in advance.

However....on that note. I noticed that while Smallville made sure to get the music rights for most of the music on the show including the theme song by Remmy Zero. They did not get the music by Perry Farrell (Song Yet to Be Sung) that had been used on a bunch of the early commercials before the show aired and had originally been used as the lead into the opening meteor swarm of the first episode. Now on the DVD that part is mostly silent or space sound effects before things start hitting atmosphere (where the music had stopped previously anyway).

You know, back in the 80s Romancing the Stone came out on video. Not only was it slightly re-edited (I can't remember the part that was changed anymore but it was fairly noticable at the time, to me anyway) but the end credits on the video tape did not have the Eddy Gran song Romancing the Stone. Yes, he's the same guy who did Electric Avenue.

I think since then I've only seen the movie once on television where it included the Eddy Grant song.

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2005-03-06 01:54pm

This was the hold-up that kept Miami Vice from being released on DVD for so long. They finally got it worked out though.

SPOOFE · Post by **SPOOFE** » 2005-03-06 04:51pm

Man, the music industry is just pissing on its customers left and right, isn't it?