DJariya

For Baywatch fans like myself it did matter.

Opening credits theme I'm always here. performed by Jimi Jamison. This was the theme that every Baywatch fan knows:

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This is the replacement music that was used on the DVD's for all 3 seasons that were released. This music was also used for the closing credits as well replacing a song called "Current of Love" performed by David Hasselhoff. Imagine listening to this song on the above opening credits.

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cracksky

It doesn't just affect TV Shows. I just bought a concert DVD where one of the songs is usually performed with a medley of Beatles tracks and the band always ends their shows with I Am The Walrus. All of the Beatles material was cut out. Here is what Glenn (keyboards) said about it:

DJariya

The Baywatch theme was important because it set the tone for the entire episode. There were alot of music cues in the episodes that were replaced with generic filler. Most of the music incorporated in the show were early to mid 90's pop music.

Yeah the sets were only $20, but what First Look did was inexcusible and I'm glad fans stopped buying the sets. I got season 1 and 2 and after watching 2 episodes, I sold the sets right away.

Judremy

How about that great opening & closing crap they put on the Married with Children releases after the 2nd season? I cannot stand it. Sounds like a drunken piano under water. Yes, I know what I said there.

Dr. DVD

That proves a great point. While I never thought much of Baywatch, changing the theme music to that made it look out of place.

Gizmo

I would never find a reason to ever, ever watch Baywatch for the storylines.

SI78

For some reason, I read that article as saying 'Cop Rock' was coming out the same day as Ally McBeal.

I wet myself just a little. That's the Holy Grail of crap. If only it were true.

Silverscreenvid

THey are not extorting anything. Extorting occurs when there's been a hurricane and stores charge an arm and a leg for thinks like milk because they know people have no place else to get it.

Nobody has to buy a CD or DVD. The producers of CDs and DVDs do not have to license any music. If artists put too high a price on their work, no one will buy it, but it's their right. The fact is that the public caves in, over and over again, paying inflated prices for music, and producers of DVDs like Ally McBeal and 30something cave in paying inflated prices for the rights fees.

I doubt you'd like it very much if Congress decided what a reasonable cap on the amount of money you could earn was because otherwise the public might suffer. Artists have unique talent that no one can duplicate. They have the right to charge as much or as little as they want for their work. You have the right to decide whether to buy it or not. That's how the free enterprise system works.

cracksky

No, that's price gouging.

This is a ridiculous argument. If there is music on a product that someone wants to purchase, it must be licensed and right now, there are no regulations so artists can charge anything which is complete bullshit.

As if all laws were tied together. Artists have the right to alienate all their 3 fans by preventing them from hearing their music for the rest of time by forcing producers to replace music and demand millions of dollars for the small chance the deal would go through. I have the right to write my Congressperson about this and post a response to nudnicks.

bsmith

That is your right but it doesn't make it right. Silverscreenvid made good points that you unfortunately weren't able to counter very well. The reality is that if an artists only had 3 fans then no one would care, but obviously that is not the case here. Studios chose to license instead of create because they felt it made a better product. Now they have to share the profits if they want to continue.

One of the things I got from the original post is laziness on the part of the studios to even deal with music rights issues. It apparently can be done efficiently as Shout! has demonstrated. Studios are just as much to blame for not being able to do their part in getting some of these shows released.

Xiroteus

Would not some money for licensing the music be better then nothing?

Seems odd.

Mavic343

It does make sense though. Many shows are low budget and paying for the music fees would probably overshadow any profits they would make anyway. Its a shame really.

BrandonJF

Baywatch had 2-3 music montages per episode. The songs weren't background music - they are what you had to listen to while watching women in bathing suits jiggle in slow motion.

cracksky

The point is, it shouldn't take months and months of negotiations with companies like Shout! (for Freaks and Geeks) and Universal (for SNL) to get music rights. It shouldn't cost millions of dollars for Beatles song snippets just because everyone involved is greedy or broke. For the most part, it's the exception, not the rule. Most studios don't even try. They just replace the music. We shouldn't have to pay more for the luxury of having all the music as well. Or waiting for years.

I grew up in the 1970's and started taping TV shows in the 1980's. I was very happy to finally see the explosion of TV on DVD sets only to have most of my memories shattered by music replacements or alterations. It's disgusting how most people are apathetic about it and seem not to care about the permanent way a show will be viewed.

I'm all for artist's rights. In fact, I'm a member of the Screen Actor's Guild and I fought for every penny we could get for internet downloads, etc...but being able to ask for millions of dollars for your songs while simultaneously potentially altering history is unacceptable.

Unless artists/publishers/songwriters self-regulate, laws have to be changed.

macnorton

In the case of SNL it took years. Many artist were on different labels or the label they were on was bought out...something happened to complicate the mess.

I think the other problem is this, most of the rights owners don't know what they own. Take the Fugitive, there was an article (I will see if I have the link) that Paramount removed music that they owned from the show, rather than research it. For me that is a slap in the face. But also there is a little more to be said.

It is gouging. Shout doesn't have the budget that other studio have, so my guess is the rights holders know they can't squeeze every penny out of Shout. But they think they can with say Warner.

In the end, it is we the fans that lose out on something we would have bought, if done correctly. I am a firm believe it, you put in the effort to make a good set, people will eventually buy it. You put out crap...I think you get the point.

bsmith

For the most part, I think fans are disgusted with music replacements. Just like many are disgusted with how pricing for TV show sets are all over the map. In some cases as low as $15 a season while others are $40 for half a season. Series getting stalled after only a few seasons. Also, the lack of care in packaging that results in interesting looking products but which a high percentage for damaged content. Then there is the studios licensing of distribution rights while not providing the best product to use, leaving it up to a third party to piece meal together a release and consumers having to suffer with lower quality results then need be.

Unfortunately, it is a catch-22. If you fight with your wallet and don't buy the studio takes this as a sign that it is not worth their effort to continue that series. If you do buy then you are showing acceptance to their practices and policies.

The consumer is always going to get shorted in the end. Music rights is just one aspect of all this. Studios have been short changing consumers in other ways for years and getting away with it. That is why I believe they are an equal partner in all this because they haven't proven to have the consumer's best interest in mind regarding many other facets of all this.

macnorton

Very well put.

rmw650

Perfect example of this was WKRP S1 on DVd which was a disaster with the generic music in it, which caused FOX to cease releasing the other 4 seasons of the show. The same goes for Happy Days S5 and thereafter, due to monumentous music rights fees.

David Levine

The problem with this is it leaves out sales degradation from season to season. Its not uncommon for a show's sales to drop by a 3rd with each subsequent season. Some drop by more than 50%. Its the VERY rare series that manages an 80-90% retention from season to season.

So while it *may* make financial sense to clear the first season of The Wonder Years (and again, we don't know if the songs used are more expensive than F&G or not), by the time the 3rd season rolls around, it could be a release that loses money for the studio.

Also Freaks and Geeks was a huge gamble at the time. A one season (canceled) show with a ton of expensive music in it. And it wasn't cheap - it originally had a 69.98 SRP and they were able to make additional revenue off of the 169.99 yearbook edition.

The other problem is some songs just are not clearable at any price. Either you have an artist that has changed their views and doesn't want to be associated with a program anymore (Cat Stevens is a prime example), or the rights have changed hands through sale or death (Frank Sinatra), etc, or you have multiple holders that are unwilling to cooperate with each other and essentially block the song (not music - but think about the WB/Fox battle over the Adam West Batman as an example of an inter-company fued).

And the whole thing is stupid. Its a tremendous advertisement for the artists. Joureny's "Don't Stop Believing" is the most downloaded song in iTunes history, and a HUGE portion of that is due to a new audience finding the song after it was used on Laguna Beach.

slop101

I would've guessed Sopranos.

critterdvd

I'm sure "The Sopranos" didn't hurt that song either.

David Levine

Sopranos helped overall, no doubt. But it broke into iTunes's top 10 the day after it was on Laguna Beach.

In general Sopranos has an older audience that would be familiar with Journey, and I'm sure it re-sparked some interest in some of them, but a huge group of that young Laguna Beach audience had probably never heard of the band before that episode. It was a totally new song to them.

pinata242

Whatever. It was Scrubs.

writer106

Cold Case is another show going through the same thing.

WMAangel

Out of curiosity (and if you are privy to such numbers), could you tell us what shows have managed to keep such a high level of retention?

If I was to venture a guess, I'm betting "LOST" is probably one of those rare series....