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"Dark Skies" DVD Cancelled...

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"Dark Skies" DVD Cancelled...

Old 08-19-07, 03:03 PM
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"Dark Skies" DVD Cancelled...

Oh dear, and I was looking forward to getting it as well....

The Crow Flies and the Skies Darken

Just returned this week from the San Diego Comic-Con where Mark Dacascos and I had a signing session for the new 5-DVD set of "The Crow: Stairway to Heaven." It would be more accurate to say that Mark had a signing session and I sat with him but he's such pleasant company and a good friend so who's complaining?

I just listened to our audio commentary on the DVD set last night and really thought it came out great (although I must train myself to never say "you know" again).

There are plenty of goodies for Crow fans on this beautifully mastered set released by Arts Alliance in association with TV Guide. One favorite is the show gag reel produced when we were going out of production for our wrap party and needed to laugh because it beat crying. The DVD set also has some show dailies and other extras like the pilot script.

Now for the sad part...

At the same time as the "The Crow" was making such a splash, however, I returned from Comic-Con to find out that the powers-that-be at the DVD division at SONY -- which had told me and confirmed to me several times that the "Dark Skies" DVD set was coming out in October -- have apparently changed their minds. The e-mail I received simply said: "There are no plans at this time to release. The music costs to clear for home entertainment made this very expensive to consider."

To all of you "Dark Skies" fans who took my word that it was coming out and are now disappointed, all I can say is that I stand at the head of that line. But when the people in charge send you e-mails that confirm specific release dates, that's usually good enough to talk about. I am as let down as you are. Probably more so.

What's funny about this is that in my very first communication with SONY about this, I anticipated the problem and offered to work with the "Dark Skies" music supervisor to identify expensive music and to find substitute tracks. We would have done that gladly. No one even responded to the offer so I assumed they had things well in hand.

Still, one for two ain't bad... I'll let you know if things change (although I will be much more skeptical)... for what it's worth...
What a slap in the face, especially after Sony Entertainment built up expectations for a Region 1 DVD release of Dark Skies just six months ago - but alas Sony is cheap and the RIAA is just greedy. I really think the demand for music royalties for TV shows on DVDs is now starting to get freaking ridiculous in recent years and far too many other high quality TV shows that are either old or relatively obscure (like Dark Skies) are very long overdue for a legitimate DVD release, directly because of the RIAA's licensing shenanigans.

And I know for a fact that countries that are not in the dominion of the RIAA (like the UK) get far more DVD releases in Region 2 that would otherwise be blocked in Region 1 countries due to music content - if Ally McBeal and Spaced have both been widely available on DVD in Britain for years, but have never seen any legitimate DVD release in North America then something is very, very wrong.

Hopefully we could see a Region 2 release of Dark Skies with it's music content unedited and there is still a chance that Dark Skies will be released on Region 1 DVD, but with the music content greatly altered (on Zabel's request and the exact same thing happened with Quantum Leap's DVDs in the US). But I still think the RIAA are a bunch of sleazy crooks that are running the entire entertainment industry into the ground.

And when they're not denying consumers the right to see TV shows on DVD over some fecking music, they're levying serious litigation charges against pensioners, school children and college students over MP3 downloads - the RIAA is pathetic really, and it seems nothing more than a criminal cabal of sleazy music agents protected by copyright laws and they're egregiously ruining everybody's fun.
Old 08-19-07, 05:01 PM
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Yep... I got a notice of this a couple of weeks ago.
Dark Skies was a great show..
Old 08-19-07, 05:10 PM
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Is the RIAA really the reason Spaced isn't over here? It makes sense for Ally McBeal, but not really for Spaced. Maybe Lucas is blocking it.
Old 08-20-07, 06:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Septemberbaby
Yep... I got a notice of this a couple of weeks ago.
Dark Skies was a great show..
Yeah, it's a real kick in the liver and it is truly repugnant of Sony to anounce the DVD release of this great series after ten long years, but suddenly decide not too, directly because of the ridiculous royalty demands of the RIAA (Really Irritating And Annoying) at the last minute.

And it seems silly that they were allowed the 1950s/1960s music on Dark Skies for it's initial broadcast on NBC way back in 96/97, but then they have to pay the f***ers again to allow Dark Skies a legitimate DVD release. And it's not as if the DVD of Dark Skies is going to be unpopular - Eric Close and Jeri Ryan are both still popular actors ten years later, currently starring on high-profile, successful CBS shows (Without a Trace and Shark) so fans would like to see them both having their big break in DK (me obviously included).

I guess that other cancelled-too-soon series, FireFly, dodged the Albatross because it came out on DVD when DVD sets of TV shows were much more established after 2000 and Dark Skies came out in the mid to late 1990s when VHS was still omnipresent, when there was not such a demand for TV shows on home entertainment. But also bear in mind FireFly evaded the RIAA's scumsucking lawyers due to not having any contemporary music (but I have heard about Dark Skies having a limited VHS release in Region 2 and annoyingly just the pilot episode on Region 2 DVD in Europe).

Originally Posted by starman9000
Is the RIAA really the reason Spaced isn't over here? It makes sense for Ally McBeal, but not really for Spaced. Maybe Lucas is blocking it.
I'd say the RIAA were responsible for holding back a Region 1 release of Spaced just like they're callously holding back Cold Case, initially Quantum Leap, initially Two and Half Men (which came out on Region 2 YEARS before Region 1), certainly Ally McBeal, most seasons of The Practice, Boston Public and Malcolm in the Middle.

I guess the music CSI DVDs can get away with it, due to CSI being a mega MEGA 20+ million viewers hit that CBS could bankroll and get tons of money back.
Old 08-20-07, 11:03 AM
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What does the RIAA as an organization have to do with this?

Isn't it a matter of the cost of the rights for the music being used (rights held by the record companies, songwriters, estates, etc) being prohibitive?
Old 08-20-07, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by WillieTheShakes
What does the RIAA as an organization have to do with this?

Isn't it a matter of the cost of the rights for the music being used (rights held by the record companies, songwriters, estates, etc) being prohibitive?
I believe the RIAA is the overall organization that sets these fees and oversees their collection. The problem is, they've created such a byzantinian system, that they'd rather see something not released, then negotiate a reduced fee for the use of a tiny snippet of a song, that just may spur additional album sales and create more fees for them.

I'm trying to think of some fable or something from mythology about a creature doomed to devour it's own tail for eternity or something, but I can't bring it to mind. But that's exactly the mental picture I get when I think of the RIAA (and the MPAA to some extent).
Old 08-20-07, 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by milo bloom
I believe the RIAA is the overall organization that sets these fees and oversees their collection. The problem is, they've created such a byzantinian system, that they'd rather see something not released, then negotiate a reduced fee for the use of a tiny snippet of a song, that just may spur additional album sales and create more fees for them.
I'm not sure this is the case.

From the RIAA's site (under Licensing):
Most of the time, licenses are granted voluntarily by copyright owners for a negotiated fee and pursuant to agreed upon terms and conditions. These are called voluntary (or direct) licenses. Licenses usually take the form of a written contract that specifies the owner of the copyright, what rights are being granted, the term of the license, and the royalties, if any, to be paid the copyright owner.

For example, an individual or business that wishes to offer sound recordings for download must, in most situations, obtain a license from the sound recording copyright owner. Such a license would be between the sound recording copyright owner (usually a recording company) and the individual or business that wants to use the sound recording, and would state each party’s rights and obligations. If at any point the individual or business desired to use the sound recording for a purpose not covered in the license, they first would need to enter into a new license agreement with the sound recording copyright owner that covered this new use.

Common Examples of When You Need a Voluntary License Include:

. . . Using a sound recording in a movie, commercial or other visual work.


Is it the RIAA setting the licensing costs on individual pieces of music, or is it the rights holders?
Old 08-20-07, 02:06 PM
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What music is on Spaced? The A-Team theme?
Old 08-20-07, 03:20 PM
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Last time I heard the RIAA overall has a monopoly over music licensing in America and they're nasty with it - I doubt they really care about individual artists or consumers in general, I also heard about silly laws about not dancing to RIAA music on YouTube and their convoluted royality demands seem highly debilitating, if studios cannot release DVD sets of either Spaced or Dark Skies because the music content is too expensive to pay for. The RIAA either needs to be reformed or disbanded all together if they're constantly committing social and cultural vandalism for profit.
Old 08-20-07, 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Cancer Man
And it seems silly that they were allowed the 1950s/1960s music on Dark Skies for it's initial broadcast on NBC way back in 96/97, but then they have to pay the f***ers again to allow Dark Skies a legitimate DVD releaase.
There is a big difference between synchronization versus mechanical licensing. Any time you are selling or distributing the actual recording you have to pay mechanical license fees which are much more costly than just using the track in a broadcast TV show.

And the RIAA has nothing to do with it, they are just an industry group for the record companies, they really are not involved with music publishers (who earns the mechanical rights.) Publishing is where the real money is for music, not record companies. In fact, the record companies must pay mechanicals to the publishers of any music they sell (one of the reason why CDs have less margin than most retail items.)

This has more info on how music Publishing works:
http://www.alankorn.com/articles/publishing_1.html

Mechanical Royalties
The term "mechanical royalties" initially referred to royalties paid whenever a song was reproduced by a mechanical device (remember that one of a copyright owner's exclusive rights is the right to authorize the reproduction of their work). The term "mechanical royalties" was applied to the reproduction of songs in music boxes, player pianos rolls, and later, phonograph records. This term is still used, and "mechanical royalties" now refers to royalties paid for the reproduction of songs on CD, DAT, audiocassette, flexi-discs, musical greeting cards, and other devices sold on a "per unit" basis.

The amount of money a record company must pay for a mechanical license is generally set by the Copyright Royalty Tribunal. This rate is sometimes referred to as a "statutory" rate. The current statutory rate through December 31, 2007 is nine and one-tenth cent ($.091) per song. This means that a single song can generate up to $.91 cents for every 10 records sold. Unfortunately, it is record industry custom to pay only 75% of the statutory rate to new or moderately successful songwriters. This means that a typical songwriter without enormous clout would generate a little more than 68 cents for every 10 records sold. After the publisher collects this money from the record company and takes its share of the income, a songwriter may receive as little as half of this amount.
I would imagine the DVD companies are generally unwilling to spend money on mechanicals on every unit that they sell, as they are not used to selling products that build this in to its margin.

If screenwriters were paid for every unit DVD sold, we probably would not see many movies on DVD either. Or DVDs would cost a lot more.
Old 08-20-07, 04:47 PM
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Thanks Jadzia - that's what I thought.

And yeah, sucks to not have Dark Skies, whoever's responsible.
Old 08-20-07, 06:32 PM
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As much as I want Dark Skies it sure would be nice to have Spaced.
Old 08-21-07, 07:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Jadzia
*snip*
Thank you for the clarification, Jadzia, but I'm still rather angry at the RIAA for many other wrong acts and you've highlighted just how unfairly restrictive and increasingly anchronistic American music licensing is in recent years, "mechanical royalties" was no real problem twenty or even ten years ago with home entertainment - but nowadays with the blanket coverage of DVD, digital cable/satellite, MP3 and of course the Internet, the Copyright Royalty Tribunal and Recording Industry Association of America are both stumbling dinosaurs trampling about over US home entertainment in the 2000s.

Originally Posted by MasterofDVD
As much as I want Dark Skies it sure would be nice to have Spaced.
Luckily you can get the Region 2 DVD of Spaced through Amazon.com's foreign imports, I also hope the same thing will happen with Dark Skies if it manages to get a Region 2 release (although I'm not holding my breath). I'd rather get the Region 2 DVDs of Quantum Leap as well, since I heard many complaints about the tone of the Region 1 DVDs of QL ruined by the licensed music getting replaced by facsimile muzak, while the QL soundtrack on Region 2 is unmolested - this US music licensing bottleneck holding back or altering TV shows on DVD is frankly quite embarrassing.

I also doubt that the BBC hit series, Life on Mars, would see a Region 1 DVD release in the next five years...

Last edited by Cancer Man; 08-21-07 at 07:55 AM.
Old 08-21-07, 10:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Cancer Man

Luckily you can get the Region 2 DVD of Spaced through Amazon.com's foreign imports
There are a few times I thought about going region free but in all honestly this is the only DVD I've ever wanted that wasn't for sale in Region 1. I still may the jump but I have a feeling that if I bought another DVD player it, all my other players and my collection just might get kicked to the curb. Then again my wife did enjoy Hot Fuzz and thought parts of Shaun of the Dead were funny.....
Old 08-22-07, 04:56 AM
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I do think that the Region 1/Region 2 schick is pretty counterproductive as well and does little to stop piracy, but does much to annoy the common consumer (although it is nowhere near as terrible as this music licensing). But many times I go for Region 2 without the silly constraints of Region 1 (although most things come out on Region 1 first).

It is also ironic that all the music licensing BS in America is actually encouraging legal or illegal downloads of TV shows and pirate DVD box sets of TV shows, due to the legitimate DVD market being partially crippled by the retarded music industry - who is also losing out and painting itself into the corner at the end of day (Dark Skies on DVD with it's music content would've been a decent promotion of 1950s/1960s music that would encourage people to track them down and buy them, but NOOOO, the sleazy lawyers wanted their extortionate royalties paid, Sony was was cheap and everybody lost out).
Old 10-08-10, 07:15 AM
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Re: "Dark Skies" DVD Cancelled...

DVD on again - January 2011:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dar...e-Series/14519

James
Old 10-09-10, 01:54 PM
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Re: "Dark Skies" DVD Cancelled...


I can't get over how completely awesome Shout! Factory is!
Old 10-09-10, 06:36 PM
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Re: "Dark Skies" DVD Cancelled...

I thought the new DVD set got cancelled. Luckily, this was an old thread!
Old 10-10-10, 01:20 PM
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Re: "Dark Skies" DVD Cancelled...

I will definetely buy the set. Dark Skies was canceled way too soon.

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