Winner of this week's Gulf Coast Classic is Chai Chai Rodrigueez

[smg01]

I'm on to disc 2 of my WKRP dvds.

I know a lot of people are up in arms that they have so many music replacements. It is a shame that getting the music rights is so cost prohibitive and led to replacements and cuts, but the characters are still the same and the funny is still funny.

I have no regrets over the purchase. If they ever put together a package that includes all the original music, I'll get it. But given the hundreds of thousands of dollars to clear the rights to all of that music, I don't see it ever happening. So I'll take what I can get.

An interesting follow up to an article on that whole issue.

Comments

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

I think they should have done what they did with Freaks & Geeks. They turned it over to a smaller company that took the time and effort and took on the expense of getting all the original music for the show, and then the set was ridiculously expensive, but most fans bought it anyway.

As for the original set, I've read that they actually cut some scenes entirely because they didn't make sense without the music. I read that interview that addressed this, and I still think they're wrong.

My husband loves this show and I was going to buy it for him, but he doesn't want it if it doesn't have the original music.

It's too bad, but I'd rather remember the show as it was than have it without the original music that was so much a part of it.

[suzannemarie.livejournal.com]

I hate to defend studios, and I understand how people feel, but there was a lot of music and we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'm not convinced that they would have been able to sell enough at such a high price to make any sort of return on the investment. When it comes to rights, music labels are pretty much the most intractable entity out there. The $40.00+ range, is when I have to start thinking twice about whether I can justify buying or not. To have all of the music intact, I wouldn't be surprised if the cost were to be in the $100.00 range. I'm not sure I could do it, and I'm a huge fan. If I'm thinking twice, the more casual fan is probably going to be even more reluctant.

It's not like I'm happy about the substitutions or cuts, but having seen rights and permissions close up in the book publishing industry, I think I have a built-in sympathy for the position the studio was in in trying to make it happen. It's just not as simple or straightforward as it should be--especially in the music industry.

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

I just think they probably shouldn't have done it at all if they couldn't keep at least most of the music.

I don't blame the studio exactly, except for the decisions they made to substitute music and especially to make actual scene cuts, but I blame the music industry more for the problems.

It's just not as simple or straightforward as it should be--especially in the music industry.

I only know a little about this, but I do know a bit about how difficult it is because I read a lot about it at the time the Dawson's Creek DVDs came out and they made music substitions on those, too. They even replaced the theme song after the first two seasons, because someone got greedy and raised the price of that one song high enough that it used up the entire music budget for the entire season.

I know there are a lot of people involved in the whole music rights thing and not just the artist. I know it could be expensive, but I still think they should have found a way to keep most of the music or they shouldn't have done it at all. I don't think I'd buy any DVD set for $100, but I've paid $80 for my set of original BSG DVDS (the ones that came in a big cylon-head box) and I'd do it again if I had to.

I bought the Dawson's Creek sets in spite of the music substitutions, because even though the music was a *huge* part of that show and I was attached to it, it wasn't the show for me, but with WKRP, it would be. I'd feel the same way if they made music substitutions on Supernatural. Hopefully at this stage, shows negotiate for DVD rights to the music when they use the songs, because it would suck if they made any changes on that show.

I don't really understand why anyone in the music industry would want to make their music too expensive to use, though. When they use a song on Supernatural, some people download illegally, I know, but a lot of people go to iTunes and download or even buy the CDs. I've done both. *g*

[aka-becker.livejournal.com]

They do specifially mention Shout Factory in that second article as that's the company that did the F&G set. There are two versions of the F&G box set though, one that is in standard packaging (amazon list $69.99 bust selling for $45.99 and I've never seen it sell over $50) which is the same price range as many of the 6 disc sets I've bought, but has a HUGE amount os special features. Every ep has a commentary and at least half have two (including commenaryt on two eps by fans of the show), deleted scenes for every epside, every single menu has a music cue from the show on it (and usually a funny quote), plus a few extra special features. Then there's the $125 Speacial Yearbook Edition which is worth every single penny and is the most amazing box set I have ever encountered. I could go on for ages about it, and in the past, well, have.

They did have a lot of music clearnaces to do for hat show, but I'm not sure if there were quite as many as there would be for WKRP. It is an hour show comapred to the 30 min sitcom, but it's also 18 total eps to 22 per season. One read through of that Yearbook and you know that the show's creators put their heart and soul into it and would never have allowed the show to air without it being intact even making sure one delted scene was put back into the pilot and no left as a deleted scene.

Though one thing does bug me in that they had to change the Ted Nugent clip from the first episode. Ted Nugent is featured in F&G and in the commentary they speciofically mention how great he was when they were makignthe show that not ony did he OK the music, but he sent them a bunch of shirts and posters and stuff for the show to use without even being asked. I'm probably wrong, but it feels like they didn't try hard enough to get the music and just gave up and replaced it instead.

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

It's not just the artist involved when it comes to clearing the music rights, though. It's possible that whoever owns the publishing rights or whoever was playing hardball, so it might not be anything to do with Ted Nugent himself. :-(

When I was looking into it, the regular set of F&G was around $60, but I didn't remember that the Yearbook Edition was over $100. I thought I remembered it being around $80. Has it always been $125?

I've never actually seen F&G, but everything I've heard about it makes me think I'd love it. *g* I first heard of it when I was reading up on this whole music rights issue a few years ago.

[suzannemarie.livejournal.com]

F&G is awesome. I think I paid $45.00 (maybe more) or something at amazon, and I'd do it again. The Discos and Dragons episode alone is worth the price for me. A lot of episodes I'd spend cringing into the corner of my sofa, but something at the end would almost always make me smile.

I think one of the reasons that I've mostly come to terms with the music substitutions for WKRP, is that it was something of a fluke that they got all of that music even in the first run, since they exploited a loophole to get it cheaply. I wonder if some of the companies are playing hardball because the show got off so cheaply the first time around.

The music was a great supplement and I do miss it, but I'm still enjoying the show.

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

hehe I really think I'd rather remember KRP as it was. :-(

I really want to get F&G someday, but when there end up being other DVDs that seem more immediate, that one always gets put on the backburner. *g*

[aka-becker.livejournal.com]

Are you watching How I Met Your Mother? They had a semi-reenactment of the dance in Season 1. hehehe

[aka-becker.livejournal.com]

I bought the yearbook after only having seen 1 1/2 episodes and wow, it was worth it. I got Jymm form Darling Violetta to do the same. To the besto my knowledge, the yearbook was always 125, but there is so much stuff in it that it's worth it and probably runs a loss for them at that price. It blends right in with my yearbooks and comes with two completely packed extra bonus DVDs and all the extra info in the book itself. I actually want to get the regular version just so I don't wear out the DVDs.

I relate a little extra to the show though as my sister was the exact age as Linda Cardelini's character Lindsey, and in high school went form hanging out with her geekish best friend to hanging with a "cooler" stonerish crowd.

If you like shows that are highly realistic, this is the show to watch. And then in the extensive commentaries (29 for the 18 eps), you learn that every sad thing that happens to the Freshman kid happened to the creator Paul Feig when he was 17. The acting is amazing (won an Emmy for the casting), and the writing fantastic. Joe Flaherty as the father is hysterical. I highly, highly recommend this. But, I'm biased as this is my favorite show ever. And it never hurts when you have a show where every song in one episode is by The Who.

A clip that kinda sum up the show:


I wqs going to put up two, but the other one is gone now.
Oh, here's the opening to the show.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7981855834287554878&q=freaks+and+geeks&hl=en

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

when you have a show where every song in one episode is by The Who.

I'm sold right there. *g*

Thanks for the clip and the info about the show. From everything I've heard, I'd probably really like this show.

[aka-becker.livejournal.com]

If you liked those clips, you'd like the show. They pretty much sum up the whole point. Start out with the typical pretty high school kids every show is about and then ditch them for the real people under the bleachers. :)

And The Who songs used weren't all the big ones ether. "Slip Kid" was featured. And nothing like Flaherty deciding his daughter can't see them live after listening to "Squeeze Box". When you get around to it, it'll be worth the purchase. If not, let me know and I'll buy it off of you. ;)

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

hehe Now that's a guarantee. *g*