6 ms·

Just because they created the content doesn't mean they have ownership of all IP involved. Music especially can be a PITA, see the videogame Alan Wake being uns

by Bjartr 9y ago

Just because they created the content doesn't mean they have ownership of all IP involved. Music especially can be a PITA, see the videogame Alan Wake being unsellable because the licensing for the music used in the game ran out.

cobythedog 9y ago
That's very true. I can't stream one of my favorite shows, Northern Exposure, because of the music licensing. They even had to change some music in order to release the DVDs. http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/ http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/
- thanksgiving 9y ago
  I immediately thought of Married... with Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children > Its theme song is "Love and Marriage" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, performed by Frank Sinatra from the 1955 television production Our Town. ... > The Sony DVD box sets from season 3 onward do not feature the original "Love and Marriage" theme song in the opening sequence. This was done because Sony was unable to obtain the licensing rights to the song for later sets. Despite this, the end credits on the DVDs for season 3 still include a credit for "Love and Marriage."
  - rhizome 9y ago
    "WKRP In Cincinnati" is the archetype for this problem.
    - tracker1 9y ago
      "The Wonder Years" is another one...
    - CWuestefeld 9y ago
      And yet another demonstration of how recordings of questionable provenance are superior in many ways to the properly authorized ones.
- mattmanser 9y ago
  The music was a great part of the show too! It was definitely missing something when I rewatched it.
rmc 9y ago
I have heard this was a problem for Top Gear. They'd include a music clip like The A Team jingle in a clip because the BBC would have a licence to broadcast that. And when they want to show that episode outside the UK, they need to patch the show to use different music instead that they have a licence to.
- semi-extrinsic 9y ago
  House MD has a completely different intro theme outside the US, because they didn't get a worldwide license of Massive Attack's "Teardrop".
  - chris_wot 9y ago
    Damn. I live in Australia and I had no idea that Teardrop was the actual theme the House MD!
    - 4ad 9y ago
      And they wonder why some people prefer torrents. Sometimes to simply get the best version of something!
aczerepinski 9y ago
I used to do work re-writing music for tv shows when they went to syndication in other countries. I did it in hopes that it would lead to bigger gigs but that was naive/silly in hindsight. It's probably been 10 years since I did one of those gigs, but I'm sure others are out there still doing it for music, movies and games.
mrkrabo 9y ago
San Andreas in Steam has received several "updates" that just removed songs from the radio. :(
shmerl 9y ago
It doesn't mean they should block VPNs since it's effectively a discriminatory (bordering on xenophobic) practice, same as rejecting foreigners in a physical store.
- vertex-four 9y ago
  Unfortunately they've likely been forced into it by their content providers.
  - shmerl 9y ago
    I think more likely by local distributors, who have too much leverage on said content providers. Local distribution is often at odds with global Internet one.
    - vertex-four 9y ago
      The content providers don't have a product to sell to local distributors if they don't have significant control over online distribution, so it's not like they'd be complaining if that were the case.
      - shmerl 9y ago
        > The content providers don't have a product to sell to local distributors if they don't have significant control over online distribution Why so? It only happens in unhealthy monopolized markets. In healthy competitive markets, content providers should be independent from distributors. They create something (films for instance) and distribute them as widely as possible (i.e. through all distributors), to maximize reach and in turn profit. That would include global unrestricted distribution. But when market is monopolized and there are cartels, all that becomes totally messed up and restrictions pop up all over the place.
        vertex-four 9y ago
        This isn't a thing that's unique to digital content - it's a common business arrangement for some company to be allowed to be a sole distributor for a product in a market. It reduces risk for the distributor, meaning that they're able to give the product manufacturer a bigger cut.
deepsun 9y ago
That's question to the music authors. They probably decided to sell the licensing rights to an "evil" media company. Here I stand on "right to burn" author's side. They can do whatever they want with their music, like putting a trillion dollar price on it, or selling it to an evil publisher. It's authors's nonprescribable right. If you don't like it -- feel free to write your own music. That game makers should have probably make a modification to the game to replace original music with something else.
- uep 9y ago
  I agree with you on the creators' rights thing. It seems unwise of the game maker to purchase a music license that expires. Though, I suspect it was a calculated risk, and that they believed potential sales this late after release weren't worth paying more for. Alan Wake was released seven years ago.

by Bjartr 9y ago

cobythedog 9y ago

That's very true. I can't stream one of my favorite shows, Northern Exposure, because of the music licensing. They even had to change some music in order to release the DVDs. http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/ http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/

thanksgiving 9y ago
I immediately thought of Married... with Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children > Its theme song is "Love and Marriage" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, performed by Frank Sinatra from the 1955 television production Our Town. ... > The Sony DVD box sets from season 3 onward do not feature the original "Love and Marriage" theme song in the opening sequence. This was done because Sony was unable to obtain the licensing rights to the song for later sets. Despite this, the end credits on the DVDs for season 3 still include a credit for "Love and Marriage."
- rhizome 9y ago
  "WKRP In Cincinnati" is the archetype for this problem.
  - tracker1 9y ago
    "The Wonder Years" is another one...
  - CWuestefeld 9y ago
    And yet another demonstration of how recordings of questionable provenance are superior in many ways to the properly authorized ones.
mattmanser 9y ago
The music was a great part of the show too! It was definitely missing something when I rewatched it.

rmc 9y ago

I have heard this was a problem for Top Gear. They'd include a music clip like The A Team jingle in a clip because the BBC would have a licence to broadcast that. And when they want to show that episode outside the UK, they need to patch the show to use different music instead that they have a licence to.

semi-extrinsic 9y ago
House MD has a completely different intro theme outside the US, because they didn't get a worldwide license of Massive Attack's "Teardrop".
- chris_wot 9y ago
  Damn. I live in Australia and I had no idea that Teardrop was the actual theme the House MD!
  - 4ad 9y ago
    And they wonder why some people prefer torrents. Sometimes to simply get the best version of something!

aczerepinski 9y ago

I used to do work re-writing music for tv shows when they went to syndication in other countries. I did it in hopes that it would lead to bigger gigs but that was naive/silly in hindsight. It's probably been 10 years since I did one of those gigs, but I'm sure others are out there still doing it for music, movies and games.

mrkrabo 9y ago

San Andreas in Steam has received several "updates" that just removed songs from the radio. :(

shmerl 9y ago

It doesn't mean they should block VPNs since it's effectively a discriminatory (bordering on xenophobic) practice, same as rejecting foreigners in a physical store.

vertex-four 9y ago
Unfortunately they've likely been forced into it by their content providers.
- shmerl 9y ago
  I think more likely by local distributors, who have too much leverage on said content providers. Local distribution is often at odds with global Internet one.
  - vertex-four 9y ago
    The content providers don't have a product to sell to local distributors if they don't have significant control over online distribution, so it's not like they'd be complaining if that were the case.
    - shmerl 9y ago
      > The content providers don't have a product to sell to local distributors if they don't have significant control over online distribution Why so? It only happens in unhealthy monopolized markets. In healthy competitive markets, content providers should be independent from distributors. They create something (films for instance) and distribute them as widely as possible (i.e. through all distributors), to maximize reach and in turn profit. That would include global unrestricted distribution. But when market is monopolized and there are cartels, all that becomes totally messed up and restrictions pop up all over the place.
      - vertex-four 9y ago
        This isn't a thing that's unique to digital content - it's a common business arrangement for some company to be allowed to be a sole distributor for a product in a market. It reduces risk for the distributor, meaning that they're able to give the product manufacturer a bigger cut.

deepsun 9y ago

That's question to the music authors. They probably decided to sell the licensing rights to an "evil" media company. Here I stand on "right to burn" author's side. They can do whatever they want with their music, like putting a trillion dollar price on it, or selling it to an evil publisher. It's authors's nonprescribable right. If you don't like it -- feel free to write your own music. That game makers should have probably make a modification to the game to replace original music with something else.

uep 9y ago
I agree with you on the creators' rights thing. It seems unwise of the game maker to purchase a music license that expires. Though, I suspect it was a calculated risk, and that they believed potential sales this late after release weren't worth paying more for. Alan Wake was released seven years ago.