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THE POOR STATE OF MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS: THE SCORE CD'S THE PUBLIC CAN BUY AND THE VERSIONS THE INDUSTRY KEEPS FOR ITSELF. A 'MATRIX RELOADED'-RELATED ARTICLE

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1) PROMOS, THE INDUSTRY AND MATRIX RELOADED

Can you imagine seeing a 2 hour movie, liking it enough to later buy on dvd,
yet when you get the dvd version of the movie, on it is only the
watered-down, compacted 90 minute airline version, while industry people -
who supposedly deserve it more than the public who pay money to buy their
products - get the cinema version of the movie + deleted scenes, etc. It
wouldn't be allowed. Yet the same thing happens all the time in movie-music
circles, with this 'one version for the public, another version for the
industry' attitude.

Movies and movie music have been my life since I was 16 in 1989. This year I
have been really really been looking forward to Matrix Reloaded's cinema
release, and its score. Yet with recently seeing the Music From The Movies
news article, I'm now down about the music before I even see the movie.
Thanks a lot. They've ruined my anticipation of the movie.

Thank you to Don Davis/his agency/Warner Bros. The official album for Matrix
Reloaded (containing barely 30 mins. of score amongst songs) isn't out yet,
as I type this, but already some people in movie/movie-music industry circles
have been given - through whatever 'perk-of-the-job'/illegal means - the
complete 100 min.score !

The industry treats with contempt those who help pay their salaries,
whilst looking after its own.

Why do those with the promos gloat? If they get given one through their
work, even though they shouldn't when the public has to pay for a poor
version, why don't they keep it to themselves? Otherwise it's like saying to
collectors, "Ha ha, I've got the full score for free and you suckers will all
have to pay £15 for one-third the amount of score than you should be given."

Some of these people - probably not even collectors since they get their
scores for free - think it's good to gloat on their gaining the full version
whilst knowing that collectors, with no access to promos, will have to pay
for a short-measure release, if they want to listen to any of the score on cd
at all.

Normally, but still not right on the paying consumer, promo/more-complete
score cd's get (let) out AFTER the commercial release if at all. With
Reloaded however, the industry has gone one better in mocking proper
film-music collectors. Reports on the full score, with much of the best
stuff apparently missing from the commercial cd, has rendered that version
obsolete already. While Warners hope we'll buy the too-short cd, which we
have no choice but to do if we want to hear some of the score in isolation,
at the same time they are mocking us by issuing a promo of all the score to
certain undeserving* people! It's like Warners are inviting us to seek the
longer version by whatever illegal means, since it's already pointless
getting their meagre official cd while the full score's out there somewhere.

* What entitles them to get the full score, and for free? Just because they
work in the industry in some capacity doesn't mean they actually put more
money than collectors back in to it. Eg out of over 1500 original
soundtracks of mine, I own around 65 of James Horner's scores on official cd
(costing me nearly £1000). So shouldn't I be entitled to, say, the complete
score to Perfect Storm if it exists? I've wanted that for three years, after
getting the official cd, then seeing the movie and realising any future
listen of the cd would for me be inferior since much music was missing from
the album. A full 2cd version was maybe passed to insiders at the time of
the release and I'm stuck with my version.

The supreme ridiculous irony of collecting soundtracks these days is that in
order to enjoy the music, most of us must: not read album reviews, not
communicate with anyone about film music, and not watch movies! If you do
then you inevitably find out that the cd you've bought is missing good music,
therefore possibly making any further plays of your album unsatisfactory
because whilst listening, the missing music is maybe on your mind too much.

Why should we have to seek out bootlegs to get the full versions? Why should
we have to watch the movies everytime we want to hear the unreleased music?
Having the music in isolation (ie away from being poorly mixed and drowned
out by the dialogue and sound fx noise on movie soundtracks) is partly what
collectors buy scores for in the first place. Why should we have to make
desperate pathetic tapes of certain scenes from a movie's soundtrack (with
sound fx and dialogue along to) just to get some form of 'having' the
unreleased music?

It doesn't pay for score collectors to actually watch movies, since as soon
as we do the reality of what score is missing hits home. The huge irony is
that we, as collectors, love movies and movie music, but in order to not
render the cd experience unsatisfactory, the movie-watching side is best not
indulged in. Either we see the movies but don't collect score cd's, or get
score cd's but don't see the accompanying movies (or read reviews/talk to
anyone who collects scores also - which often lets us know that good music is
missng from the cd, whether we'd prefer to know or not)!

It's one thing to miss good score music off a soundtrack album (for the usual
reasons of: poor choices in music editing/track selecting; space on a cd;
re-use fees limiting amounts of music included, etc). That's been going on
for decades. It's a different, and much worse, thing entirely however, to
pass complete scores to industry people while letting the paying public buy a
cd that is inferior. If the public have to settle for these versions, then
no one else outside the recording studio should get to hear or keep cd/cdr's
of the missed-off-the-commercial-album music.

There's a secret society in existence too. Eg I knew 2 collectors who owned
a movie store. In chatting to them as friends about film scores, and buying
dozens of soundtracks from their store, for almost 10 years since late 80's I
expressed my desire to have the Predator score (even on cassette). All this
time they nodded politely while hinting at nothing on the subject, except
that they were never bothered about the score anyway. Then I found out from
a third collector, who also knew same 2 guys, that they'd had a promo
cassette of the unreleased score for years, (and many other titles on
cassette/cd/cdr) but never said to anything to me! They had it, never
bothered about having it, yet I couldn't get it!

The circulation of these promos starts with people who either don't
collect scores, don't buy many, and haven't even searched/asked for
them. They just seem to turn up at their offices, unrequested. Those who
want don't get/can't find, and those who aren't bothered get for free without
even having to ask/be interested!

The longer promo of Matrix Reloaded won't do anything more for the film/its
studio/its music/its composer/his agency. The commercial cd/a cdr of just
that Maverick cd's score would have sufficed. All the full version does is
get people on websites to put on a news item about it, letting the
score-buying public read about the quality of the score, then we see the
movie with enthusiasm, then see how good the score is (+ how much score the
movie contains), then see how much good music is missed off the commercial cd
(which is the only version available to us to purchase) when/if we buy it.
If the public can't get the full score, what use is it for websites to get it
and tell us all about it, except to help promote jealousy and the search for
a bootleg of that longer version. What good does it do to send the full
version out to certain people when us collectors can't buy that one?! What
are those who have a copy sent to them going to do with that promo? What use
is it to them, except to make them feel superior (and copy it for other
undeserving people too).

If a commercial cd exists, no one should get a fuller promo unless made
available to whoever wants one. Promos may eg help get composers more
work, but putting longer versions out is also inviting and condoning
bootlegging. The industry claims it's against piracy, but promos perpetuate
it.

The very fact of putting one out also states that the
commercial cd is inadequate, or else why not eg promote the composer
using the official version/a cdr of just the score from that release (since
that's all the public are granted)?

It's pointless producing/buying a commercial cd if a promo is put out at the
same time. It makes a mockery of buying a cd and takes the p*** out of us
buyers.

Composers/their agencies/movie studios/record labels have no business
putting out a promo when a shorter commercial cd is also out there. Why
don't they use the official cd to promote their work or else they're
admitting that that version is not good enough. If a commercial cd isn't
good enough for the industry to use, then it's not good enough for paying
consumers.

Any eg magazine/website editors, who get promos, approve score cd reviews ,
that may tell people the commercial cd is worth having, when they know the
cd's are inferior to the version they keep all to
themselves. And they even put out disclaimers saying 'don't email me asking
for cdr copies of rare scores' (eg MFTM) while hording the promos. Or they
may still allow copies to get out so others can secretly copy/trade them with
other so-called collectors. How else do they get circulated so far beyond
journalistic offices?

It seems that in order to enjoy commercial soundtracks, it's best not to see
any of the movies they accompany! It's only worth being a collector of movie
music, which implies some love of movies themselves too, if you never see
movies. The two experiences should go together, but it's less worth it if
you want any sort of peace of mind. Ignorance is bliss it seems, which is
wrong.

Against all my musical ear-training as a movie score listener for years, I
now find myself watching movies, trying to enjoy them, but no longer trying
to pay close attention to the score, so that I don't get depressed before
it's finished. I actually find myself hoping the movie's good but that the
score isn't (or that the score merely serves the movie and nothing more), so
that I either won't want to buy the cd, or won't miss the unreleased music if
already got the cd. I shouldn't have to do that, but that's the position I
find myself in due to so many albums missing good score and suspecting that
somewhere else, people have got the fuller score to themselves.

The nature of being a movie and movie-music fan is that a) hearing a good
score often makes us want to see the movie (more), and b) seeing a good
movie+hearing a good score in it, makes us want to get the album.

Do you have any idea what it feels like for a collector (me) to go into a
movie, cringeing at the possible music missing from the soundtrack he's
bought/may buy. I now watch movies, hoping to like the movies themselves,
while hoping the score is only-serviceable but not good enough to want on cd!

Eg PEARL HARBOR, DIE ANOTHER DAY, MATRIX, VERTICAL LIMIT, AIR FORCE ONE,
PERFECT STORM (to name a few egs out of dozens) - I find that I can't listen
to the cd's/with as much enjoyment once seen the movie and realised what good
score is missing. The cd's are mostly obsolete to me once the movies are
seen.

As egs. of the 'promo soon after official cd' status, last year I bought Ice
Age (30+ mins.) and Dragonfly (35+ mins.), but within months a 60+ and a 70+
min. version respectively were being traded apparently. Why should I have
bought my versions then? Also, this year Below had a 30+ min. cd, then a 60+
min. one soon after. Didn't buy that official cd, but almost could have
done. Don't have access to the promos still anyway.

Looking to May this year, instead of the missing Matrix Reloaded music being
on my mind AFTER seeing the movie and trying to muster enthusiasm to listen
to the cd again (as with most score/movie experiences for me), this time in
ADVANCE of even seeing the movie/hearing the commercial cd, merely the
possibilities are messing with my head, rather than the usual after-the-fact
realities.

Giving these eg Reloaded promos out already to those in movie music circles,
apart from it taking the p*** out of collectors who actually have to pay for
our shorter inferior official cd versions (since that's the only version
availabe to us lowly legally-buy-our-scores-from-actual-stores collectors -
something alien to most of those who get promos passed to them), makes a
mockery of anyone buying the official cd since we're already being told in
advance that the full version contains lots of great score not on the
commercial cd.

By putting a review on MFTM of the full score, someone's gloating that
they've got the complete score when most everyone else will have to have an
already-obsolete commercial version, if we're to get to listen to any of the
score in isolation at all.

I'm really angry that industry people seem to gloat at getting FREE cd's of
COMPLETE scores, while the collecting public PAY for cd's that are HALF
measure (or even one-third or one-quarter measures compared to the full
score) cd versions, without us being able to do anything about it.

Why bother bringing out a commercial Reloaded cd then? It's obviously an
inadequate cd, or else Don Davis/his agency/Warner Bros. wouldn't have
created a complete version on cd/cdr, and passed them to industry people. If
the commercial cd was any good, people like those on MFTM would've just been
given the commercial cd instead. The whole thing stinks.

If supposedly adequate for buyers, then industry people should make do, just
like we have to. Pampered lot they are.

If no score cd is made available or a too-short commercial cd is made
available, then no one else anywhere should get a promo/full score cd. It
makes a mockery of us paying to buy a soundtrack cd at all, record companies
claiming they can't include more score due to costs/re-use fees, etc, then
the two-faced movie industry gives a free 'backhander' promo cd to others at
the same time! 'Industry' people, like the public, should get a copy of the
commercial cd, nothing more, same as us.

Is the editor of MFTM going to approve a review of the Maverick Reloaded cd
for the magazine/site, which will likely get people to buy it, when he knows
the content is inferior, and while he's got the full score all to himself?

Non-complete/not complete enough score cd's - are obsolete - to me anyway -
as soon as seen the movie. So I'm paying £15 each time just to listen to
them once, then see the highly-anticipated movies, realise much score
missing, then realising cd is not good enough.

I can't listen to the cd's afterward once I know what score is missing. On
my mind too much. Makes cd listen a pain rather than enjoyable.

It's not about appreciating what score IS on the cd and being content and
having the some-is-better-than-nothing attitude. It's about paying £15 for a
poor version while industry people - who aren't collectors mostly - get full
versions, and for nothing, yet these people either gloat or are
unappreciative of the rare versions they get given, or they copy them for
certain people (whilst denying others the same fair easy access)!

MFTM had no business putting up that news, in the guise of 'let's hope for a
full score release', when they already have that version and we can't get it
too. It's just gloating really. The site knows full well that no
fuller-score official release will happen, since the music was recorded with
AFM musicians (at the Newman stage). The first Matrix did huge box-office,
but no one's brought a full version of that AFM score out since the Varese
cd, so why would any label pay the re-use on the sequel(s).

It sickens me - those that get free cd's probably aren't all even collectors
anyway. I wonder if they ever actually BUY any soundtracks (like us mug real
collectors), what with being in an industry position so as to get free
(commercial/longer promo/cdr) versions much of the time. All those that
get/trade/copy these promos seem to be in some kind of secret, elitist,
hush-hush 'club'. They either sell/trade promos/cdr's with the wrong people,
or keep the promos all to themselves.

If re-use costs don't apply in passing out a few dozen, supposedly
'not-for-sale' promos, then copying them onto cdr (for collectors who just
want one copy and wouldn't copy them again themselves) can't be all wrong,
since they weren't for sale in the first place, no one's losing
sales/royalties. Those that get the promos first, state eg on websites that
'don't ask me to copy them on to cdr for you'. Yet how come, if the promos
are sent by the industry to individuals alone, cdr copies get out? Probably
because those privileged enough to receive the original promos either don't
care enough about having score cd's, and sell/trade them on, or do share
them, but with the wrong unscrupulous people, instead of with genuine
collectors who love movie music and just want one copy for their own
listening enjoyment and not for copying on further.

What entitles, say, some people at MFTM to get Matrix Reloaded promos? Sure,
one guy who works for the magazine is also connected with Don Davis' website,
but no one gets me (free) promos of, say, James Horner scores just because
I've spent loads on his cd's alone - as a reward/privilege for the money I've
put back into the industry.

This is from an email from a guy at MFTM - 'A friend has promised to get me
the Reloaded and Revolutions scores.' From where?! If they aren't available
to copy on further, who's getting hold of these promos (even if they
shouldn't) and how? Whoever obtains/receives them from/for certain others,
is making a mockery of honest collectors who haven't got access to these
versions. It's making commercial cd's worthless. There's a community of
people out there who do this. They're not real collectors, just 'a brigade of
cd-burners'.

How come re-use doesn't apply to longer promos? If re-use means the using of
the music in any format other than on the mixed-together movie's soundtrack,
then how come these promos can be created, yet the cd's most of us have to
settle for, are limited to 30 mins. mostly, if the score is an AFM recording.
Promos are still cd's - ie NOT on the actual movie's soundtrack - so isn't
that a 're-using' of the music' also?

2) REPLIES TO EMAILS RE. RELOADED AND GEN. PROMOS, AND MY RESPONSES

One of the MFTM magazine insiders, who has the Reloaded promo, said he
sympathises with my position. You know how I feel!? How could you?
Someone's getting you the full scores to both sequels. You told me they'd
promised to. I'll get neither of them. Great!

He also said, 'I'm afraid our News Editor is all excited as he has indeed
just got a promo of the complete score. He sent me four emails yesteray
demanding I put this up on the site!'...

4 emails. If that's not gloating, don't know what is.

...'He is clearly on a bit of an ego trip here wanting to share his good
fortune with the rest of us but at the same time perhaps generate interest in
the possibility of a proper score release and shed some light on the score
itself.'...

Sure. He knows there won't be a version out like the one he's got. Re-use
costs are too high.

...'I'm sure it will be booted at some stage.'

Booted? So that practice is ok is it.

Another movie-music website insider replied to my email enquiries, when I
first asked him why doesn't the industry simply use the commercial cd for
promotion purposes, with the answer, 'Your comments presume to infer that the
commercial release would satisfy the "requirements" as promoting Don Davis's
score. As such, 25-30 minutes of the 2-CD release is Don's work, and the
rest of it is stuff from other artists. Why would someone send that out just
to promote Don?'

Well they should simply do a cdr of only the score from the Maverick CD. If
25-30 mins is ok to promote to paying fans of the movie, then industry people
who get their stuff for free should also have to put up with same.
Ungrateful lot they are. Free stuff and still not good enough.

One movie music insider has said online, 'The RELOADED score is QUITE good. I
am, however, waiting for the Maverick Release before commenting, since I
don't wanna get all your
hopes up about any tracks that DON'T make it on the album'.

You've failed. Just telling us you've got the full score is
sticking-the-knife-in enough. We know movie'll contain loads of good score
missed off the official cd.

He also said, 'Well... there's more choir in the sequel, there's even some
lyrical stuff, too. But it's not a choir-heavy score.'

Choir=many singers=higher re-use costs=minimum amount (if any) on commercial
cd.

An insider at MFTM mag. said, 'some of the action writing - you have to
believe me - this music is without any doubt some of the most breathtaking
ever written for a film. ... Let's hope for a clean score release in the
future. ... Although the song material that is included on the Maverick album
has its place in the film and therefore on the soundtrack, there is a lot of
fantastic score music being left out'.

Original 1999 Matrix score cd had no songs, but bet someone put out a promo
of the full score, since commercial one was only 30 mins.

He also said, 'just because the Maverick release isn't "good enough" for
promoting Don Davis doesn't mean it's not a good soundtrack
release in the first place. Most of the people who are going
to buy the MATRIX RELOADED soundtrack probably don't care too
much about Don's stuff, honestly'.

Then why not a separate score cd with more than 25-30 mins.? And why, if it
is good enough to ask the public to buy, since no separate score cd is
released to consumers, do they need to have a full-score version at their
disposal too, but one the public can't have?

He also commented, 'No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to
buy any of these albums. If the official releases aren't good enough for
you, then don't buy them and just wait for expanded
promo/bootlegs to start floating around. Of course, there is
no guarantee that any particular score might have an expanded
promo/bootleg out there'.

But we never know what ones will get a promo. Sod's law that we'd buy
commercial cd, then promo will come out! But if we wait, one won't. I don't
have access to promos, I either get commercial cd's or not have music at all.
Trying to get boots/promos doesn't sound too moral a thing to be doing
anyhow. How can we know that official album is inadequate until bought and
listened to and seen movie?! Can't get a shop refund on the basis of 'good
music misssing that's in the movie' can we?!

I return-commented to the magazine insider, on one subject, by saying, 'As
to your question 'how do I know the commercial cd is not good enough'? Read
the MFTM review. The reviewer says clearly that 'there's lots of fantastic
stuff not on the Maverick cd'.

He answered me with 'I know for a fact that he has not heard the Maverick CD,
and therefore his statement is merely a subjective one that is based only on
his experience listening to the full score'.

Come on. At 100 mins. compared to 25-30, it's a fair bet that good stuff
will be missing.

He also said that it was a 'that's life' situation - where some get the full
scores and others don't. That really anoys me. I wish people wouldn't use
that cop-out response. Don't give me that 'that's life' line. There's no
such thing. Most of the 'not right' stuff that happens in life is because
other people make it that way, not because of any natural occurence.

He further replied to that with, 'Right, but in this particular case, they
cannot release a full 2-CD score to THE MATRIX RELOADED because it is cost
prohibitive. So, blame the unions. They make it that way.'

Another cop-out answer. Annoyance with the music unions doesn't have to
cross the mind of those who've been given the full promo score.

Anyway, how come they can re-use the score for promo purposes? Music is
still on a cd and not accompanying the movie, in this format isn't it?

He also said, 'there were only a handful of promos distributed for THE
MATRIX RELOADED, sent to different journalistic outlets. The decision
to do so should not be interpreted as a reflection of the quality of the
official CD.'

Why not - if the score content is good enough on Maverick cd, why not use
that for promotion purposes?

He said, 'I'm sure the Maverick release is just fine and dandy, and we will
be getting those too, no doubt'.

Yeah, and for free again. My a*** it'll be 'fine'. At 25-30 mins out of
100, no chance.

Another comment from the magazine insider, 'Most score releases have lots of
great score not on the commercial CD. But as I have not heard the commercial
CD, and you haven't heard any of
it, how do you know what is on the commercial CD isn't all of the really good
stuff?'

Because it hardly ever is with commercial cds. You must know that too for
goodness sake. How long have you been listening to movie music.

More comments from him, 'MFTM and Film Score Monthly opted to write about the
album; I personally have not reviewed it in an official capacity. If that's
considered "gloating", then please keep in mind that the folks at MFTM and
FSM are in a much different position as journalists than you are as a film
music fan.'

So what. Just because they work for a mag., why should they get free longer
promos, while me, whose spent £1000's on over 1500 soundtracks since 1989,
gets no reward for that.

More comment, 'Additionally, to presume that the official release is
"obviously a poor CD" is absurd - you have not heard it, and such
presumptions are ill informed'.

Like hell they are. I've heard 100's of cd's that didn't have the best score
from the film on them. Why should Reloaded be any different?

He also said, 'As for what entitles me, personally, to get the full score? I
suppose it might be because I actually run a reputible film music website, am
actively involved in the industry, and more specifically, I personally run
and maintain Don Davis' official website. That last point, at least, makes
me more qualified to have the full score than your average fan'.

I'm no average fan who buys a few scores a year. And I don't even own a
cd-recorder to run off copies for others, should I ever obtain any rare
stuff, unlike too many others out there.

Replying to my commenting how many James Horner cd's I own he said, 'I am
sure that he appreciates your love of his film music'...

Don't patronise me. Yeah, I'm sure Horner appreciates it! He doesn't know I
exist.

...'But does that "entitle" you to a 2-CD complete score of eg A PERFECT
STORM? Probably not, no more than I might be entitled to it.' ...

Yet you've got eg Reloaded complete, and I haven't. You're no more entitled
to that one than me either. But you have it all the same!

...'And again, to presume that there was a 2-CD floating around to insiders
is rather silly - have you heard of such a release floating out there? Well,
neither have I.'

Who knows what the 'cd-burner brigade' keep to themselves. How would I know
anyway. You're the one with all the contacts. I just go to record stores
and see what's out.

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3) COMMERCIAL CD PROBLEM

This is an eg of the state of things with commercial releases, which
create the desire for longer versions in the first place.

Take a typical big action adventure genre movie.

1) 130 mins. = amount of score written for the movie (after 'spotting').
2) 100 mins. = amount of that score recorded (in USA with AFM players) for
intended use in movie.
3) 80 mins. = amount of that score actually used in movie (after
mixing/re-editing).
4) 55 mins. = amount of used score worthy of having on a cd album.
5) 30 mins. = amount of recorded music on official cd.
6) 15 mins. = amount of worthy music on official cd.
7) 15 mins. = amount of expendable music on official cd (usu. taken from all
that was recorded).
8) 40 mins. = amount of worthy music not on official cd.
9) 100 mins. = length of 2cd bootleg/cdr made from recording/mixing sessions.
10) 70 mins. = length of promo cd/cdr issued at Oscar time/at time of movie's
& commercial cd's release.

Mockery.

Of the scores that get released - many of them don't need to be/no one would
miss them, or else not enough of the best music gets put on them. Also, the
scores/cues that should get disced/included are far too often not. Barse
ackwards!

The only saving grace with modern scores is that so many genre movies have
score that is so cacophonous, deritive and temp-track-influenced, that less
of it is desirable on cd at all.

Action/large scale scores are usually the biggest/first casualty on
commercial cds. Firstly, many composers think that action music works with
the movies, but is too cacophonous in isolation on cd, so they put as few of
the action cues on the cd as possible, filling the album with
'drone'/atonal/suspense cues which don't work on cd, where the action stuff
actually would work much better. Secondly, the bigger the music cue, the
more players needed to perform it, so re-use costs go up. So action/big
music is missed off cd's for that reason too!

It makes me wish that all scores could be recorded in Europe/London/outside
USA/non-AFM - to get longer cd's. However, even many non-union scores have
good stuff not on the cd's, of which there's no excuse when there's upto 80
mins.' space on a cd.

Just to sideline for a moment, isn't it amazing that a song can be of no
dramatic value to the story and be barely heard in a movie (eg on someone's
radio in the backgorund) for about 10 seconds, yet all 5 mins . of it gets on
the cd. Yet an involving score cue can be in a movie scene for 5 mins. yet
maybe 2 mins./none of it gets on same/score cd!

The other problem, apart from re-use costs supposedly limiting cd runtimes,
that creates the desire for, and trading/promo market, for the unreleased
music, is the choices of the cues that (don't) go on the commercial cd. Even
with years of experience, neither the composers, music editors or album
producers have a clue about which music to include and what not to. If a cd
is limited to 30 mins., then they should take extra care to edit/include only
the very best sections of music. If cd space is so precious, how come space
is wasted with so much 'drone'/atonal/suspense music which fills up cd's when
good, say, action music gets missed off? Content can't be all re-use
influenced. Those that put the cd together are partly to blame. Too often
the cd doesn't properly represent the whole score and its tone/style, or that
of the genre of movie the score goes with.

Eg for a big action-based score to a big action/adventure movie, if you're
limited for cd space, put on all the action music, since that's what buyers
would surely want most after seeing the movie. Instead, cd's to such scores
and movies contain far too much repetition of the same theme or contain far
too much quieter/electronic/atonal/non-choral/suspense/'drone' stuff and not
enough of the biggest, most melodic, most charged, propulsive music.

End of article/'tirade'. Thanks for reading. Won't do any good I'm sure,
but lets me get my views out there in a let-off-steam way.

______________________________________________________________

Fist off: A score isn't the only thing a movie is about.

Second: Lots of people with promos have them illegally, therefore they don't want to get in trouble by giving them out. And about the Predator thing, I don't understand that. The person is upset because a person has the score to Predator and didn't tell him, yet earlier in the article he complains about people bragging about having unreleased music.

Third: From what I read, this person doesn't seem to realize that sometimes composers are able to produce scores without having any worries of re-use fees or anything like that. They prefer the scores to be shorter and more to the point to make a more enjoyable listening experience. I am sure if you heard The Perfect Storm on a 2 CD set, the score wouldn't flow at all.

And last, does this person have a life?

Clayton

Look there's a certain amount of identification coming through for this guy from a lot of collectors. For me: The Thin Red Line (yeah, scoreguy16!), Star Trek Nemesis, Last of the Mohicans, Gladiator, Starship Troopers, Lord of the Rings, Dances with Wolves - oh well, there must be thousands of complete scores I don't have that I wish I did. On the other hand, I have been able to chase down promos for Born on the Fourth of July, GI JANE, Tomorrow Never Dies, Mulan and Apollo 13 along the way. Were these obtained by illicit means? I don't know and don't care to know - certainly my part in the purchase was innocent enough. These promos appeared on the shelves of various non-franchise music stores at prices large enough for them to remain there sufficiently long for me to afford them. No secret societies or special clubs involved!

I think scoreguy16 is right when he identifies the real product the movie industry is selling to be movies. Soundtrack albums are technically spin-off related merchandise. As always, it is a secondary component of consolidated revenues that arises as an externality of the film-making process. We're lucky to see any of them if you think about it that way.

quote:

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Originally posted by scoreguy16:
And last, does this person have a life?

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Play nice. Saying someone doesn't have a life is pretty lifeless itself. The guy does have a life, as does everyone who breathes. 5 or 6 months ago, his life was all about the new Matrix score.

This article is large enough to have its own gravitational pull... so we cannot blame it for saying one thing in one part of the article and another in some other part of the article. It's like complaining about the earth and how it should have only day or night, not both!

Keep the comments coming....

He asked a couple of times why re-use fees don't apply to promos, but I thought the answer was pretty obvious...promos aren't sold (legally). They're not "merchandise" by defintion, and as such aren't subject to commercial laws. Saying complete commercial CDs are cost prohibitive isn't a "cop out" answer at all.

And people who trade bootlegs and promos act like they're in an elitist club? It's not a very exclusive one. Anyone with internet access can get pretty much anything in existence without much effort. How elitist is that?

It's not that I don't sympathize with the guy. I'd be in heaven if there were a complete commerical release for every score that came out. But I understand the reasons that it can't be, and (depending on the case) I can either try to get around that situation or (more often) accept that I just can't have everything I want. I'll always want more, but I'm grateful for any bit of music I do have. The world wasn't designed to fulfill all of my desires.

Peter, thanks for sharing the rant.

He may not have discovered America, but he has a good number of valid points. Why the hell should I buy a 30-minute Starship Troopers CD when there's a 70+ minute bootleg floating around? Especially that the 30-minute legal disc can be obtained for 15$, while the bootleg costs the price of a CDR + shipping (less than 5$ I guess).

quote:

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Why don't they use the official cd to promote their work or else they're admitting that that version is not good enough.

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If AFM reuse fees prohibit releasing the music commercially, then AFM re-use fees should be abolished. If recording in Prague makes that happen, then I certainly hope the City of Prague Crapophonic gets more work.

And for anyone's information: getting bootlegs by simple email is not given to everyone. Not everyone has a CD-burner. Not everyone knows who has the bootlegs. Not everyone has time enough to meander through the internet looking for bootleggers. And if a website like Music From the Movies publishes an article about a 100 minute promo, then Music from the Movies has an obligation to its readers to share when asked. Otherwise, they should keep their mouth shut.

quote:

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Originally posted by Dinko:
If AFM reuse fees prohibit releasing the music commercially, then AFM re-use fees should be abolished.

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Anyone want to guess how much bootlegging and/or promo-making might go away if this happened? The AFM has a very serious issue ahead of them. The re-use fee needs some serious reduction (moreso than the recent reduction), or a complete riddance of it all together, and make up for the missing dollars by charging more for the actual recording of the score. Let the studios pay the big money, because they have the big money. If studios do not want to pay, the composer will work on synth or record out of Hollywood... and then how happy will the AFM be? Suddenly there will be no music to even apply re-use to. Ok, orchestral scores go in the crapper, but don't many of you think they are already there? The AFM re-use policy is staring at certain death if it does not change. But then again, maybe the AFM and associated record labels have a certain joy when chasing bootleggers... it's kind of like an average whodunit movie itself.

Keep 'em coming.

NP HARLOW - by Neal Hefti, using Henry Mancini's pickup orchestra and chorus. Oh, the similarities!

What a lot of people don't realize is that most if not all of these 2CD "complete" scores don't come from the composers themselves. They come from people involved with the score production and the filmmakers.

Regardless of who it comes from, these composers should be allowed to promote their music in any way fit with the exception of profiting themselves on the sale of these promos.

You'd be surprised how many e-mails I get through my sites from insane people wanting to buy unreleased scores (the answer is always "no" and sometimes "get lost").

These people seemingly have no concept that promos -- legit, promotional discs, not basement PC creations -- aren't for sale from ANY composer. The only one selling them (and of course they should'nt be) are the people who get them from the composer. Unfortunately a kind gesture is turned into cash or another CDr. Some people are ravenous for unreleased film music. It's frightening.

Don't even get me started on my theory behind how Don Davis' 2Cd RELOADED -- a legit promo -- got circulated.

Meet me on that park bench in Washington. I'll tell you the entire story... Cue "The Conspirators" from JFK...