Hey there, Hi there, Ho there,
Ok - Disney is in a sad state, but sometimes I wonder how blind the management can get. What am I talking about?
The release of soundtrack CDs - no, not the non-release of classic soundtrack CDs of Disney classics (heck, the company's management stopped caring about its tradition years ago), I'm speaking of soundtrack CDs to "current" blockbuster movies.
While I got used to read in the credits that the score was recorded on Sony sound stages (hey, why should we record in Disney soundstages or build our own if we can help the competition make some more profit??), I wonder how it happened that more often and often soundtracks for Disney releases end up on non-Disney-labels.
Example?
"Coyote Ugly" - a Touchstone Production had its soundtrack released on "Curb Records" licensed to WEA International (=Warner) for Europe. This soundstrack not only had the hit song "Can't Fight The Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes included but is now 3 years after the movie's release still selling so well, that just several months ago a CD "More Music from Coyote Ugly" was released here in Europe! Talk about money going down the drain for Disney...
"South Pacific" - the ABC Premiere Event. Sure it wasn't the big hit expected but with Glenn Close, Harry Connik Jr., to name just two out of the cast, and the classical material it was sure that the soundtrack CD would be a long term addition to the catalogue of what ever label would release it. A CD that one would be able to sell to theater fans in a few years time jsut as well as now. Surely WDR or one of the other Disney labels would jump on this, as ABC as Disney company certainly would ask them ... wrong thought. This one went to the Sony Music Soundtrax label.
"Chicago" - a Miramax production this one was sure to guarantee more than decent slaes during the movie's initial release thanks to a famous cast and the incredible media attention and also had the added bonus of possible long term sales to theater music fans thanks to being a new recording of a classic with added material of the original composer/lyricist team. For sure another CD Disney would want to release on one of their labels and with Miramax practically being a Disney label (even so run relatively independent) this should be out of question. No, not for Disney actively trying to avoid to make any money in the CD area. This CD went out to Sony Music Soundtrax EPIC label ...
While I can see that "Coyote Ugly" maybe had to go to Curb as it seems to be the home record company of LeAnn Rimes I don't see why it had to happen with the other two releases - plus I'm sure that if one would look further there would be more cases like these.
Isn't it sad that Disney not only ignores their own incredible archive of musical material but also actively pursues a policy to hand away the rights for new material??
Yours
Dirk
Ok - Disney is in a sad state, but sometimes I wonder how blind the management can get. What am I talking about?
The release of soundtrack CDs - no, not the non-release of classic soundtrack CDs of Disney classics (heck, the company's management stopped caring about its tradition years ago), I'm speaking of soundtrack CDs to "current" blockbuster movies.
While I got used to read in the credits that the score was recorded on Sony sound stages (hey, why should we record in Disney soundstages or build our own if we can help the competition make some more profit??), I wonder how it happened that more often and often soundtracks for Disney releases end up on non-Disney-labels.
Example?
"Coyote Ugly" - a Touchstone Production had its soundtrack released on "Curb Records" licensed to WEA International (=Warner) for Europe. This soundstrack not only had the hit song "Can't Fight The Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes included but is now 3 years after the movie's release still selling so well, that just several months ago a CD "More Music from Coyote Ugly" was released here in Europe! Talk about money going down the drain for Disney...
"South Pacific" - the ABC Premiere Event. Sure it wasn't the big hit expected but with Glenn Close, Harry Connik Jr., to name just two out of the cast, and the classical material it was sure that the soundtrack CD would be a long term addition to the catalogue of what ever label would release it. A CD that one would be able to sell to theater fans in a few years time jsut as well as now. Surely WDR or one of the other Disney labels would jump on this, as ABC as Disney company certainly would ask them ... wrong thought. This one went to the Sony Music Soundtrax label.
"Chicago" - a Miramax production this one was sure to guarantee more than decent slaes during the movie's initial release thanks to a famous cast and the incredible media attention and also had the added bonus of possible long term sales to theater music fans thanks to being a new recording of a classic with added material of the original composer/lyricist team. For sure another CD Disney would want to release on one of their labels and with Miramax practically being a Disney label (even so run relatively independent) this should be out of question. No, not for Disney actively trying to avoid to make any money in the CD area. This CD went out to Sony Music Soundtrax EPIC label ...
While I can see that "Coyote Ugly" maybe had to go to Curb as it seems to be the home record company of LeAnn Rimes I don't see why it had to happen with the other two releases - plus I'm sure that if one would look further there would be more cases like these.
Isn't it sad that Disney not only ignores their own incredible archive of musical material but also actively pursues a policy to hand away the rights for new material??
Yours
Dirk