Question: Often when a movie takes a long time to be released on DVD, the reason cited is that the music rights are an issue. Why is this? Weren't those rights already negotiated when the movie was first released? Does this also mean that if a movie is released on Blu-ray or HD-DVD formats, they will have to be renegotiated again?
Answer: Music rights for ancillary markets — though "ancillary" is on its way to being an obsolete term, since movies now habitually make more money on DVD, VHS and cable than they do in theatrical release — are not a problem with newer movies. They're a problem for movies made before home video or DVD existed, and particularly with movies made before TV developed into a secondary market. That said, as late as the '80s, many movie executives didn't take home video seriously, so they'd make sure they had music rights for TV broadcast but not for home-entertainment formats. And that's why you'll be watching a movi
read more
