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Author Topic: Why all the "Movietunes" hate?? Lisa Cook Film Handler Posts: 4 From: Plano, TX 75093 Registered: Sep 2004 posted 11-21-2004 12:42 AM                  "Mark put it best -- all that crap is innane, crass and a freakin insult, to say nothing of a distracting mood killer. I say insulting because if the theatre wants to use me as a marketing subject and it is making money off my ass in the seat, then it better damn well give me a free popcorn or a discount on the ticket price for asking me to endure that 15min of pure drivel." It is the same with the slides and pre-show ads...personally I'd prefer to deal with the music instead extra 15 minutes of pre-show ads. They seem to me big screen television ads (we don't go to the movies to see TV). I do feel sorry for the usher types that have to hear the music over, and over, and over, etc. I doubt most patrons put much thought into what music is playing...they probably notice the slides more. I hardly acknowledge it when I'm shopping for groceries and they always have music playing. Everything is a marketing scheme it seems (sigh).  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 11-21-2004 03:55 PM                     I think it wouldn't be quite as bad if they didn't have the damn announcer at all between songs. There really shouldn't be any talking on any pre-show music, plus it's awkward if the start time comes up when he's in the middle of talking. If we had slides with trivia questions I'd usually delay the start time of the show a few seconds until the "Answer" slide came up if it was in the middle of a question, but if Movietunes guy was talking at start time he'd get cut off mid-sentence. Movietunes kills your chance to be creative; before the place I worked at got it I'd pick CDs to match the movie that was playing, like Danny Elfman's "Music For A Darkened Theatre" for any movie that featured his music, or the "Best of the Brady Bunch" CD for The Brady Bunch Movie.  |  IP: Logged Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 11-21-2004 06:42 PM                     Jesse: Most theaters I've seen have a single CD player with a distribution amplifier so all houses play the same music. How were you able to play a different CD in each house?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-21-2004 07:48 PM                        Playing appropriate music for the film is easy in a single-screen theatre! I've actually worked at one multiplex (a 6-plex) that had a separate CD player for each screen, too. In this age of $50 CD players, there's really no reason not to to do this. And I agree that Movie Tunes just kills this opportunity for showmanship. Q on ASCAP licenses (an area with which I have no experience): do they charge "per screen" or "per location"? Would a single-screen pay the same as a 30-plex?  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 11-21-2004 11:58 PM                     I can tell periods of time by Movietunes songs, not dates....Someone asks me, "hey dean, when did Mike quit?" and I could tell them...."well, that was the second month in a row that Convoy was playing in 2003" the new one isn't too bad though  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-22-2004 02:04 AM                        Just curious, how much are those ASCAP and BMI fees? Are they based on ticket sales or something?  |  IP: Logged Anslem Rayburn Master Film Handler Posts: 476 From: Yuma, AZ, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 11-22-2004 06:12 AM                     "Mark put it best -- all that crap is innane, crass and a freakin insult, to say nothing of a distracting mood killer. I say insulting because if the theatre wants to use me as a marketing subject and it is making money off my ass in the seat, then it better damn well give me a free popcorn or a discount on the ticket price for asking me to endure that 15min of pure drivel." If people were really willing to pay a theater enough per ticket to operate and make a profit, then these types of businesses wouldn't be in existence. We avoid paying an insane fee for background music, get free music to play for our patrons to listen to (rather than crickets chirping), and manage to stay open for business. Most people would rather listen to MovieTunes than pay an extra 50 cents to one dollar per ticket... When I contacted ASCAP about licensing music, it was on a per seat basis, no matter if it was sold or not. That meant that our 8-plex had to pay for 1400 seats (even though we usually run at half capacity). On top of that, we would have to pay for our coffee house (another business with about 35 more seats). It was not cheap, and that's why we play MovieTunes. We have never heard a bad word about MovieTunes, except from staff. Our patrons never hear a repeat on the same visit, our music changes once per month, and we don't have to raise prices to get it. Sure, I get sick and tired of hearing Regis sing, but I am getting paid to be here! I can live with it, and it keeps us from paying more money to operate (and subsequently raise prices). We have even had guests ask how they can get a copy of the CD! Get over it.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-22-2004 06:54 AM                        silence don't cost a thing. make 'em bring a damn book. i'd much rather hear nothing at all than movietunes. and i don't intend to get over it. carl  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-22-2004 09:07 AM                     Anslem -- It's good that you like movietunes and it works for you, but I see a few problems with your praises: Sure, you don't have to pay a license and they give you free music, yadda yadda... but how much does movietunes PAY a theater to play that? I've never seen a quote. That would determine if it's really worth it or not. Sometimes, you don't even hear the whole song, just a clip and then the dumb guy telling you it's "IN STORES NOW!" Well, to hell with the movie then, let's go buy the CD! I also can't stand movietunes in the bathroom. I can't even have peace from it when I take a . One thing I don't understand is everyone in a panic over getting an ASCAP/BMI license to be able to play your own CDs. That practice seems absurd, especially if they charge per-seat and some have said that can get expensive. It's the sign of pure greed. The bastard record companies want every cent, even if someone *may* hear a *portion* of the song in the *background* while waiting for a movie!! To hell with this. Let them catch me first! By the time the goofballs in the ASCAP suits make it to the booth, the downloaded and burned CD of unlicensed music will be gone. HAHAHA! =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-22-2004 12:45 PM                        Thomas: The record companies are not to blame here...it's the publishing companies.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 11-22-2004 01:39 PM                     The place I worked at was a 6-screen that had a CD player for each auditorium, they started breaking around the time they started using Movietunes though so they ended up running 1 player to all 6. I don't know what they had set up regarding royalties, I just heard they were paying ASCAP fees and that they were thinking about stopping that and switching to some generic royalty-free music but went with Movietunes instead. Personally I would have picked music from the smaller classical labels since I think there's little or no public clearance needed for those, and it makes for a more classy atmosphere. Doesn't really seem right to play classical for a "House Party" movie though.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 11-22-2004 03:35 PM                    Why doesn't the contract to exhibit the feature itself also include the rights to play the soundtrack? Then, include a clause that says "from the time the film is realeased, and for up to six months after the film leaves the theater." That should give theaters a nice library of stuff to choose from. I like that idea.  |  IP: Logged Anslem Rayburn Master Film Handler Posts: 476 From: Yuma, AZ, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 11-22-2004 07:49 PM                     quote: Sure, you don't have to pay a license and they give you free music, yadda yadda... but how much does movietunes PAY a theater to play that? I've never seen a quote. That would determine if it's really worth it or not. Sometimes, you don't even hear the whole song, just a clip and then the dumb guy telling you it's "IN STORES NOW!" Well, to hell with the movie then, let's go buy the CD! We have been using MovieTunes for about 1 1/2 years, and I can't recall ever hearing just part of a song. And I do know that we received a check at the theater from MovieTunes about 6 months ago, but I couldn't tell you how much it was for. It was addressed to the owners, so into their inbox it went. Even the annoying guy speaks less now than he did a year ago, and at least three of the reminders that come on are : "Wouldn't some hot buttered popcorn and a refreshing ice cold beverage be great?" "Movie gift certificates make great gifts, and their available at this theaters box office" "Out of respect for everyone in the auditorium, please remember to turn off cell phones and pagers" The others are generally advertising the name of the album containing the song you just heard (or are about to hear). I always thought it sounded like a radio broadcast, and have never seen a problem with it. The most important thing (in my opinion) is what the customers think. They seem to enjoy it, and we have never had anyone complain about the music.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 11-22-2004 08:08 PM                    As a customer, I hate Movietunes!  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-22-2004 10:17 PM                        quote: Anslem Rayburn I can't recall ever hearing just part of a song. Most MovieTunes CDs these days contain at least one "medley" of tunes by a single artist, usually from some "Greatest Hits" type of album. It's pretty irritating -- just when you get into a song, it train-wrecks into another song by the same artist, and happens about 5 or 6 times.  |  IP: Logged

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