This is topic Movietunes in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Paul Rich (Member # 243) on 09-20-2001, 07:52 PM:
 
Does anyone have contact information for Movietunes?
 

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Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 09-21-2001, 09:21 AM:
 
I think they are the "Val Morgan Movie Tunes"

1-800-VAL-MORGAN
1-800-825-6676

Paul.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 09-21-2001, 12:17 PM:
 
MovieTunes is part of NCN/National Cinema Network.

 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 09-21-2001, 06:15 PM:
 
NCN phone numbers are: 1-800-SCREEN1 and 1-86NCNSTUFF
 

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Posted by Kyle Watkins (Member # 986) on 09-21-2001, 10:00 PM:
 
www.movietunes.net
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-22-2001, 01:09 AM:
 
Don't miss the review in the reviews section below.
 

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Posted by Donna Sylvester (Member # 726) on 06-10-2003, 10:27 AM:
 
Update: The number to call is 818-508-5588.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 06-10-2003, 02:26 PM:
 
Just out of curiosity...
As Regal turns up their video pre-show systems, do their theatres need Movietunes anymore?

If not, that would sure take a chunk out of the company income.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-10-2003, 03:48 PM:
 
Regal's "The 2Wenty" continues to use MovieTunes in the background for slides that appear onscreen inbetween the video featurettes.
 

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-10-2003, 04:12 PM:
 
While Signature Theatres in Hawaii still use MovieTunes, Consolidated dropped it some time ago and they have an exclusive one that was created locally and features two popular radio personalities, Augie and Lanai. The music format is contemporary Hawaiian. In my opinion, it is much better than Movietunes.

-Claude
 

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 06-10-2003, 04:49 PM:
 
I recently heard MovieTunes without center channel information in one theatre recently. It drastically improved it. The annoying announcer was no longer audible most of the time and the lead vocal was either not present, or weakened significantly in most songs, giving the music more appropriate for ambience than "in your face".

Taking out the center channel is the best improvement you can make to MovieTunes.

I think a revised review should be posted for "MovieTunes without Center Channel" with a higher rating.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 06-10-2003, 05:15 PM:
 
while you're taking out the center channel, kill the left and right as well and be done with it. ugh.

carl
 

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 06-10-2003, 09:39 PM:
 
I was being mildly facetious and humorous. It was interesting how two wrongs came together to made something better than everything running optimally. MovieTunes is wrong. Wiring a system so that the center channel doesn't play for non-sync is wrong. However, the two wrongs combine to make a result that is more pleasant than when there is just one wrong (MovieTunes).
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 06-11-2003, 12:47 AM:
 

quote:

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Regal's "The 2Wenty" continues to use MovieTunes in the background

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Just an aside here... Seems Regal could just feed this kind of material over "the net", thereby eliminating the need for CD players and disk distribution to all their properties... but they probably thought of that!
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-11-2003, 01:13 AM:
 
MovieTunes is distributed to the servers located at each theatre via Satalite Theatre Network. No discs are necessary.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 06-11-2003, 08:54 AM:
 
Our movie tunes plays in mono. Sounds wonderful.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-11-2003, 09:06 AM:
 
I'm having a hard time imagining how one could set up a sound system to play the non-sync music (and only the non-sync music) through the Dolby matrix but without the center channel. It could be done with a custom format on the CP500, but that would require effort, which seems unlikley in Evans' example. Although this is something I would try if I still worked in a theatre which played Movie Tunes.
 

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Posted by Sam Hunter (Member # 1119) on 06-11-2003, 12:45 PM:
 
This is gonna sound stupid but just what do you play movie tunes in at your theaters? I have several copies of these CD,S and I was under the impression that they were mixed for stereo.
Somebody learn me.
 

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 06-11-2003, 12:53 PM:
 

quote:

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I'm having a hard time imagining how one could set up a sound system to play the non- sync music (and only the non-sync music) through the Dolby matrix

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I wondered about that. Maybe it just sounds as if the center channel is missing because something else about the non-sync setup is hokey. The movies sound correct in that auditorium. Maybe I should email the booth tech for Regal Cinemas in my area, and ask what he did for the non-sync in Regal Madison Square 12 in auditorium 2. It's been recently converted to digital and I'm sure he did the work.

[ 06-11-2003, 04:57 PM: Message edited by: Evans A Criswell ]
 

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Posted by Sam Hunter (Member # 1119) on 06-11-2003, 10:59 PM:
 
Let me put it another way.
What do you guys play your movie tunes cd,s in exacly?
Enquiring mind wants to know.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-11-2003, 11:02 PM:
 
Non sync (format 60). On the newer Dolby processors, the L/R inputs from the CD player are processed through the Dolby matrix to produce L/C/R/S from a 2-channel source (the CD).

On the older Dolby processors (CP50 and, I think, CP200), the L/R channels play directly through the L/R screen channels without any processing.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 06-13-2003, 01:33 PM:
 
And if the tech accidentally switched the + and - on one of the non sync inputs, that could lead to problems hearing the center channel information.

As to ours playing in mono and how we're accomplishing that, we recently switched to the little digital black box thingy that downloads and plays MP3s so we don't have to mess with CDs anymore. Either because of the way it's designed, or the way it's configured, or the way it's installed, or the way the MP3 is encoded, or something... the Movie Tunes play in mono now. And I can honestly say, Movie Tunes have never sounded better. We got rid of three channels. Now if I can only figure out how to get rid of the last one.
 

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Posted by Steve Anderson (Member # 364) on 06-14-2003, 11:57 AM:
 
In our theater we have the non-sync switched to matrix from normal. This provides a fuller room sound.
( surround speakers kick in)
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-14-2003, 01:12 PM:
 
Our Non-Sync 1 has no center chanel. It has L/R/sur only. CP500.

Who's providing the "little black boxes" ? NCN?
 

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Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 06-15-2003, 08:18 PM:
 
The proper number for MovieTunes is (866)MV-TUNES. They subcontract through various other advertising companies (Screenvision, NCN, etc.)
 

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Posted by Kristin Wahlund (Member # 922) on 06-16-2003, 12:13 AM:
 
I almost miss movie tunes and that lovely announcer, chris eric stevens.. just almost. the problem is we cant play the sound from the twenty through the phones like we could with movie tunes! now its just too quiet sometimes in the box office...
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-16-2003, 02:33 AM:
 
They left our Distribution Amp ( and phone hold music ) in place when the twenty got put in, however, they didnt connect anything to it after they pulled out the old satalite radio reciever (edwards used this instead of movietunes). Now it sits, powered on, wasting energy to amplify and distribute silence. Interestingly enough, they did run a 10baseT drop there and labled it "CD-Player".
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 06-16-2003, 09:19 AM:
 
Whatever happened to Regal's "Theatre Radio Network"? IIRC, this was around 1999-2000. I liked TRN because they actualy played the FULL song, no annoying announcer to tell me the name of the song I just heard, (whose title ironically is usually the phrase most-repeated in the song) and there was no "end" since it was MEANT to be played on repeat.

It seems every theater around here, (Regal, Carmike, AMC) is using the Movie Tunes. And at each theater, good ol'e Chris tells us that the program has been "Specially tailored for this theatre" when they play the SAME DAMN SONGS for every circuit! If it was REALLY "specially" made for each theater, then they should play music based on the type of location and demographics, right? Or at least one would assume... Lawsuit anyone?

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 06-16-2003, 10:25 AM:
 
I noticed the other day that one of our auditoriums had the MT playing from the Left Surround speakers ONLY. Interesting. Fiddled with the CP500 for about a half an hour, found the custom format, and moved it back where it belongs.
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 06-16-2003, 03:30 PM:
 
Compared to the Theatre Radio Network CDs, Movietunes is extemely tasteful! I was playing a TRN CD for a friend and he said "They actually make people LISTEN to THIS before the movie starts??"
Instead of good ol' Kris Erik Stevens blabbing, you got to hear actual radio commercials. For a while they had an audio version of the Will Rogers trailer with Anthony Hopkins, which was the first thing we showed once the film started rolling, so if you were REALLY lucky you'd get to hear it first and then see the trailer played immediately after!
Too bad they couldn't get Casey Kasem to do one of these. "These guys are from England and who gives a -"
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-17-2003, 03:22 AM:
 
They've hit a new low...the latest MovieTunes disk includes a REMAKE of the song "Convoy," by Mannheim Steamroller "featuring" the original redneck who performed it in 1974, C. W. McCall. (Trivia: The original record was produced by Mannheim mastermind Chip Davis. Then he got better taste.)

Exactly why was it necessary to foist this upon, not only the theatre audiences, but any humans in general?
 

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Posted by Daniel Fuentz (Member # 1684) on 06-17-2003, 03:40 AM:
 
I just heard this tonight! There was a lot of chatter going on in the theater, so I wasn't sure I was hearing what I thought I was hearing. That song would be near the top of my list of "Songs I never thought would be remade in any form". I was every bit as shocked hearing this as I was when I heard the urban remake of Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind", or the Spanish language remake of the Pretenders' "Back On The Chain Gang".
 

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Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 06-17-2003, 09:56 AM:
 
A few years ago, Century Theatres had their own radio network. Between each song an over excited male announcer would come on and say "THIS - IS - CENTURY RADIO!" I'm not sure if they still have this or not.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 08-07-2003, 11:58 AM:
 
More MovieTunes laziness: In the AMC version Kris Erik Stevens reads a blurb about "AMC Theatres gift certificates". AMC no longer issues gift certificates -- they were replaced with the AMC Entertainment Card last year.

You would think the MovieTunes staff should have known better since AMC owns the company that produces MovieTunes.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-07-2003, 12:18 PM:
 
If you listen carefully, you can tell that much of the Stevens blather on MovieTunes (like "Wouldn't a hot popcorn taste great right now?") is pre-recorded and mixed in with more current comments. So the AMC Gift Certificate thing is probably just old.
 

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 08-07-2003, 02:58 PM:
 
Not long ago I was at a Regal theatre. I got to the theatre a little early and listened to the movie tunes music and heard them say to go to www.carmikecinemas.com ! They'd sent a Carmike version to that Regal theatre, and they were playing it!!!!

This struck me as extremely funny.
 

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Posted by Steve Anderson (Member # 364) on 08-07-2003, 04:26 PM:
 
The drive-in that I do a website for was visited by two people representing BMI and asked the owner to not play the FM radio prior to the movie, or for $300 a year he could get a license from them. He politely told them to themselves and turned off the radio. Won't be hearing movietunes either.
 

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Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-07-2003, 04:45 PM:
 
Larry told about that Steve.. I think I'd just pay the $300.00 and have SOMETHING playing before showtime.

We're actually gonna try Drive-In Radio at our theatre, but probably not until next spring.
 

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Posted by Steve Anderson (Member # 364) on 08-07-2003, 04:58 PM:
 
I like " Drive -In radio " I wiuld love to hear a demo.
Tried talking larry into it....but I don't know.
 

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Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 08-07-2003, 11:50 PM:
 
I don't know if there are specific music licensing rules for theaters. There are for restaurants and retailers:
HR789, the Fairness in Music Licensing Act (1998), states that for retailers, if the store is less than 2000 square feet or greater than 2000 sq ft but has less than 7 speakers with less than 4 in the same room and less than 5 AV devices with 1 in the same room and (I think) a display of less than 56", then no licensing is necessary.

For restaurants, same rules, but it applies to places with less than 3750 square feet.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-08-2003, 08:46 AM:
 
Here are some links regarding the US law regulating public use of copyrighted works:

http://www.ascap.com/playback/1998/october/legislative.html

http://www.ustr.gov/enforcement/2001-08-21-1sub.pdf

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/property/MP3/biederman.html

http://elr.lls.edu/issues/v22-issue1/binder.pdf

http://www.idea.piercelaw.edu/articles/40/40_1/1.McCluggage.pdf

http://www.law.upenn.edu/law619/f2001/week08/pageprints/copyright1_introduction.pdf

http://quello.msu.edu/Lectures/Yu041603.pdf
 

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Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-08-2003, 08:55 AM:
 
My parents own a campground here in Lebanon, and my mom sits in the camp store all day and reads while listening to the radio. An ASCAP rep came in and told them the radio has to go, or be subject to licensing fees. Since the radio also comes out in speakers overhead in the store and from a speaker on a pole out by the pool, they considered it "public rebroadcasting".

My step-father basically did what Steve said the drive-in owner did and told the guy to go himself.

Mom just watches TV now.

I've got a demo disc from Drive-In Radio, actually it's a very well produced set of music. It's alot like Movie Tunes, but specifically marketed to drive-ins with a drive-in theme.
Drive IN Radio
 

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Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 08-08-2003, 12:07 PM:
 
Another option is XM Radio.. they actually offer a commercial version that is not that expensive.

XM Radio Commerical Service
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 08-08-2003, 08:08 PM:
 
What the heck is Century Theatres using lately? The past few times I've gone to their theaters they seem to be playing some sort of royalty-free music, generic keyboard tunes with the audio of their policy trailer thrown in a few times. It's not obnoxious, but I would've picked some budget-label classical music instead.
My old theater used the generic Movietunes discs, but often fot the ones made for Carmike or AMC instead. They usually ended up getting replacement discs as soon as someone other than me caught the mistake.
 

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Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 08-09-2003, 09:26 AM:
 
Cobb (in it's pre-Regal days) played the royalty free music at the theater I worked at. It came on 3 or 4 CD's and played in a 5 disc changer. The only time we changed or added a CD was in December for the holidays. (Where we had a holiday themed Royalty free CD). Then we put the "year round" CDs back in.
Sometimes, to "mix it up" a little, we would hit shuffle on the CD changer so they all wouldn't be playing in the same order all of the time. The music was also piped into the lobby for all to hear.

I hate to admit it, but in that case we were all dying for something like Movietunes. At least some of the music changed once a month!
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 08-09-2003, 05:48 PM:
 

quote:

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...for $300 a year he could get a (BMI) license

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quote:

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Another option is XM Radio.. they actually offer a commercial version that is not that expensive.

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I'm not sure those rates include the BMI/ASCAP licensing. Anyone know?
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-19-2003, 06:32 PM:
 
Martin, Yes the XM "commercial" package includes all appropriate licensing fees. It costs $24.99/month, vs. $9.99/month for the non-commercial version. (The content is identical either way.)
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 08-23-2003, 06:06 PM:
 
Death to MovieTunes!
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 08-24-2003, 03:39 AM:
 
what he said.

carl
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 08-25-2003, 05:24 PM:
 
More torture on MovieTunes with a whiny remake of "Drowning in the Sea of Love" -- by a singer who died 3-4 years ago. Give me the original by Joe Simon any day.

For AMC listeners MovieTunes now comes to you over the "NCN/AMC MovieWatcher Network".
 

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 08-27-2003, 02:02 AM:
 
I wouldn't mind movie tunes if it actually had music that related to films, as the CD says: "the latest in movie soundtracks." I'd love to sit down before the movie begins and hear some Miklosz Rosza or Bernard Herrmann. Whoever makes these CD's needs to figure out good programming, because honestly it really really sucks!

The worst was when Brian McKnight played for at least a year straight.

AJG
 

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Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 08-27-2003, 11:21 AM:
 
Anyone knows whether Movietunes gets paid to include certain songs? If so, that may explain why the programming is so bad.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-27-2003, 01:03 PM:
 
Well, they are attempting to include current hits. That explains it more than anything.
 

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Posted by Tim Turner (Member # 1109) on 08-27-2003, 01:22 PM:
 

quote:

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"the latest in movie soundtracks." I'd love to sit down before the movie begins and hear some Miklosz Rosza or Bernard Herrmann. Whoever makes these CD's needs to figure out good programming, because honestly it really really sucks!

Aaron Garman

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That would be nice indeed. But.... do you think the common audience would like that before something like Freddy Vs. Jason? Nah.

But I agree though, actual film music; especially the "Golden Age" stuff does bring a certain nostalgical atmosphere to the enviornment in a theater. I know for a fact that Max Stiener's Gone with the Wind, Carl Davis' Ben-Hur, and Jerry Goldsmith's A Patch of Blue soundtracks, are fun to hear in a theater.
But MovieTunes should at least be music that makes you think of movies!
 

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 08-27-2003, 01:34 PM:
 
You could get a horror movie themed disc with pieces from Halloween, Psycho, etc. Now that would get me in the mood for Freddy vs. Jason.

AJG
 

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 08-28-2003, 10:01 AM:
 
I'd like MovieTunes OK if they'd just stop concentrating on the type of music I like the least: recent top 40 hits!

I've been in theatres occasionally where 50s and 60s rock oldies were played -- that I absolutely loved. The rock music from the 50s and 60s were far superior to the stuff out there today. The next best decade is the 80s (especially the early to mid 80s). Then after that would be the 70s and 90s. Stuff in 2000 and later has been generally poor with few good songs.

Movie tunes should use the same playlist that my local Denny's restaurant uses -- one 50s/60s rock song after another -- wonderful!
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 08-28-2003, 10:58 AM:
 
I actually miss movie tunes...it was a joy to make fun of while you were helping out cleaning the theater!
 

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Posted by Emma Tomiak (Member # 1862) on 08-28-2003, 04:29 PM:
 
I work at my local UA/Regal theater and we stopped using Movietunes about 4 months ago, when we began showing the 2wenty preshow. Most Regal theaters are switching over to the digital preshow, if I'm not mistaken.

Oh, and if anyone wants some Movietunes CDs, we have about 30 or so. Perhaps you could put them in your microwave for fun or use them as frisbees.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 08-29-2003, 01:42 AM:
 
Hi Emma!

All Regal/UA/Edwards will have the 2wenty installed soon, if not allready. At first they tried playing movietunes alongside portions of the twenty, but now it has been replaced by the looping guitar jingle. Now if they would just bring back the roller coaster...

Beleve it of not, I would love some movietunes disks! I'll let you know where to send them.
 

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Posted by Steve Anderson (Member # 364) on 08-31-2003, 08:52 AM:
 
Still no 2wenty pre-show here in Nashville.
Also my friend that owns a drive-in just went with XM radio for his pre-show music. (commercial package)
 

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Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 08-31-2003, 12:56 PM:
 
Also no 2wenty here at Regals in San Francisco (as of last night) either...
 

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Posted by Stephen Jones 1 (Member # 114) on 09-03-2003, 12:12 AM:
 
All time favorite:

Soshi - "Taking back to the old school"
Another Saturday Night

These CDs are HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE. These are not all Top 40 hits. You'll never hear some of this stuff played on the radio. It always includes bad remakes, songs that have nothing to do with movies, and each month plays at least ONE song from the previous month.

Come on, it's one track on a CD that repeats. The least they can do is put all new songs on each month.

Because of MovieTunes, I want to shoot myself everytime I hear American Women by Lenny Kravitz.

It's embarrasing to me to walk into a theatre where soshi "is taking it back to the old school." People laugh when they hear this stuff because some think it's a joke. After they hear that it is in fact MovieTunes (which doesn't include any movie tunes at all) a look of despair comes over their face as they realize they will have to listen to this until the movie starts.

With more and more advertising being targeted to specific demographics, why do we still play ONE CD!!!

Think of it this way:
Technicolor ads have to be manufactured on film (somewhat expensive) and physically spliced onto a movie specific to rating and sometimes title.

MovieTunes is manufactured on CD (cheap) and is easily changed by removing a CD and putting in a new one. Most theatres have the capability to play at least 5 CDs.

Yet, here we are, mostly every theatre chain playing the same CD with the same songs that don't change from month to month or from theatre to theatre.

Chris Eric Stevens needs to get a clue.
 

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Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 09-04-2003, 08:11 AM:
 
Stephen, the joke here is that we say "He doing what, oh yeah, taking it back to the old school" because the idiot says it twice.
 

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Posted by Jarred Olsen (Member # 1833) on 09-29-2003, 08:02 PM:
 
Ah yes... the dreaded Soshi... I have been a pathetic victim of his music for 6 months (when I started working at the local theater). When you're closing down the concession on a long Friday night, his music gets to you, and not in a very nice way. One time, when no one was looking, I engraved "Soshi Must DIE" in the back of a cabinet with my popcorn scooper. The next day my manager confronted me about some graffiti in the back of some cabinet. I told him it was probably just mice. I'm not the only being that has to listen to that crap.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 09-30-2003, 12:24 PM:
 
We quit playing the Movie Tunes when it started to contain ads for Best Buy, Circuit City, etc when none of those stores are located in this small town. It's hard enough for small local businesses to survive without their local theatre advertising their out-of-town competition.

BTW - Chris Eric Stevens has no input what-so-ever on the content of the disks. He's just a hired "voice" who reads what they tell him to read. Personally I think they should have two or three DJs to introduce the various tunes...it would make it a "little" more listenable.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 09-30-2003, 03:42 PM:
 
yes, yes, he's just following orders. go tell it in nuremberg.

carl
 

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Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 09-30-2003, 09:17 PM:
 

quote:

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It's hard enough for small local businesses to survive without their local theatre advertising their out-of-town competition.

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quote:

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Nuremberg

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quote:

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It's hard enough for small local businesses to survive without their local theatre advertising their out-of-town competition

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My experience with this is with network spots for a business (chain) without a location in the city where a radio station is obligated to run it due to network agreements. People would hear it & say "Why do they have a commercial for that? We don't even HAVE a (Starbucks, Fridays, whatever) here!" They perceive it as wasting their time even MORE with commercials & are moved enough to give rare feedback instead of just sitting through it as usual.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 10-01-2003, 02:56 AM:
 
I find the backlash against MovieTunes interesting. I remember liking it back in the late 90s when I was working at the AMC.

What's on the playlist this month? And be fair! Don't just list the songs you hate. But by all means, list the ads too. I want a complete mental picture.

Question -- Now that MovieTunes has been taken over by NCN and they are accepting paid advertising, do the theatre operators still have to pay for the discs? It used to be a subscription service back when the company was owned by one of O.J. Simpson's lawyers.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 10-01-2003, 04:00 AM:
 
oh wow, theaters actually PAID for those? i was sure it was some sort of kickback thing. you know, like "that was r. kelly doing 'feeling on your booty', now available at target or wherever". incredible.

carl
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 10-01-2003, 11:22 AM:
 
I remember hearing MovieTunes for the first time at Mann 9 at the Grove. Probably the very early 90s. It didnt seem to have advertising at all, just C.E.S. annoincing the title of all the songs and the motion picture SOUNDTRACK they were from. That was it.

My favorate from this playlist:
Barenaked Ladies - "Another Postcard"
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 10-02-2003, 11:41 AM:
 
More horror stories on MovieTunes now . . . a horrible "25th Anniversary Remix" of "Summer Nights" by John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John.

Why can't they leave a perfectly good song alone? It was great in its original version in 1978.

Also, the man who does the voicetracking for MovieTunes spells his name Kris Erik Stevens.
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 10-02-2003, 12:32 PM:
 
There's always the option of "accidentally" rendering the disc unplayable until it takes them a week or two to send you a replacement.

Has anyone attempted to "tamper" with the disc and burn a new copy nixing the songs you hate? Well, since this would probably violate some sort of contract that entitles someone to some share of someone's poon tang or what not, don't reply in the forums!

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 10-02-2003, 01:11 PM:
 
Been there, done that Thomas...I don't work there anymore though. It wasn't me either...it was...uh...someone else!

We don't have movietunes where I work now, I actually kinda miss it.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 10-02-2003, 01:49 PM:
 
Up till now I've been making all the CD's for these theatres.

I make a fresh one about every month and the CD's I make only have one track so you can't skip songs -- it also helps to idiot-proof the "Repeat One-Repeat All" decision.

Usually, there's a mix of songs from movies (current or otherwise) as well as Top 40 and a few oldies. The current disc features Beth Orton's remake of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" that was featured in the film How To Deal.

Also on the current disc -- "Name" (Goo Goo Dolls), "Tal Vez" (Ricky Martin), "Unwell" (Matchbox 20) and "Sexed Up" (Robbie Williams).

Minimum play time is 1hr. No voice overs; no commercials. This may change (I've heard rumblings within Administration) but not as long as I'm doing the discs. If I have time I will edit cross-fades to keep the music playing constantly.

The theatres are responsible for securing a blanket license fee from the PRS agent here.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 10-03-2003, 03:24 AM:
 
oooh, pet peave. what's with crossfading? are you a discotheque or a top 40 radio station? songs have beginnings and ends. a second or two of "dead" air is really not such a bad thing.

carl
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 10-03-2003, 06:47 AM:
 
Fine! You can mix your own CD's.

Manny's pet peeve -- Pet Peeves!

It's okay. I really don't mind you voicing your opinion. I just wanted to vent some of the frustration that comes with being "damned if you do and damned if you don't."

...and, besides, you haven't heard MY cross-fades. They are perfect and flawless.
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 10-03-2003, 11:24 AM:
 
Sure Manny...
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 10-05-2003, 12:43 PM:
 
I'm at the AMC Hamilton last night.

In the south wing by the concession stand, MovieTunes is on and it's playing . . . Soshi.

I start to go into the hall that's playing what I want to see. A different disc of MovieTunes is on and it's playing . . . Soshi.

DEATH TO SOSHI! DEATH TO SOSHI! DEATH TO SOSHI!
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 10-05-2003, 06:47 PM:
 

quote:

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I start to go into the hall that's playing what I want to see. A different disc of MovieTunes is on and it's playing . . . Soshi.

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Yes.... and the cross-fade was, no doubt, perfect and flawless!
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 10-05-2003, 10:03 PM:
 
I wonder if Kris Eric Stevens is a good freind of Boney James. How else would at least 2 Boney James cuts make it on the program for 6 months in a row?
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 12-22-2003, 07:14 AM:
 
More now on MovieTunes ... a cobbled-together medley of hits. God, that early-80's gimmick is so over!

Not only that, that gimmick occurs twice in a recent edition of MovieTunes! The first is for Toni Braxton and the second is for the Love Actually soundtrack. At least I got to hear Kelly Clarkson as a bad Mariah Carey ripoff.
 

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Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 12-22-2003, 08:26 AM:
 
I truthfully think that this months Movietunes is really inappropriate for the holiday season. I really don't want to hear Pat Benetar when I want to hear Christmas tunes.
 

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Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 07-12-2004, 01:03 AM:
 
Back at my old theater whenever I was an usher with my friends. We would kinda groove/dance and sing along to the movietunes while cleaning theaters. It was great... We got the job down and for the most part ahead of schedule. Oh the memories. Recently we've been having a decent selection of music. Mostly from the Spider Man 2 Soundtrack. Its very sad that we know the songs by heart... The songs circulate in 30 minute increments.
 

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Posted by Cody Martin (Member # 2523) on 07-12-2004, 07:49 AM:
 
I hear you on that. We would also "jam" to the Movie Tunes while cleaning those auditoriums. Made the time go a little faster, but it was always embarassing when people would walk in, despite the fact that we had an usher outside telling them to wait. I guess they just didn't listen because of our goofy hats..;-).

Cody

http://drivein.cmonline.bounceme.net
 

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Posted by Dean Kollet (Member # 1789) on 07-12-2004, 08:56 AM:
 
Hells yeah.....recently I've been helping clean theatres when we get busy and I love jamming in the Convoy Song....and Chris Eric Stevens is the man
 

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