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Spectropop V#0282

  • From: The Spectropop Group
  • Date: 06/29/99

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       Volume #0282                           June 29, 1999   
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                      Don't touch that dial...                
    
    
    
    
    
    Subject:     TO-John Rausch
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Diane renay, CEIInvxxxxm
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    Dear John:
    
    Regarding oldies being used to pitch hamburgers, macaroni 
    & cheese, etc. I don't imagine that my recording of Navy 
    Blue would be used to sell these types of products, I 
    couldn't see the connection. I wouldn't be surprised 
    however, if a company such as "Old Navy," were to pick up 
    on tying my song into a commercial for them one day. 
    
    As far as my feelings would go - if, let's say, this 
    particular company chose to use Navy Blue to promote their
    store, it would all depend on how they used my recording. 
    If it were done in "tongue & cheek," in good humor, and 
    made people feel good about wearing clothes that they 
    purchased at "Old Navy," it would not bother me, in fact I
    would be flattered that they chose to use my recording. 
    However, I don't think I would like it very much if my 
    song was used for pitching food products, that's kind of 
    CHEESY, ha, ha!!!
    
    Also, regarding compensation for using oldies for 
    commercials....I believe that if only the first 8 bars of 
    music are used, they do not have to pay any royalties to 
    anyone. If this is so, of course it is not fair to the 
    writers, or the artists who are singing the songs. However, 
    in these times in which we live, there are many things 
    in life that are not fair. Unfortunately, for the writers,
    and recording artists of oldies, such as myself, many of 
    the old songs are being put to CD's, and no one is able to
    receive any royalties for their work! At this time, there 
    are several CD's on the market sold here and overseas, 
    that have many of my recordings on them, along with lots 
    of other oldies, and I nor any of the other artists are 
    receiving compensation in the form of royalties.
    
    So, I guess you might say that many oldies recording 
    artists, who for the most part do not receive any monetary
    compensation for the use of our music, are at least 
    receiving a little recognition instead when our songs are 
    used to pitch commercials, whether the commercials are 
    good or bad!
    
    I hope that I was able to answer your question to your 
    satisfaction.
    
    Sincerely: Diane Renay <[:>)
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     Commercials w/hits
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Carol Kaye, carolkxxxxink.net
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    
    John Rausch, you ask my opinion about using old hit 
    records for commercials. I think it's good business for 
    one thing.....those hits were well-done, good recognizable
    tunes that draw the listener in to hearing them. And the 
    nostalgia is wonderful....many feels akin to the older hit
    records, especially when considering the alternative of 
    listening to the music of today (excuse me, some of 
    today's music is pretty good but not much...it was just 
    the opposite back then in the 60s).
    
    Plus the musicians get a few coins in royalties too...
    everyone benefits. I recorded a lot of commercials back in
    the 60s and some in the 70s too...it's a fine art, and back
    then you had the likes of the wonderful Bob Thompson; even 
    Billy Strange did some...they were all the finest of the 
    arrangers, etc. 
    
    But nowadays, that's not exactly what is going on with the
    synthesizer users cutting in on the business...so most 
    commercials are not that signatory of great talents. A few
    are (Nissan ad etc.) but most, like the music changes, are 
    pretty drab and some downright awful and stupid.
    
    It's best to use the old hits, cheaper, and you've got 
    some class then.
      
    Carol Kaye  http://www.carolkaye.com/
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     Re: Jingle Jangle
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Jamie Lepage, le_page_xxxxies.com
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    john rausch wrote:
    
    >what are your thoughts on T.V./Radio ads using...old hit 
    >songs for their commercials? 
    
    I'm not against this practice at all.
    
    >...who gets the profit from this practice?  
    
    It depends on the use. If the original recording is used, 
    then those interested parties connected with both master 
    rights and publishing rights profit. Old contracts 
    typically did not address profit sharing on secondary uses
    of masters or use of songs in ads. However, in practice it 
    is typical for the master reuse fee to be shared equally 
    between the master owner and the artist. Publishing varies, 
    but certainly songwriters profit from use of songs in 
    ads.
    
    >does anyone involved with the original recording have 
    >any say in this practice?
    
    Approval rights too were usually not addressed in old 
    contracts, but I would think more often than not writers 
    and artists are consulted on these ad uses before the 
    licenses are done, if for no other reason than to 
    circumvent potential lawsuits from the writers/artists.
    
    >I would rather remember all my favorite 
    >hits of my youth the way they were intended - on the radio
    >or at home in all their glory. 
    
    Your opinion is certainly a valid one and obviously comes 
    from a deep affection and appreciation for the music. It's
    an opinion shared by many music fans. Today, though, many 
    view such uses as giving "added value" to a song/master. 
    Stand By Me is a good example. For decades it was merely 
    one of many fine Leiber/Stoller productions on Ben E King/
    Drifters. But the use in a Levi's commercial and a few 
    soundtracks elevated the song to that of a standard or 
    "evergreen" as such songs are often called. Theoretically, 
    various secondary uses of Stand By Me might have helped 
    generate sufficient interest in the Drifters to justify 
    the great Drifters box that came out recently. If so, 
    bring on the ads!
    
    >...those great hits play as a soundtrack to my youth not
    >as the latest jingle to sell me something I don`t want or 
    >need.
    
    I share that feeling, but keep in mind that for many, this
    music is NOT the soundtrack to their youth. Many hear these
    songs for the first time in ads and soundtracks. 
    
    In fact, much of the music I listen to today is not the 
    music of my youth. For instance, I never heard Diane 
    Renay's Unbelievable Guy until a few years ago, or 
    anything on the Girls Scene CD until Ian wrote about it 
    here on the list. But if the Diane Renay master was used 
    in an advert with a man's voice tagging "Unbelievable 
    savings at Acme", I for one wouldn't be offended. I would 
    think the ad agency had good taste in music. :-)
    
    What I do find objectionable is when a song is rewritten 
    and re-recorded by jingle singers specifically with a 
    product in mind. For instance, I wouldn't want to hear 
    Strawberry Fields Forever rewritten as "Strawbery Crush 
    for flavour" etc. But when music is used tastefully in ads, 
    as it often is in Levi's commercials, I say why not? I 
    can still listen to the old 45s or elpees at home in their
    original context. 
    
    Just one person's opinion, though...
    
    Jamie
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     Re: Jingle Jangle
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Michael "Doc Rock"  Kelly, docroxxxxom
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    
    Well, I  for one have been keeping a log of commercials that 
    use oldies. I started keeping track in 1978.
    
    Doc
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     Pop Songs used in commericals
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Paul Urbahns, Paulurbxxxxm
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    John Rausch writes:
    
    >what are your thoughts on T.V./Radio ads using all 
    >the old hit songs for their commercials? 
    
    Brian Wilson has been making a good living off of this 
    commerical use of beach Boy songs for years. Matter fact 
    they probably have the largest number of songs converted 
    to commericals than any other writer.
    
    >who gets the profit from this practice? Obviously the 
    >copyright owner, I imagine, but does anyone involved with 
    >the original recording have any say in this practice? 
    
    Normally this is a copyright issue. The advertising 
    company gets permission from the publisher of the song to 
    use it in the commericals and they normally use studio 
    singers to resing the song. Very seldom is the original 
    record used because unless you have multitrack studio 
    tapes and don't want any chages to the lyric it's not 
    practical. The resung versions are the length needed for 
    the commerical. Some samples of commerical uses are:
    
    Radio: This is sometimes different that the TV version of
    the same ad, simply because radio is audio and you can't 
    show something so everything has to be described. That 
    means they usually make whats known in the business as a 
    "donut". That is a version of the song that starts out 
    singing then goes to an intrumental bridge (usually 1/2 
    the total playing time) This is were the announcer can say
    "Come on by randy's Used car Imporimum for the best buys in
    used cars" or some such commerical Then the singing comes 
    back to close the commerical. It's called a donut because 
    there is no singing in the middle.
    
    I am not sure how the royalties are calculated, but I 
    have been told that the songwriter receives something 
    everytime the commerical is played on radio or television.
    I have seen a few commericals where they used the original
    recording. A good example is Louis Armstrong's "What A 
    Wonderful World". But Armstrong had such a unique voice 
    that it would be hard to copy his delivery and make it 
    sould anything like the original. 
    
    In the case of the original singer being consulted, if 
    they are still in the business and actively working then 
    they may be hired to do the re-sing. But you have to 
    remember, even singers still working don't sound like they
    did 30 years ago. Brenda Lee recently recut about 20 of her
    greatest hits and they had to play them in different keys 
    than the original recordings because her voice has cjanged
    and she has been working professionally since she was about
    12 years old, and still does. 
    
    One commercial song I have been looking for is Lou 
    Christie's recording of Wouldn't It Be Nice, the Beach 
    Boys song, which was done for a car television commerical 
    (and probably the radio versions too). I always though it 
    waould make a good addition to a Lou Christie CD but 
    apparently nobody else does. So they use well known 
    siongers sometimes in the re-sings but seldom the original
    singer.
    
    Paul Urbahns
    former-DJ
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     Re:  Diane Renay
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        DJ JimmyB, DJJimmyxxxxm
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    
    In a message dated 6/27/99 10:37:39 AM, you wrote:
    
    >(Diane, this song rocks!)
    
    Diane Renay's "Blue Navy" LP was spotted yesterday in 
    Boston (where we have fantabulash used record shops by the
    by) on the wall with their other "catches" with a $39.99 
    price tag decorating its upper right hand corner. Encased 
    in the plastic jacket so popular with we collectors, it 
    was begging me to buy it. Diane of course looked 
    resplendent all decked out with her state-of-the art 1964 
    "do" swooping down and framing her face. Ya looked great 
    Ms K!
    
    Jimmy Botticelli
    
    "Jimmy's Easy" airs on 88.1FM, WMBR in Cambridge MA from 6
    -8 am on Tuesdays. To hear it on your 'puter, download 
    Real Audio (its free) and go to www.wmbr.org after you 
    calculate when it will be audible in your neighborhood 
    (it's live at our website) 
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     music history
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        james fisher, JHFAxxxxnet
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    Jim Cassidy mentioned Ian Whitcomb's book "After the Ball"
    as a good source regarding the background of pop music and 
    it's ancestors...indeed it is. Ian also put out another 
    tome on the whirly-gig of early/mid '60s pop and his own 
    fleeting brush with fame--"Rock Odyssey". If anyone wants 
    a good read on the LA music scene,circa 1965, ( and who 
    doesn't for crying out loud??) then get ahold of this book
    ....even if you don't learn anything new you will 
    definitely get a laugh out of his encounters with Sonny and
    Cher and many of the other luminaries who populated the 
    Sunset Strip at the time. A revised edition came out a 
    year or two ago and I'm sure you can order it through any 
    of the larger chains. He goes from upper-class English 
    twit at Trinity to Has-Been pop star in LA almost in one 
    fell swoop. It's a great yarn, try and check it out. 
    
    Regards, Jim.
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     Re: Lilys...and more Brazilian music
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Stig O'Hara, wuo0xxxx.se
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    Dave Mirich wrote:
    
    >Tobias, you sounded downright sure of yourself when you
    >shot off that the Lily's most recent CD was their 4th.
    >What gives?
    
    Oh, I'm probably wrong. I always give the impression of 
    knowing more than I do so don't take anything I say 
    seriously :-)
    
    On another note, I got some tapes of Brazilian music in the 
    mail today. Gal Costa's two first albums, which both are 
    brilliant and in the same style as her "Baby" contribution
    to the "Tropicalia" compilation last year. It's kind of 
    modernized bossa nova with brilliant string and flute 
    arrangements, with Costa's breezy voice floating on top. 
    Several of the songs are duets with Gilberto Gil, another 
    Brazilian artist and composer (Os Mutantes covered several
    of his songs, as did many other Brazilian artists).
    
    Milton Nascimento's "Courage" is even better, but quite 
    similar to Costa. Again, huge string and flute/oboe 
    arrangements dominate the moody neo-bossa music. What 
    makes his music so original, I guess, is the chord changes
    which are completely unpredictable, and take the music into
    unexpected directions. You don't have to be a musician to 
    notice this, it's something you hear instantly and it 
    really does make the music sound really fresh, atleast 
    compared to the I IV V rock'n'roll played on the radio.
    
    Also...heard a track by Ladybug Transistor called "Vale Of
    Cashmere", and it's ok I guess. It's pretty much stolen 
    directly from Stereolab's "Cybelie's Reverie" (which, btw,
    is arranged by the High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan)...well, it's 
    better than to sound like Oasis :) 
    
    Tobias
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     Re: Spectropop TO-Will Stos
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Diane renay, CEIInvxxxxm
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    Dear Will:
    
    I would like to ask about the Girl Group Gazette and the 
    other oldies publications you mentioned. What are these? I
    have never heard of them.
    
    Thanks: Diane Renay <[:>)
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    Subject:     top ten(s)
    Received:    06/29/99 1:33 am
    From:        Stewart Mason, flamixxxxom
    To:          Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
    
    Okay, I wasn't going to play, seeing as how those of you 
    who know me know that I have a lot of trouble limiting 
    myself to ten of *anything*, much less music. So with the 
    caveat that I actually had to split this into THREE lists 
    and that there are several dozen other songs per list that
    I'd be prefectly happy to have on here -- as it is, two of 
    the three have 11 entries! -- and that the ranking will 
    probably have changed between the time I send this and the
    time the digest shows up, here goes:
    
    THE CANON (that is, I love pretty much everything these 
    artists did, but these are the highest highs):
    
    1. Caroline No -- The Beach Boys (my favorite song of all 
    time)
    1. (tie) You Don't Own Me -- Lesley Gore (my 
    just-barely-second-favorite song of all time)
    2.  Seven and Seven Is -- Love
    3.  And Your Bird Can Sing -- The Beatles
    4.  Waterloo Sunset -- The Kinks
    5.  Painter Man -- The Creation
    6.  She's Not There -- The Zombies
    7.  Sunday Morning -- The Velvet Underground
    8.  Porpoise Song -- The Monkees
    9.  You're Gonna Miss Me -- The 13th Floor Elevators (the Texas National
    Anthem, at least amongst my generation of Texans)
    
    10. Be My Baby -- The Ronettes (Phil's second greatest production -- see
    below)
    
    GREAT AMERICAN SINGLES:
    1. Summer Samba -- Astrud Gilberto (should actually be in 
    the canon, but as wonderful as her other songs are, this 
    is simply head and shoulders above)
    1.  (tie) Walk On By -- Dionne Warwick (ditto)
    2.  This Could Be the Night -- Modern Folk Quartet (Phil's 
    greatest)
    3.  Cherish -- The Association
    4.  Sweet Pea -- Tommy Roe (dig the way the drummer's using 
    James Brown's "Funky Drummer" beat four years before James did!)
    5.  Lightnin' Strikes -- Lou Christie
    6.  Cynthia Loves -- The Robbs
    7.  Stained Glass Window -- The Yellow Balloon
    8.  Surfer Dan -- The Turtles
    9.  Laugh Laugh -- The Beau Brummels
    10. Weeping of the Willow -- Harry Nilsson
    
    (NOTE: This contains nothing from Van Dyke Parks' SONG 
    CYCLE because I can't tear myself to limit myself to one 
    track. If I included the album, it would be around #6.)
    
    GREAT BRITISH SINGLES:
    
    1.  Downtown -- Petula Clark (am I the only one who thinks this is the
    saddest song ever recorded?)
    2.  The Intro and the Outro -- The Bonzo Dog Band
    3.  I Can Hear the Grass Grow -- The Move (just barely edges out "Flowers 
    in the Rain" and "Night of Fear")
    4.  Substitute -- The Who
    5.  Night Time Girl -- Twice As Much
    6.  Ferry Cross the Mersey -- Gerry and the Pacemakers
    7.  Astronomy Domine -- Pink Floyd
    8.  All Of Us -- Nirvana
    9.  Have You Seen Your Mother Baby Standing in the Shadow -- The Rolling 
    Stones
    10. Smashed Blocked -- John's Children 
    
    Stewart
    
    
    ************************FLAMINGO RECORDS**********************
                                     
    Stewart Allensworth Mason     
    Box 40172                     "New Mexico: Cockfighting's legal
    Albuquerque NM 87196           and we got Plague!"
    www.rt66.com/~flamingo        
                                     
    ******************HAPPY MUSIC FOR NICE PEOPLE*****************
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    End
    
    

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