Back then the idea of selling TV shows, especially hour-long dramas, on video wasn't really economical because a VHS tape could only hold 2-3 hours and were sold for $20 a pop because of how expensive they were to make and because...well, they could. Therefore networks never really put together video collections of television shows, with a few exceptions. For example, Star Trek was a very viable property for Paramount therefore they sold episodes of TOS and TNG on VHS tapes. But even then you were going to shell out $20 a tape, and for TOS alone that would put you over $1000 to collect every episode. DVD changed everything because discs were cheaper to make and could store a lot more. So instead of $1000, you're paying $100-$200. Therefore video collections of television shows, especially long-canceled ones, became lucrative.
Anyway, when a network licensed a particular song for an episode of a show, they only secured it for broadcasting purposes, since redistributing the show on video in stores wasn't really a thought. Essentially, there's a contractual difference between licensing a song for a broadcast that can be seen for free versus distributing a TV series at a cost that includes a song. Whoever owns the rights to said song would obviously want a cut of that sale, or a new licensing agreement that allows the song to be used for video sale. A lot of networks weren't willing to pay, therefore they began substituting the original songs shown during broadcast with either a generic instrumental or a knock-off version.
My understanding is that networks now include wordage that allows a licensed song to be re-used for distribution purposes, which is why you don't see songs replaced on video sets for newer shows.
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eileen-guthrie555
10 years ago
Actually, Universal released 5 episodes of QL on VHS, I know I brought them and I didn't pay a lot of money for them. They release Jimmy, The Color of Truth, Miss Deep South, and I forget the other two. There were rumors that they were going to release more but never did. Universal never seemed to have a lot of faith in QL. Brandon Tartikoff was an unusual President of NBC. He allowed shows to find an audience. Ratings for some of the most popular show such as Cheers, Family Ties and QL. The ratings were not great and I know that both Cheers and Family Ties ratings were horrible they were at the very bottom. But Mr Tartikoff had faith in these shows and allowed them to find an audience. That's unheard of now. I know because my dad worked 38 yrs for NBC (NYC) in various positions. He like Mr Tartikoff and respected him greatly and he was a really nice man. We were all sad to learn that he was sick with cancer, which he fought over twenty-five years on and off.
All of that stuff was renegotiated by the various unions in the entertainment field. So everyone gets paid now for the use of the recordings used by TV shows and etc.
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kingaliencracker
10 years ago
Actually, Universal released 5 episodes of QL on VHS, I know I brought them and I didn't pay a lot of money for them.
I'm not going to argue semantics about the price of VHS tapes 20+ years ago. Yes, I am aware QL had VHS releases. So did many other shows, especially animated shows. However, my point about shows getting a full-series release is still true despite that - most networks didn't bother with it because the cost of both creating and selling VHS tapes of TV shows didn't make it profitable enough. There were tons of hit shows that never got a full-series release during the VHS era. Like I said, there were exceptions (like Star Trek), but shows like MASH, All in the Family, Married with Children, and even The Simpsons never did a full-series VHS release.
I'm not disputing that you got the tapes cheaper than $20. But generally speaking in big-market places VHS tapes generally went for $20 a pop.
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