Isn’t Life Strange?

Last week, WGN Television had an event so enjoyable that it made me wish I could start my own television network.  Every evening last week "Chicago’s Very Own" offered a selection of episodes from popular television shows from the 70’s and 80’s, including Taxi, Barney Miller, Newhart, and one of my favorites, WKRP in Cincinnati.  It was a very nice blast from the past.

I was especially interested in the WKRP episodes since they are a little hard to come by these days and I hadn’t seen any of them (except for the Turkey episode) for quite some time.  Oh sure, season one is available on DVD, but without the classic rock and roll music that was a big part of the show as it first aired.  In its place is bland, generic music that has little or no connection to what’s happening on camera.  Some people who watch these edited shows might find this annoying.  Others might find it painful.  But on the night the show aired, I made sure to tune in to WGN and watch. 

One episode I watched that evening was a particularly funny one about a strange and dour mortuary owner (played brilliantly by Fred Stuthman) wanting to attract a younger clientele by creating an ad that would appeal to them.  He hired the gang at WKRP to do the production themselves and the result was a bouncy, happy, up-tempo number.

Hey, you’re young and swingin’,
No time to think about tomorrow.
But there ain’t no way to deny it.
Some day you’re gonna buy it.
Save your friends, call Ferryman tomorrow.

Ferryman, Ferryman,
He’s the man with the plot, the man with the plan.
Ferryman, Ferryman,
He’s the mortician man who loves you - a lot

Ohh, Ohh, Bye, Bye…

Without going into much detail, the scene in the recording studio was hilarious.  There were arguments on how Johnny Fever should deliver his voiceover lines, and Ferryman himself bounced along to the music.  It was just silly fun - and that’s what I loved best about this entire series. 

Ultimately Mr. Carlson and Andy Travis came to the conclusion that the ad campaign was in poor taste leading them to refuse Ferryman’s business, regardless of the large check he offered. 

I had a lot of laughs that night watching some good episodes of that classic sit-com.  I just wish I could find them on DVD, untouched by the idiotic editing stemming from the lack of a deal between Fox and the record industry. 

A favorite target of people’s frustrations these days is understandably the oil industry.  But the oil companies only charge you once for using their products and they have no control over the cost of the raw material, crude oil.  The music industry by comparison is a particularly greedy one, especially when considering that the raw product is something that can’t be purchased.   

The amount of money an artist earns from actual record sales is miniscule compared to what the record companies take.  Artists typically surrender the ownership of their art and have little or no say about how it is used.  If record companies could find a way to charge customers for each and every time they listen to a song, they would.  If a customer purchases a compact disc, he can be prosecuted if he makes a copy for a friend or even for himself.   This is the same reason you won’t hear the song "Happy Birthday" in restaurants.  It is copyrighted.  Royalties must be paid for performance rights… for HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 

Other than the motion picture industry, no other industry works this way.

This insanity is the reason we can’t see WKRP in Cincinnati as it was originally presented.  The record industry sees this as an opportunity to make more money on music that is nearly thirty years old or older. 

I have no problem with the concept of fair use.  I don’t believe it is right for people to be making money off of someone else’s product or to freely distribute something that is readily available.  Piracy is a bad thing and should not be tolerated.  But surely there must be some ground for compromise in matters such as these.  Music is not just a product that can be sold and purchased.  It is a vital part of the culture.  It is a reflection on society.  It reminds us of who we were and who we are, an affect amplified in this older television series. 

Must the music industry be so greedy that they charge for a few twenty second sound clips being played on a thirty year old television show? 

It’s just a shame that something so silly stands in the way of good entertainment and an audience that still wants to enjoy it.