So the theme song is gone from Hockey Night in Canada. I'm ok with that. I really am. I know it's the 'second national anthem', recognized coast to coast to coast since 1968 but ultimately it's a song. It's not Hockey Night in Canada and it's not Hockey. CTV ended up buying the song, presumably just so the CBC couldn't have it anymore and that's fine. If that's where CTV wants to spend their money. According to InsidetheCBC.com executive director of Television Sports Scott Moore claims that the song was going for 2.5 - 3 million dollars.
"“The owner’s demand of $2.5 to 3 million is well beyond—actually, three or four times as much as—what we consider to be a reasonable valuation,” said Scott Moore, executive director, Television Sports. “As a public broadcaster, it would have been irresponsible to have offered that amount.”Mr. Moore is right. I can just hear the Conservatives and other CBC haters screaming bloody murder if the CBC had spent 3 million dollars on a jingle (no matter how famous or well liked).
This is not even the first of CBC's problems with the song. In 2004 the song's composer Dolores Claman sued the CBC over something to do with ring-tones and the song and seriously, the CBC just doesn't need the grief. Personally, I'm amazed that with all of the brilliant musicians, songwriters and composers in this country that, what is, (nostalgia aside) a relatively generic little jingle should cause such a fuss. If the music had been used for a car commercial instead of Hockey Night in Canada everyone would have forgotten about it already and Hockey Night in Canada (the important part of the equation) isn't going anywhere.
Personally I'm loooking forward to the contest where composers from across Canada will try their hand at writing the new song and the winner will net him or herself $100,000 plus royalties for years to come (and nationwide notoriety). From a Canadian perspective it's better than Canadian Idol (sorry CTV), because rather than an elaborate, televised karaoke contest people who actually know how to write music, will be asked to write a song - a song about hockey and what could be more Canadian than that?
4 comments:
Hi Justin - I'm a lifelong supporter of the CBC. I'm known to say, sincerely, "God bless the CBC". But, as someone who works with artists, songwriters who deserve respect and fair treatment, it's hard to be anything but saddened by the treatment Dolores Claman and her song have received. Below you can read the blog post of Claman's daughter, Madeleine Morris - which tells of the songwriter receiving no royalties for 25 years, then, being cheated on royalties for most of the next 15 years. And, after all that - Dolores Claman was prepared to let CBC use the Hockey Theme song for $500 each broadcast. That's a price well below the millions being spoken of by Scott Moore of CBC Sports. It's a happy ending for the song's creator, but, that's poetic justice.
http://madeleinemorris.blogspot.com/2008/06/hockey-theme.html
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Hockey Theme
I just wanted to thank you, on behalf of my mother, for your support of
the hockey theme. I also wanted you to know my side of the story,
because it's important to me. What I hope you will acknowledge is that
the CBC has had an exclusive media platform on which to air its side of
the story.
First, to clear up some misconceptions. For 25 years, CBC paid my mother
no license fees at all for the music. It was only in the last 15 years
that they began to pay any license fee at all.
Last week, after more than a year of CBC bullying, threatening and
endless changing of positions, we offered the CBC the following deal:
forget the lawsuit - just pay our legal fees (which we incurred because
of CBC's breach of usage as agreed in the license deal) and let's keep
the same licensing deal as before. That's it...same as before. $500 per
episode of HNIC. They did not accept.
They kept bullying us, telling us the song was worthless, threatening to
drop the song altogether if we didn't give them exactly what they
wanted, absolutely on their terms. If not, they'd hold a national
contest and replace the song. Honestly, it became increasingly clear to
us that this was their plan all along - to offer deals that were
impossible for us to accept, so they would have the excuse to drop the
song without being blamed for doing it. On Thursday, they sent us an
email rejecting the offer and saying that it was sad we could not come
to an agreement.
Then on Friday, Scott Moore of the CBC announced the Song Contest to
replace the theme. So, it was clear, for sure, that this was over for
us.
My belief is that when it started to become clear to the CBC that the
public wasn't happy with their decision, they announced that they would
negotiate further. Frankly, my mother was so depressed, she just said -
no, they don't really want the song. It's better at least if it dies a
dignified death.
When CTV made an offer, they promised that they'd use the song, and
they'd use it in association with Canadian hockey. Of all the things,
this mattered most to my mother.
I know you are probably upset that we didn't resolve our differences
with the CBC, but no matter what they say publicly, they really,
clearly, didn't give a shit about the theme. Their only concern was they
should not be seen to be the villains in getting rid of it. My mother
became a very convenient scapegoat.
To a composer, their music is like their baby - they don't want to see
it buried, or forgotten, or sidelined. And my mother, being a rather
strong woman, just wasn't willing to be bullied and threatened any more.
A lot of people are going to call her greedy and opportunistic. Well,
they just don't know her at all. It's going to sound trite if I say that
"it wasn't about the money". But ask any composer of music if they want
to see their work buried, and never played again. It's easy to focus on
the money. But it was never, ever about the money. Life, and people, are
just a lot more complex than that.
That's my side of the story, for what it's worth.
Madeleine Morris
I'm with you Justin. Don't believe the BS coming from CTV. They don't care about saving the song's legacy; they only care about the money.
It's quite outstanding that CTV would pay 3 million for a 60 second jingle. CBC could've paid that, but every tax payer in this country would freak.
In the end, it doesn't matter who gets the song. HNIC will still be the same product. I watch HNIC for the hockey and not the 60-second jingle.
Adrian,
Thanks for the note. It ultimately doesn't change anything though. The bottom line is that the CBC and the composer were no longer a good match (if they ever were) and it's time for a new composer to get the opportunity to have their music associated with Canadian hockey.
The rather large sum paid by CTV to Ms. Claman should help to make her feel better about the situation.
When it comes to the theme song, and the move from one broadcast to another, indeed, it is what is it
is - to quote one ex-Canuck, among others.
A transcendent issue is how creators are treated. The mainstream recording industry has long perpetuated artists' share-cropper, or worse, status - as Michelle Shocked, Prince and many others have dramatically demonstrated.
We deserve much better from our public broadcaster.
Charles Campbell, former editor of the Georgia Straight, (the Vancouver arts weekly - counterpart to Toronto's Eye and Now weeklies, Halifax's The Coast et al), has posted:
"It's nearly 20 years ago now, but Dolores Claman had to fight for such basic respect as a credit at the end of HNIC. They begrudged her that, while listing the name of every gaffer and knob-twiddler who worked on the show."
Campbell says: "I don't think the media coverage so far properly conveys the lack of respect CBC has shown for Dolores over the years."
For anyone who cares about the role and rights of artists, it's really a shameful situation that warrants more examination.
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