Why don't programme makers actually credit music used

I suppose one the main reasons a site like this exists is because broadcasters have a habit of almost never crediting the music they use in their programmes, unless it was created specifically for that programme.

Does anyone know why this is? I'd have thought the artists whose music gets used must be pretty annoyed as it denies them an opportunity to sell more music. I discovered Sufjan Stevens only through "the O.C." and only then 'cos I found a helpful fansite (I think) that listed the music used on the various episodes.

I've watched a couple of interesting documentaries recently on UK tv which used some very interesting music I'd never heard before. However short of emailing the programme makers and asking them, there's no obvious way to find out what the music was.

Anyone know what the problem is with crediting recorded music, generally?

I've been wondering the same thing myself.

Kosmische said:

Anyone know what the problem is with crediting recorded music, generally?

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Isn't that true (lack of credit) for all "below the line" professionals who work in most TV, film, and media projects?

For example, television shows no longer make their end credits readable -- they fly by, and/or are squeezed and moved off to a small portion of the screen while ads run -- they should just drop the pretense and get rid of the end credits altogether.

Producer credits are given as perks rather than actual work.

Attempts to give credit to music composers can even result in punishment, as the case with The Dark Knight score Academy Awards controversy.

OK, but why not make the details available on a website? I think HBO do this for some of their programmes. I'd been watching the Showtime series "Brotherhood" on DVD recently, and there was a great version of the Stones' "Satisfaction" at the end of the last episode. I couldn't find any details on the Showtime website for the series at all, and only a Google search pulled up a reference to it. (It was by Cat Power, if anyone's interested.)

I also don't understand why they couldn't give the details on the DVDs either....

Some of the cable networks are getting better about it. A&E shows are particularly good about highlighting songs and artists. They make them available for sale on the web site as a way of both developing a loyal fan base, and adding revenue.

The networks are kinda catching on, sometimes releasing a CD of songs from a particular series, but usually at the end of each season. They are missing out, but will catch up. I just saw a report that digital sales passed CD sales for the first time.

But the whole music licensing thing is so screwed up anyway. One of my favorite movie scenes comes from Love at First Bite when George Hamilton and Susan Saint James light up the dance floor to "I Love the Night Life". Sadly on the DVD they had to substitute some completely lame song because they hadn't purchased the rights to the song for later distribution.

WKRP in Cincinatti's DVD series is ruined for me because they were not allowed to get most of the songs played by the DJ's on the shows. The DVD just doesn't sound right. ASCAP and BMI need to remove their heads from their nether regions. They are not helping their causes in the long run.

Hairy