[sandorski]

Colbert covered this on Tuesdays show. Funny as usual.

[RUEZ]

Thanos Thanos:

Hurrah for the Claman family for finally getting a proper reward for their contribution. I don't mind them giving me, with that letter, another reason to despise the CBC either.

WORST-SUBSIDIZED-NETWORK-EVER!

Proper reward? Have you forgotten the 40 years of payments she's received for a stupid little song?

[Thanos]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Thanos Thanos:

Hurrah for the Claman family for finally getting a proper reward for their contribution. I don't mind them giving me, with that letter, another reason to despise the CBC either.

WORST-SUBSIDIZED-NETWORK-EVER!

Proper reward? Have you forgotten the 40 years of payments she's received for a stupid little song?

Dude, read the rest of the posts more clearly. Adrian22 posted the letter at the top of page 4 from Mrs. Claman's daughter.

$1:

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.

Don't get mad at me because the CBC is, (a) too skinflintish to cough up the proper amount of compensation to keep using someone else's licensed property for their most popular show ever, or (b) too damn stupid to have locked up the song a long time ago when it would have cost them much less than what they had to offer this past week.

And, yes, I'll believe the word of the Claman family far more than I'd ever believe some talking head hack from CBC. The Claman's shouldn't have to suffer slander either from any so-called Canadian "patriots" who think that the Claman's basically had some sort of nationalistic duty to give up the song to CBC for nothing. Tough titty for CBC that they finally ran into someone who understands the concept of property rights.

[Scape]

It should be interesting to see how CBC reacts now that the gloves are off and the deal is done. I would like to hear what they have to say about the 40 years of payments.

[RUEZ]

Thanos Thanos:

Don't get mad at me because the CBC is, (a) too skinflintish to cough up the proper amount of compensation to keep using someone else's licensed property for their most popular show ever, or (b) too damn stupid to have locked up the song a long time ago when it would have cost them much less than what they had to offer this past week.

And, yes, I'll believe the word of the Claman family far more than I'd ever believe some talking head hack from CBC. The Claman's shouldn't have to suffer slander either from any so-called Canadian "patriots" who think that the Claman's basically had some sort of nationalistic duty to give up the song to CBC for nothing. Tough titty for CBC that they finally ran into someone who understands the concept of property rights.

I'm not mad at you. I'm just tired of people ragging on the CBC for doing the right thing. They aren't a private company that can start throwing millions of dollars around on songs. Even if it is a cultural icon. I think, knowing what the song means to people the composer could have been more accommodating. But she wasn't and the CBC is cheap so let's move on. After all it's just a song.

[ridenrain]

Adrian22: Thatnks for the post. If that was you're first, I'm hoping we hear a lot more like that.

It's good to hear the other side of the story for once, and it will be good to hear how CBC reacts. I'm sure we'll see a whole blitz of spin from them while this letter gets no play at all.

[Arctic_Menace]

sandorski sandorski:

Colbert covered this on Tuesdays show. Funny as usual.

I saw that. That was a beautiful segment...

[Zipperfish]

RUEZ RUEZ:

I'm not mad at you. I'm just tired of people ragging on the CBC for doing the right thing. They aren't a private company that can start throwing millions of dollars around on songs. Even if it is a cultural icon. I think, knowing what the song means to people the composer could have been more accommodating. But she wasn't and the CBC is cheap so let's move on. After all it's just a song.

here, here! It's pretty sad if your national identity is inexorably tied to having HNIC play their theme song. CBC couldn't get the deal they wanted, so they walked. They don;'t have the money that CTV does. To me that being fiscally responsible.

As for the CBC "bullying" Claman--suck it up. That's business. I' know the music biz--it's brutal. She knows that, or should have known that.

To me it's a happy ending. CTV got the song so those wiht an emotional attchment to it will continue to hear it (apparently even during weather reports). CBC saved the taxpayers a few bucks.

[Adrian22]

Thanks, ridenrain, for your kindness - though, I'm not sure how or when I may find other things to note. I love hockey, and I'm in the music business, so this is a natural.

As Thanos and others point out, the CBC, if it approached things differently, could have gained the rights to this song long ago - at a much lower price. Even as recently as last week the Claman group was offering it for the $500 per usage fee (with a 15% increase to $575 after two years). The CBC did not need to spend millions. That's just spin, as is obvious, so Scott Moore can justify things.

CBC is, of course, a public broadcaster, and it's one I support and believe does a LOT of good things. This sort of dealing, however, appears shameful and stupid. For 25 years Dolores Claman was not paid for the song license. For the past 15 years, she was paid on a per usage basis, and, alleges that she didn't receive monies as agreed upon. Going forward, still, whatever amount it costs the CBC HNIC broadcast annually - and I've heard numbers from $12,000 to $65,000 per annum - the Hockey Theme song is a bargain. The corporation makes much more than that in advertising revenues which are driven by the branding.

So, however you look at this - emotionally or culturally, or from a business perspective - financially, this mishandling of the situation costs Canadians.

Dolores Claman, who already forgave the 25 years of unlicensed use of her song, and was prepared to drop her lawsuit over the 15 years of questionable accounting, now has plenty of money to carry on with her lawsuit. Who could blame her for doing so - especially considering how the folks tried to screw her one last time, but failed in their attempt.