I just remembered in Peep Show, they sang the Altered Images song instead of Happy Birthday to You. Was it some scheme of the producers to save money? Or is it actually a thing to sing the Altered Images song on someone's birthday? This sounds bizarre to me, but kind of awesome, like if carolers showed up at my door and started singing Merry X-Mas, I Don't Want to Fight Tonight. Also, I noticed it's not on the SIxteen Candles soundtrack. Maybe it's more expensive to license in the U.S.?
― Philip Nunez, Friday, 18 November 2011 00:02 (fourteen years ago)
might it not have been humour-related?
― mark s, Friday, 18 November 2011 00:03 (fourteen years ago)
The Simpsons has had at least one gag where they've sung a generic "Happy Birthday" sound-a-like, maybe you're onto something.
― Ridin' Skyrims (Noodle Vague), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:04 (fourteen years ago)
the point of the gag in the latter case appearing to be that they couldn't afford to sing the real "Happy Birthday"
the gag in the peepshow case being that they are the kind of people who would sing the altered images version not the normal one? <-- funny
― mark s, Friday, 18 November 2011 00:06 (fourteen years ago)
why would sophie be that kind of person though?
― Philip Nunez, Friday, 18 November 2011 00:11 (fourteen years ago)
i think it actually might be, AOL time warner owns the song now
― GREENS (the putting kind) (donna rouge), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:14 (fourteen years ago)
i remember reading about one documentary filmmaker, working on a micro-budget, having to axe some footage of a birthday party from one of his/her films because they sing 'happy birthday' to the subject due to prohibitive licensing fees
― GREENS (the putting kind) (donna rouge), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:17 (fourteen years ago)
that was a structurally ugly sentence but you get the gist of it
birthday party version or gtfo
(i might try singing this at the next birthday do i attend)
― tubbs farkas (electricsound), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:20 (fourteen years ago)
clearly peep show could afford to pay, but i guess it's possible the fact of the cost may have encouraged to write sophie as the kind of person who'd sing altered images, as a gag (in character) or as a gag because it's against character -- or whatever, i don't know, i didn't see this ep
― mark s, Friday, 18 November 2011 00:22 (fourteen years ago)
i'm surprised channel 4 doesn't have the same blanket PRS license that the BBC do..
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:24 (fourteen years ago)
(i think maybe they might and the choice was a joke)
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:29 (fourteen years ago)
it's always a joke i think but the joke is about the copyright on the original "Happy Birthday"
― Ridin' Skyrims (Noodle Vague), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:31 (fourteen years ago)
BBC is older than PRS, can use anything w/o permission or related fee (I think the blanket licence involves an overall fee)
C4 has some fixed fee deal -- it's not identical
xp that's not really a peepshow type joke is it? unless mark actually discusses copyright
― mark s, Friday, 18 November 2011 00:33 (fourteen years ago)
Happy Birthday is indeed mad expensive to license
except in Australia where it's PD
― Θ ̨Θƪ (sic), Friday, 18 November 2011 00:45 (fourteen years ago)