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 Posted:   Feb 3, 2025 - 1:00 PM   
 By:   Tom Maguire   (Member)

Hey folks.
I just noticed that a couple of special edition James Horner Intradas that are available on Apple Music - Lady in Red and Battle Beyond The Stars, and it got me thinking again.
What determines why some stuff is online and others aren’t?
Varese stuff (even limited editions) seem to be generally available to stream or buy digitally.
Intrada also. La-La Land never that I’ve seen.

Genuinely curious about the behind the scenes deals and costs involved that allow some releases and disallow others.

If this topic has been covered feel free to redirect to a previous thread.

-tom

 
 Posted:   Feb 3, 2025 - 1:35 PM   
 By:   Nicolai P. Zwar   (Member)

Hey folks.
I just noticed that a couple of special edition James Horner Intradas that are available on Apple Music - Lady in Red and Battle Beyond The Stars, and it got me thinking again.
What determines why some stuff is online and others aren’t?
Varese stuff (even limited editions) seem to be generally available to stream or buy digitally.
Intrada also. La-La Land never that I’ve seen.


There are some La-La Land releases available as digital download or for streaming, such as THE BURBS (released by Back Lot Music https://www.qobuz.com/de-de/album/the-burbs-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-jerry-goldsmith/l1vfmzvnuborb ) or STAR TREK-THE MOTION PICTURE released by Paramount Music).

 
 
 Posted:   Feb 3, 2025 - 2:53 PM   
 By:   MichaelM   (Member)

In general, the streaming rights remain with the studios, which is why you see the examples Nicolai cited as published by the studio labels rather than La-La Land which issued them on CD. Even when specialty labels create new masters for CD release, these masters ultimately belong to the studios, so it's up to them whether to release them digitally or not.

There are exceptions as in when labels own full perpetuity rights such as Intrada's INCHON or many of Varese's titles from the 1990s.

 
 
 Posted:   Feb 3, 2025 - 3:11 PM   
 By:   rcashill   (Member)

Does anyone keep track of what shows up when digitally? Or do the soundtracks just appear online?

 
 Posted:   Feb 3, 2025 - 3:22 PM   
 By:   Creepshow2   (Member)

I’ve always wondered this too. I don’t quite understand why everything is not available for download. Wouldn’t that be the best place for all available soundtracks to be until a label decides to press a CD? At least it would be there for purchase for the fans and the studios would also make a little money.

 
 Posted:   Feb 3, 2025 - 4:42 PM   
 By:   Tom Maguire   (Member)

I’ve always wondered this too. I don’t quite understand why everything is not available for download. Wouldn’t that be the best place for all available soundtracks to be until a label decides to press a CD? At least it would be there for purchase for the fans and the studios would also make a little money.

CD exclusive for an amount of time with streaming and digital download during and after discs go out of print would be my dream. When a disc goes out of print and it’s not streaming anywhere… there aren’t any good options at that point.

 
 Posted:   Feb 4, 2025 - 7:57 AM   
 By:   SchiffyM   (Member)

I totally understand that the specialty labels rarely get streaming/download rights from the studios. (Of course, everything's negotiable, and I don't believe there's any one explanation for why one deluxe-release score may appear on the services and another won't, and whether they come from our favorite labels or directly from the studios.)

What I don't understand is how re-use applies to streaming. It clearly does, and needs to given how the business has completely changed. Surely there is some calculation here that is beyond my grasp. Musicians can't just roll over and allow scores to stream in perpetuity without expecting payment, so I suppose at some point, a score that gets very little play is a losing proposition for whatever label is keeping it up there. How that works, I have no clue.

(And I also understand that while server space seems a negligible cost to us, that cost is not zero, so again, it may not be in a company's interest to leave unpopular albums available forever.)

Maybe somebody who knows things can enlighten us?

 
 
 Posted:   Feb 4, 2025 - 9:10 PM   
 By:   TerraEpon   (Member)



(And I also understand that while server space seems a negligible cost to us, that cost is not zero, so again, it may not be in a company's interest to leave unpopular albums available forever.)


As far as the big streaming serivices go (Spotify Amazon, Apple, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz etc) they seem perfectly content to allow whatever onto their platform and only ever purge something at the uploaders' bequest.

 
 Posted:   Feb 4, 2025 - 9:17 PM   
 By:   SchiffyM   (Member)

As far as the big streaming serivices go (Spotify Amazon, Apple, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz etc) they seem perfectly content to allow whatever onto their platform and only ever purge something at the uploaders' bequest.

Yes, seems that way to me, too. (Just like I don't see YouTube purging anything, unless there's a copyright claim.) I just don't claim to know how these deals work on the streaming services. Do the services simply take on whatever's (legally) offered to them in exchange for a cut of the revenue?

 
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