Music DVD's and BBC4
Has anyone noticed that BBC4 has a delightful habit of broadcasting recently released music DVD's?
'Chasing Sound' - the Les Paul story was shown as part of the guitar theme on Friday only a few weeks after its DVD release. David Gilmour's Live in Gdansk was shown before that recently (abridged somewhat I admit)
Genesis Live in Rome too. Though I didn't bother too much about that.
There have been others across the past couple of years. 'Born to Boogie' I seem to remember.
Most of them have been reviewed in Word prior to broadcast - and this is the key! I think the BBC 4 music commissioning editor must be a subscriber and/or possibly even a member of the Massive...? I imagine the thought process is this; "Hmmm bit of a gap in the Friday slot next month... Wot's in Word this month then? Let's see, Les Paul? What's the running time? 90 minutes, lovely. Amazon can do it in 7-10 days. Smashing. I'll get one. "
Not that I'm moaning. Quite the opposite. I've saved a fortune.
So, show yourself sir, and let me give proper thanks.
- More from Andy Barrons.
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I prefer the Guardian's 'Sofa Cinema' service...
...just line up a big list of DVDs and, every time I send one back, the next one arrives.
Each month, just read the Word/Mojo reviews and add a few new DVDs to the wishlist.
Anything worth watching more than once can then be bought (not copied, no siree, no way, home taping is killing music don'tcha know)
Currently working my way through the entire Classic Albums DVD series.
BBC4
csny/deja vu on next friday.....
Wow - cool, that saves me a purchase
what with that, the 1971 BBC concert and a new documentary (Don't Be Denied) thats gonna be an ace way to spend All Hallows Eve.
He's your Man
In a lot of cases the films will have been part financed by pre-sales to the BBC and foreign broadcasters, paying an amount for the rights to show them a number of times over a number of years. For the broadcasters it's an economic way to get music on screen; we already have regular things like BBC4 sessions and Later, which the BBC own outright in most cases (meaning they can show it whenever they want, forever) but which are more costly than a simple buy in like this.
For the film makers and producers a broadcast is pretty much an integral part of their release and publicity strategy. So something like Live in Gdansk is shown soon after it hits the shops while the press reviews and interviews are still fresh. Diehard fans will have bought it straightaway but, so the thinking goes, a few stragglers might be spurred into it by seeing the film on BBC4 and wanting to own the whole thing, DVD extras and all. Mark Copper, who's in charge of this area of music at the BBC, is the man to thank - and he talks about all this in the second of the excellent backstage podcasts.
Illumination
Thanks Paul, and even more thanks to Mark Copper.
I'm a big supporter of BBC 4. It's Friday music schedules are consistently excellent.
Robyn Hitchcock
They did that with the excellent Hitchcock & The Venus 3 documentary "Sex, Food, Death & Insects", bit surprising as I'm sure it does have an effect on the DVD sales.