Composer Steve Jablonsky updated his Facebook Page to explain why Transformers: Age Of Extinction Score was removed from iTunes:
“Now because you guys are so awesome, the TF4 score hit 15,000 units really quickly. I honestly had no idea the score had been pulled down until fans started contacting me asking why the soundtrack had vanished from iTunes, only a couple months after the release of the film. I suspected the 15k limit was the reason, a little investigation proved that to be the case.”Learn more, after the jump. “I’ve received a lot of questions on Facebook and Twitter asking why the TF4 soundtrack was removed from iTunes. Here’s the short-ish answer: The AFM (American Federation of Musicians) has rules regarding soundtrack releases and re-use fees. One option they offer is the option to produce and sell 14,999 units without any additional re-use fees. Once sales hit 15,000+ units, additional payments kick in. The number 15,000 was chosen I believe because a good selling soundtrack generally sells around 5k-10k units, so this option provides most union film productions the opportunity to release a soundtrack and sell up to 15k units without incurring any additional re-use costs.
Now because you guys are so awesome, the TF4 score hit 15,000 units really quickly. I honestly had no idea the score had been pulled down until fans started contacting me asking why the soundtrack had vanished from iTunes, only a couple months after the release of the film. I suspected the 15k limit was the reason, a little investigation proved that to be the case.
Some of you have asked another great question: why are TF1 and TF2 still available? For both of those scores, the people responsible for paying the additional re-use costs chose to go ahead and pay them. In other words they allowed sales to go beyond the 15k limit. Different people are in charge of TF3 and TF4, and they have chosen not to pay the additional costs, which is why neither TF3 or TF4 are available any longer. It’s strictly an economic decision. The additional re-use costs can and do add up to significant numbers, especially with scores like Transformers. These movies are huge with a ton of score, and I hire a lot of very talented musicians to perform, which results in even higher re-use costs if we go beyond the 15k limit.
I have had many many discussions about this topic, unfortunately it is out of my hands because I am not the one responsible for paying the re-use fees. For those interested in a physical TF4 CD I believe La La Land records has some unsigned copies left (sorry the signed ones are all gone). After these are gone, the TF4 score will no longer be available. The TF3 score is already gone. My hope is that we will figure out a way to re-release in the future, but for now this is the situation.
This topic is very close to my heart. It’s really hard to put so many months of work into a score and then hear from people all over the world that they would love to purchase your music but they cannot because it’s not available. These are good people looking to buy this music, asking me what happened where did it go, and I don’t have a good answer for them. I’m hoping with more discussion we can find better ways to address this issue. I do believe there are better ways, where everyone can benefit without fans being left out in the cold because they didn’t buy the score fast enough.
thanks”
Steve
Hoffman
Strikes me as a smart and prudent business decision. They already sold way more units than they thought they would. They could pay every single musician for the next chunk of copies (which would probably be another significant chunk), but what if they only sold another couple of hundred? In a scenario like that, they'd be bleeding money out of the profit they just made.
There will be no shortage of CD copies out there for people to buy if they still want it. They're not "depriving the fans". They already made enough, maybe the fans will just have to look for longer than 10 seconds to find it.
Vagabond Elf
You know the CDs are included in that limit, right? Sure, they're floating around out there somewhere as physical objects, but the studio won't be making any more of them either.
As much as I hate to defend Americans, this isn't a law. It's a contract. No legislative body has restricted the sale of this CD in any way – the problem is the studio and the musicians' union came to a deal that only 15,000 copies of this recording would be made ever. And now they've sold those copies, and the studio is keeping it's agreement and not making more. (They're also not bothering to make use of the part that says "you can make more if you give the union more money," but that's their choice to make.)
And shocking as it may sound, even in New Zealand one can get sued for not keeping one's part of a contract – and that's not something copied from the Americans, that's something all of us got from the Romans.
moreprimeland
Did the same thing Ano and it's cheaper from lala than Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Extinction-Score-Steve-Jablonsky/dp/B00OFJZ5LQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1417062438&sr=1-1&keywords=transformers+age+of+extinction
As for DOTM …Amazon.com still has the CD listing as 'unavailable', so I keep hoping they'll make it happen one day. Not likely tho.
The only other thing you can do if you want a CD is order the London Music Works "Trilogy" version:
http://www.amazon.com/Music-Transformers-Trilogy-London-Works/dp/B005E06HEE/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1417062594&sr=1-9&keywords=transformers+score+soundtrack
It's actually pretty good, has decent choices from all 3 movies.
Anodythe
My CD just arrived from LaLa Land music. As soon as I had finished reading the story, I ordered it. Just damned mad that i can't find Dark of the Moon on CD.
Ravage101
And thus adds to another long list of reasons people rip and share music because some other entity has to have more money.
So officially the TF3 and TF4 don't exist anywhere? Does that mean anyone who worked on the sound track can't get royalties anymore? Only 15,000 sales worth of royalties and that's it?
Please someone tell me that is not the case.
If that is the case, this whole need for more money via re-use costs after 15,000 sales would mean if the producers don't want to pay that extra charge…as a musician, I would be pissed! Seriously…"well there are no more residuals for your participation in the sound track because the work you did was too awesome and sold over 15,000 and since we impose extra fees that your producers can't afford, you are only allowed 15,000 units in royalties. Thank you for your understanding. -Your Union"
This can't be right.
Jetstorm
Pretty much this.
I'm a full supporter of buying everything legit, I never pirate. Except in situations like this. I do the same thing with shows I like that aren't on DVD. It's like, I'd LIKE to give these people my money, I really would, but if there's no product available that makes it very very difficult.
TCJJ
Wow, more stupid American laws concerning music and the sale of music. Way to murder an already-haemorrhaging industry.
Hey, New Zealand, did you hear that? The US thought of some other stupid thing. You better copy this bad idea and make it worse, too. That's what you guys are good at, right?
BeakLaser
Steve Jablonsky is so friendly and what a great response. give him a medal
Hollywood Hoist
Let's just blame Hasbro for everything that goes wrong. It was raining in Seattle… thanks Hasbro clearly you hate the Pacific Northwest.
artimus prime
I looked on lala land records and couldn't find any trace of the score…
Bumble-beePrime
Thanks buddy!
Anguish
While Steve's explanation states the reason why the score has been pulled, it also underlines how and why copyright as it exists is fundamentally broken.
That artists have created a thing, and that thing can be duplicated an infinite number of times without cost, and that thing becomes unsaleable because remuneration exceeds the costs of extending existing contracts is clearly not in the consuming public's best interest. Patrons of the arts are losing out here. Artists are losing out here. Distributors are losing out here. Everybody is losing out here, culturally and financially.
The system as it exists clearly is overly complicated. It seems that exceeding 15k copies incurs a lump sum payment for an additional block of copies. The rights-holds likely recognize they won't sell enough of the next block to justify that lump sum. So culture loses out. Instead there should be a per-unit extension; for each unit over the 15k base, a payment should be payed equal to the original negotiated payment divided by 15k. Clearly the industry tracks number of copies sold. So do the math. Sell some stuff.
But no. Instead they'll spend money combating piracy. Huh.
Mister Guy
I found the DOTM expanded score some time ago, along with the expanded scores from Movie 1 and ROTF; in that time I didn't even knew they were supposed to exist.
JDK
So to make sure these musicians get their fair share, they want fans to… pirate the soundtrack?
Noideaforaname
This might be the heart of the issue, actually. If 10k sales is "great" then it's unlikely that they'd get that much more; they're not going to renew the license fees* if all they're only getting is another thousand or two sales. It's a bit weird since this is major movie and the score's been selling so fast, but presumably they're confident it won't keep going to ~25-30k.
*evidently they went for a "$xx for each bulk of sales" type of payment rather than a "$x for each individual copy" royalty.
Shipmeadow
didnt the afm screw over austin wintory and martin o'donnell too
seems to be less about protecting musicians and more about collecting fees to me
Digilaut
Well, I guess this finally explains why the DOTM score was removed as well, and it had nothing to do with the plagiarism in It's Our Fight.
Really sorry to see these scores disappear. I'm lucky enough to have bought both from iTunes early on, so I have no trouble re-downloading them on my devices – which brings up my point: the data is totally still there. Not sure just how expensive the post-15k licenses are, but if so many people are interested in the score, wouldn't that price be insignificant compared to the gains?
Heck, Mr. Jablonsky mentions 5k-10k score sales are considered great – that it broke 15k means it's really, really popular.
Ah well…I guess there are people working on it who know much better how this system works and have determined it's not worth it. Still sucks for those of you who wanted to get it, because of the ease and because you genuinely want to support artists.
First off, this has nothing to do with Hasbro. I don't even understand why you'd come to that conclusion – the Transformers movie licenses are being held by Paramount, the music is apparently Warner Bros. They do not need approval from Hasbro to put these tracks online for sale, nor does Hasbro determine it's too much money for them to be worth it.
Also, none of the movie scores have released a 'full score'. Movie 1 and ROTF's expanded scores do circle around the net (and I'm sore one day the DOTM and AOE ones will too), but they have not been offered as genuine products to buy.
I do agree that they're an enjoyable part of the movies. Even if you hate the movies, the scores rock.
Afterburner
Because it is popular, it goes away. One would seem to think they could charge enough to make up for the fee. Certainly I am sure they didn't produce the scores for 1 and 2 at a loss. Also, those scores were dragged down by the quality of the accompanying soundtracks, which were awful, meaning they likely might have sold even more if they didn't waste their time thinking it is still 1996.
Someday we'll get some type of expensive box set. Only movie 2 got a full and proper score release which is sad considering almost every other "blockbuster" sees a full score release today. Just another middle finger at fans from Hasbro and the Producers. Can't even properly enjoy the one part of the movies I like.
SilverOptimus
Hah hah! I actually posted the news on the very minute you posted but got five minutes late to make the thread.
Anyway, credit given.
Enigma2K2
Later, the score will become one of the most pirated soundtracks in years, and they'll wonder why.