Unions make joint call for iTunes TV show revenue

So maybe Prince was right for having the words SLAVE on his face when he had his issues with WB Records. And maybe this is why iTunes has been doing so well with the music industry...because there was no union trying to stifle and demand their piece of the pie! IMHO, I hate unions (based on my personal experience, the union screwed over my father when they should have taken up for him like they claimed they would do.)

I wonder what will Uncle Steve pull out of his hat to defeat this?

I don't think this is Apple's problem. I'm sure that like the music end, most of the price of the shows are going to the studios. They should be the sole parties on the hook. Apple is no more than an authorized reseller of material.

I'm sorry a union screwed your father. But it seems a fair deal to me that the performing artists receive their just due. All too often, they don't.

That is correct. Apple pays to use the material, the producers/suppliers are then responsible for distributing profits/shares across whoever is contractually obligated to receive it (yes, the same as the music store).

The unions here are just voicing their initial salvo at making sure its known they view the iTMS video content in the same way they view On Demand crap on CATV, and want a slice of the pie accordinly, as opposed to thinking its DVD content, which is (for some unknown reason) a much smaller slice.

And you got to love their use of the word "exploitation", like these guys were poor imigrants working in a sweatshop sewing clothes together.

Oh, and if all doesn't get settled, at least the writers and all can strike, and put a huge hit on the networks.

Oh, and depending on the contracts and all, some people still get screwed, regardless (I remember hearing Jack Klugman say that his deal for Quincy offered him a percentage of the profits of the show, and even though the show generated over a billion dollars in revenue, somehow they still hadn't broken even, so he made no money on the show.)

Am I the only one who thought it was funny this report was from 'The Enquirer'? The tabloid? There's a good source.

... the National Enquirer that you see in the checkout line at the grocery store. It appears to be a Cincinnati paper..

Z

This could be Apple's opportunity to have a subscription service. TV shows are usually only watched once or twice. If you want to own it, you're better off getting it on dvd anyway.

Give the actors more and the studios less. $1.99 is a good price for an episode of Lost, etc.