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Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues

Posted by Clarion on 8/4/2009, 10:44 am, in reply to "Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues"
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And what about theatres with no orchestra pit or too limited wing space for a band on stage or indeed audiences who are prepared to accept some compromise to ensure that they get some professional product on their door step? I'm afraid the 'one size fits all' argument just doesn't cut it anymore! --Previous Message-- : Completely disagree Sue and Clarion. It's : somebody standing up to producers who are : out for profit only. If you can't afford to : produce a musical with a live band - don't : do it. Theatre is about the LIVE experience. : Seeing and feeling a band. If you're going : to use a backing track for something like : the wizard of Oz, why not just play the film : on a big screen. : Live entertainment should be just that. : : --Previous Message-- : Sue - That's the first sensible comment on : this whole scenario I have read anywhere : (not just on this site). Well said! : : --Previous Message-- : Suing someone because you're dissappointed : with a performance seems excessive. Unless : the poster specified "Live music", : I'm suprised that the judge allowed it. : All right, I can understand that you'd feel : annoyed that you'd wasted your money but : that's the chance you take with anything - : be it theatre performance, film, theme park : or any sort of attraction : What's next - suing a pantomime because it : didn't make you laugh ? Or a film because : it didn't live up to it's trailers ? : I suppose now, we're going to have to have : posters filled with disclaimers just so : producers can cover themselves. : : : --Previous Message-- : Here is one of the articles about suing for : non live music from telegraph. : : Adrian Bradbury, 42, launched the legal : action under the Trades Descriptions Act, : claiming promotional posters for the show : were misleading. : The show was advertised with the slogan: : "Follow the Yellow Brick Road to The : Lowry this Christmas for the most magical : family musical of them all." : But singers were not accompanied by a live : orchestra and songs such as The Yellow Brick : Road were sung over a pre-recorded backing : tape. : Mr Bradbury said the tape even included the : sound of tap dancing and it was often out of : sync with the dancers on stage. : Mr Bradbury, who attended the show at : Manchester's Lowry Theatre with his twin : brother John, their wives and seven : children, has now been awarded the £134.50 : cost of the tickets and £50 legal expenses : at Manchester County Court. : He said: "We thought we were treating : our children to the wonders of musical : theatre for the first time but we were left : disappointed. : "I am delighted that a court of law has : recognised the importance of live : interaction in a musical performance. : "A pre-recorded track cannot react : musically to live singing or dancing, so has : no place in a musical theatre. : "Hopefully production companies and : theatres will now realise you cannot stage a : musical without an orchestra. : "Karaoke is fine in your local pub but : I would never pay to see it." : Mr Bradbury, from New Cross, London, said: : "When the music starts it normally : makes the hairs stand up on the back of your : neck. : "But instead it was obvious that it was : a synthesised backing tape. : "It meant that there could be : absolutely no interaction between the singer : and the music. : "The worst moment was when the : performers were tap-dancing - the sound of : the taps on the tape and those on the stage : were clearly out of time. : "There were some good special effects : and a lovely little dog - but it was : deceptive to advertise this as a : musical." : The production, put on after Christmas by a : company called Pele Productions, featured : Lorna Luft in the role of the Wicked Witch. : Miss Luft is the daughter of Judy Garland - : who starred in the landmark 1939 movie of : the show as Dorothy. : Tickets for the show at the 1,730 capacity : theatre cost between £15 and £27, with : children's tickets half price for some : performances. : Mr Bradbury and his brother, both of whom : are professional musicians, had the backing : of 74-year-old Sir Harrison Birtwistle, the : UK's foremost living composer. : In a report accompanying their claim, Sir : Harrison said singing to a backing track was : like having a conversation with an : answerphone. : He wrote: "The Wizard of Oz is a : musical, composed for a cast of : singers/actors with orchestral : accompaniment, with a musical director in : overall control. : "Without the orchestra or MD a : performance of The Wizard of Oz is best : described as karaoke." : Jonathan Harper, Lowry's marketing director, : said Mr Bradbury was the only person to : complain about the lack of live music out of : the 133,000 people who had seen the show. : He said: "Whilst we respect the judge's : decision we are disappointed with the : outcome. : "The judge based his decision on : whether he thought that Mr Bradbury's : individual expectations were met. : "However, it is worthy of note that : 133,000 theatre-goers have enjoyed The : Wizard of Oz at The Lowry and Mr Bradbury : was the only person who expressed any : concern with the lack of live music. : "We are grateful for the judge's : acknowledgement that he was not offering : opinion on the sector as a whole, but that : he was calling the decision based on Mr : Bradbury's personal response following his : visit to this show. : "As a receiving house, The Lowry, like : many other regional theatres, stages : musicals which contain live musicians, or : pre-recorded backing tracks - this depends : entirely on the circumstances of the show : and producer involved. : "The bulk of the musicals at The Lowry : also tour under the same circumstances to : other major theatres." : The Lowry houses two main theatres, studio : space for performing arts and galleries : showing the works of LS Lowry, alongside : contemporary exhibitions. : It is set in a waterside location at the : heart of the redeveloped Salford Quays in : Greater Manchester and opened in April 2000. : : : : : : : :

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Message Thread: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - taddy 7/30/2009, 8:11 am Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - Sue 8/3/2009, 12:19 pm Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - Clarion 8/3/2009, 1:18 pm Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - taddy 8/3/2009, 5:14 pm Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - Clarion 8/4/2009, 10:44 am Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - Rob 8/4/2009, 4:01 pm Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - taddy 8/5/2009, 9:14 am Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - Clarion 8/5/2009, 11:17 am Re: Telegraph article about suing taped music venues - taddy 8/9/2009, 1:51 pm « Back to thread

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