“In a show of unity, five unions representing actors, writers and directors issued a joint call for talks to make sure their members get a cut of revenue generated by the sale of TV shows on Apple’s iTunes software,” The Associated Press reports. “The unions sent a clear message to TV producers. ‘We have not yet heard from the responsible employers of our members,’ their joint statement said. ‘But we look forward to a dialogue that ensures that our members are properly compensated for this exploitation of their work.'”
AP reports, “The unions have not yet called ABC or its parent, The Walt Disney Co., to discuss how much of the $1.99 that Apple is charging for a single episode should go to writers, actors and directors.”
Full article here.
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This’ll all work out. Disney isn’t stupid and this is very standard stuff. It’s between Disney and the unions, it has nothing to do with Apple. We imagine the unions will get some sort of a percentage for their members. How much of a percentage is the real issue.
It’s interesting some of the contrasting statements read here about the music industry and royalties vs. motion picture/TV folks…
Screw the unions…. How much investment did the union, actors, directors and producers put up for creating the concept? I’m fed up with the Hollywood Idiots….. Let’s take movies to Animation and we can all have entertainment for LESS…..
and, as the reasoned arguments fade, this thread degenerates into:
uh-huh!
uh-hu!
uh-huh!
uh-uh!
did too!
did not!
you’re a poopy-head!
nuh-uh…
progeny wrote: “and Disney is a good company and will surely bargain in good faith here.” On what basus do you make this blanket statement? You must not have read so many of the horror stories of creative abuse and exploitation practiced by Disney.
progeny also wrote: “Unions are doing what they are supposed to be doing… making sure that their members get a fair percentage of the fruits of their labors.” Seems to me that most have missed the implicit important point of this press release: The *unions* missed the boat on this one, and they are scrambling to catch up to the no-doubt-blistering criticisms they are receiving from their members for not maiing sure that this revenue stream was covered in their standard contracts.
I have zero truck for parasitic unions or for poor corporate management. But this is completely about the unions playing catchup to something on which they dropped the ball. Once again, Steve Jobs leads, and the unimaginative follow.
imacUK
Conservatives in the UK are more socialist than the left wing of the dems in the US.
Glad I left.
ron :
left what the usa or the uk?
MW: since
Haha. The uk place of course. When I worked there the unions were always down tools, strike, screw off. In the USA I was able to make my little fortune because I worked hard. Now I’m comfortably retired on my 3 acres in sunny So Cal. Thanks.
ron : nice one. i’m happy for you.
i must say that the unions do not have anything like the effect on the workplace they used to in the 70’s and early 80’s. i’m not sure the country could cope if things went back to the three day week nonsense!
MW: except
I ‘m glad the unions were tamed a bit by Margaret T. I left in the early 60’s. Now I’m in my early 70’s and lovin’ it with my nano pod and new iMac etc.
I deal with actors and writers and directors – and as soon as they see the shining line of gold they’re a bunch of money derange idiots, mostly engrossed in their own believe that the world revolves around them — the unions can stick it up ther a–!. They can go to hell and don’t come back, becouse ultimatelly they protect no one.
One – maybe they’re deranged from hunger…
What is the unemployment rate of actors and directors in your country? Maybe they’re deranged because when they do get a gig, they get shafted by agents and managers…
from Panoz: “…On what basus do you make this blanket statement? You must not have read so many of the horror stories of creative abuse and exploitation practiced by Disney…”
I base it on the fact that tens of thousands of people voluntarily choose to work for them and suffer the heart-wrenching abuse of being a Disney employee – don’t act like they’re some sweat shop laying the whip onto slave labor…
I find it amazing that this board goes ballistic when anyone talks about money not getting to musicians from sales of their music, but let someone create, act in, or direct a film and they’re automatically a greedy bastard who doesn’t deserve a dime if the distribution arm of their company starts selling the content that they created in a new medium.
Gotta get me some of that ‘basus’.
Upon what basis do I spout this ?
Greedy liberal scumbag unions.
I’m not sure the term ‘worker’ and ‘actor’ can actually be used in the same sentence and still make sense in a way that most people understand reality.
But getting away from ‘actors’ unions’ and lets talk real unions, such as the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, of which I’m a proud member and delegate in my workplace.
These ‘real worker’ unions have fought for the conditions that many of us, take for granted.
(and no offense to people working in the Arts; as society where would we be without thought provoking, consciousness expanding or just plain entertaining literature, songs, performing arts, visual arts, sculpture etc)
Annual leave, sick leave, family leave, penalty rates for overtime, shiftwork and working public holidays, anti-discrimination protections, occupational health and safety laws, meal and rest breaks, guaranteed regular hours, the end to child labour (at least in the West) – these are all things which have been fought for and won by unions over the past century and more.
None of this came about out of the kindness of the capitalists or politicians hearts. Ordinary workers had to organise and fight for these things.
Unions make mistakes from time to time, and a very small number get too big for their boots, but on the whole they do an excellent job of protecting your rights and conditions and achieving fair compensation for your labour.
G Spank, your 23″ cinema display has MANY more pixels than a plasma tv or the vast majority of other TVs, including 30″ers.