Doctor Who Music Rights Sold By BBC
By David Hill
The BBC is still looking for ways to raise even more funds for their programming. As such, it may not be a surprise that they have sold the rights to some of their old theme music catalog, including shows like Doctor Who.
Typically, when one hears that a network is selling the rights to the theme music for their shows, it is time for concern. For those shows, like Doctor Who, whose theme is truly iconic, the idea of another entity having rights to that score is concerning. Will they change that theme so that it is unrecognizable? Will guest musicians play the themes going forward? What will happen in the future?
Fortunately, as the BBC is selling the rights to the theme music for Doctor Who, Luther, and other shows, that is not something to be concerned with. It is simply a part of the normal order of operations, as they periodically sell the back catalog to their theme music every five years or so. Now that a sufficient amount of music had built up, those rights were sold to the highest bidder.
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Owned by BMG, the same music company that has the rights to the music of artists such as David Bowie and Nirvana, we may hear some of these themes in various commercials or other media. Not only could these iconic themes be a part of advertising campaigns, in video games, or in other formats, but the background music could be used as well.
It may be a bit disconcerting to hear the familiar theme music for Doctor Who during an advertising break, only to rush back to see a chip commercial. However, it is a normal part of business, and should help to continue the excellent programming we have come to expect from the BBC. After all, it is not like the Doctor hasn’t sold merchandise before…
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