There are few things that stick in your head more than a great opening scene accompanied by an iconic song. Who can forget John Travolta walking down a Brooklyn street carrying a paint can with the Bee Gees Staying Alive blaring in the background?
Walt Disney films have plenty of great opening scenes accompanied by one of their classic songs. Hercules (1997) opens with the Gospel Truth, Aladdin (1992) introduces Robin Wiliams to the Disney universe with Arabian Nights, and The Lion King (1994) takes the viewer through The Circle of Life.
However, there are few more iconic movie introductions than the opening of Toy Story (1995). The opening scene shows Woody and Andy’s love for each other and perfectly encapsulates their relationship.
Accompanying that scene is the classic Disney song, You’ve Got a Friend in Me, by the legendary Randy Newman. Newman would be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lose to Color of the Wind from Disney’s Pocahontas (1995).
The Randy Newman song has made its way into Disney lure, and its singer has become a Disney Legend. However, Disney may have encountered a problem using that classic tune.
Yesterday, Litmus Music purchased the entire Randy Newman songbook, including dozens of songs written for Disney movies, including Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. (2001), Cars (2006), and The Princess and the Frog (2009).
The Carlyle Group, a venture capital firm, is backing Litmus Music. In the past five years, music catalogs have become hot commodities, and venture capital groups have snatched up the catalogs of artists like Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber.
Alex Popov, head of private credit at Carlyle, told Reuters:
With Randy Newman’s catalog, there is a significant value that’s being created by its affiliation with Disney and some of the storied movies like ‘Toy Story’. This is the type of asset that we gravitate to. In terms of stability of demand, Newman is at the top of the list.
Litmus Music will receive a portion of music royalties from Newman’s catalog and the publishing rights for his songs. This will allow the company to maximize its profits by selling the songs for use in films, television shows, and commercials.
For Disney, it means that some of its most cherished songs could be used by other entities, cheapening their sentimental value. It could also mean that Disney must pay higher music royalties for using the songs in its theme parks, parades, and fireworks shows.
In addition to his recorded songs for Disney films, Newman has written dozens of film scores for Disney movies, including all the Toy Story films, Monsters University (2013), and A Bug’s Life (1998). Newman has two Academy Awards for Best Original Song and seven Grammy Awards for his work.
The post Disney About To Lose Control of Some of Its Classic Songs appeared first on Inside the Magic.
