Money For Old Rope
7:41 pm, December 7th, 2005,
What a great phrase “Money for old rope” is. And as writer/editor Giles Turnbull notes, half the new shows on the iTMS are exactly that — dreadful old crap with little but nostalgia value. And they’ll probably sell like crazy.
“The cost of licencing and converting old TV shows to a suitable digital format is a fraction of the cost of making new shows, or licencing the rights to use shows that are broadcast in peak time right now.
This is money for old rope. The iPod generation is being wooed into spending money on old content it has already seen and in many cases already paid for. Just as we bought CD copies of albums we’d already bought on tape or vinyl, and in some cases then bought the same tracks again on the iTMS. The same thing, purchased three times! That sort of brand loyalty makes record and TV company executives smile.
There’s a perceived value in nostalgia. People of my generation get a warm feeling when they hear those late 70s / early 80s new wave hits. And the same applies to some TV shows…”
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I’d hardly call the Sci-Fi channel’s new “Battlestar Galactica” old rope, though — sure, it’s a revisioning of the old show, but the new one isn’t the Battlestar I loved as a kid by a long shot. It has become the series I love all over again as an adult, actually.
Franko, on December 8th, 2005 at 4:35 am
Well, I would pay for old shows like “The Muppet Show” or “Monthy Python Flying Circus” without hesitating.
Not for “Knigh Rider” though,
singermornings, on December 8th, 2005 at 8:34 am
I was jazzed to see “Battlestar Galactica” available for download. It is easily the best thing on television now (this ain’t the kiddie show of the ’80s–this show deals with serious political and philosophical themes in a thoughtful and entertaining fashion). I am serving with Peace Corps in China and was very excited to be able to catch the second season I missed. As for “Knight Rider” huh? I can’t imagine downloading that schlock–it isn’t even schlocky enough to be fun. I can see the appeal of “Hitchcock” and “Monty Python” or “The Muppet Show” would definitely be welcome.
Jim MacTavish, on December 26th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Old rope stopped wooden planked ships from sinking. Made it worth quite a bit of money I’d think. It was separated into strands by workhouse inmates then converted into oakum for plugging the gaps.
Marty, on January 2nd, 2006 at 3:57 pm
When I was a boy of fourteen my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.
Foolish Mercenary, on July 16th, 2007 at 10:37 pm