Why don't WWE use 'real' songs like ECW did?

[Libertine]

'Enter Sandman', 'Walk' and 'Man In The Box' being the obvious ones; what's the difference between ECW using them and WWE not?

If it's a money issue then surely WWE are better equipped financially?

[Jiren]

they'd rather spend it on the Diva search

[Taupy]

Maybe it has something to do with video games. I remember that when a real band made a song for a wrestler (Kid Rock for Undertaker), there is always problem to put the song in the game.

I may be wrong too. But just look at the ECW, Smackdown and RAW Theme Song, they are made by real band.

[Allison Reynolds]

I question this one too, but mostly because I'm probably just oblivious to all the legal details.

[Kash Flagg]

Since ECW wasn't seen on national TV until TNN, they could probably skirt the issue with using real songs. Quite sure they didn't use them legally. Notice how the music changed once they were on TNN, even though they still used some regular music. I think RVD's music was changed to the cover version from the ECW soundtrack.

[drakulon]

Someone can be more specific than I am, but I thought I heard that ECW had a sweetheart deal with a music licensing company. This meant that they could use Metallica/Pantera/AIC much cheaper than say the WWF/WWE could.

[Allison Reynolds]

But this was ECW on TNN and it had Sandman's theme.

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BL8RQAQdYuc&NR=1

[Kash Flagg]

That's possible as well. I've noticed on some older ECW promos and such that they would credit the song, like Miserlou.

[Kash Flagg]

surfan808 said:

But this was ECW on TNN and it had Sandman's theme.

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BL8RQAQdYuc&NR=1

It's possible I'm wrong and right. If that makes sense.

[Legion]

It's all to do with money.

If they use a song, rather than the artist saying thanks, they instead tend to ask for more money for the song to be used not just in video games but also on dvd releases.

Therefore, WWE would have to shell out everytime they made a new game and every time they issued a new dvd. This would be too expensive.

Obviously they do do it, see Triple H, but then he does make the company money. Other people dont, especially the ECW originals.

Last i heard the WWE had changed its contracts to use less well known bands so that they could stiff them on paying, ie, one lump sum and then nothing else, which is why Edge, Kane, Punk etc. all use proper bands music, but they are bands that aren't worldwide or super popular.

[Deleted]

What I "heard" is Heyman paid $150K for the rights to use "Enter Sandman".

Either Paul's serious and had to cut a few wrestlers because of it, or this was part of Vince's buy-in.

[Crappler El 0 M]

Record companies and artists were more lenient to ECW because they were low scale. ECW would work out deals with them that the record companies/artists wouldn't do with WWF. Even when ECW went to DVD they sometimes went with cover bands doing songs, because they pretty much had permission to use the themes on TV and PPV, but not for DVD/home video.

For WWE, it is an unneeded expense to the pay licensing fees to use songs from other artists since they spend money to produce their own music. Jim Johnston and his team do excellent work if you ask me.

[Asics Johnson]

I haven't heard a good Jim Johnston theme in ten years.

[Hassan bin Sober]

Uh . . WWE does use real songs. Edge and Orton's themes for example.

[leemir]

All the best themes in WWE these days are MVP, Mark Henry, Orton, Edge & all HHH's Motorhead theme. They are all real songs by real bands but they were made specially for WWE right?

[krazysane]

WWe has been using real bands for music lately over the past 5 or so years, as the ones mentioned above, you got Torries theme, marias were also made for him.

[Crappler El 0 M]

leemir said:

All the best themes in WWE these days are MVP, Mark Henry, Orton, Edge & all HHH's Motorhead theme. They are all real songs by real bands but they were made specially for WWE right?

HHH's themes were written for him/WWE, though I believe some of them have been on Motorhead albums as well. I am pretty sure that MVP's, Mark Henry's, and Orton's were written specifically for or by WWE. I believe usually Jim Johnston writes a song and gets an actual artist to record it. Three 6 Mafia were fans of WWE, so that probably explains why they would do Mark Henry's.

I am not sure about Edge's theme, but I believe Alter Bridge wrote that song. I believe they are Edge fans/wrestling fans. They have licensed a few themes to WWE over the years.

[MNM's Official "Fixer"]

Because Vince is cheap.

[kingoftheindies]

chrisandtrish469 said:

Because Vince is cheap.

or in some cases (ie Metallica) the bands are greedy bastards. Thus, ECW used the Motorhead version of Enter Sandman a lot more than the Metallica version

["Nature Boy" Ric Moranis]

WWE could play just about any old song for somebody's entrance on RAW or Smackdown, assuming that USA and the CW Network each pay the blanket yearly fee to The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP...which they probably do, since most broadcast and cable networks do). The networks would cover WWE's ass there, so if Burke wanted to come out to Hendrix like he did in OVW...they'd be in the clear.

The problem is, WWE would be responsible for paying separate ASCAP fees for PPVs. Vince is too cheap for this. So there's no point in creating a TV entrance around a song that can't be used on PPV.

But then again, Hogan used to come out to that Jimi Hendrix song when he was in the NWO, both on TV and PPV...did he actually buy that song? I always figured that Time Warner owned it, but that wouldn't really matter as far as ASCAP goes, and it seems like something Hogan would (and could) do.