PlayUSA: No Musicals For You, Briton!

May 5, 2006 · 2 minute read

While I was in America, watching a Norwegian Dance Theatre video (um, yes), Christa recommended that I watch The Red Shoes, which, as a Powell and Pressburger film, I believe probably features a host of sumptuous and glorious Technicolor (a belief that she has affirmed). So, upon arriving home, I went looking around the Internet trying to order a copy. There’s a Region 2 release, but it comes via Granada, so the DVD is probably shot from an old Betamax copy they had lying around the warehouses in Manchester. However, there’s also Region 1 Criterion edition. Oooh. As a film snob as well as a Mac snob, I decided I’d plump for that version.

But! Disaster! I went to PlayUSA, added it to my basket, and went to the checkout. At which point, the site complained bitterly that I had 'ordered a music DVD which cannot be shipped to UK addresses'. Now, I'd heard that for some reason (I believe RIAA-inspired), Play was no longer shipping concerts or music video DVDs to these shores, but The Red Shoes is neither. So I sent them an email. Their reply was a little confusing, as it confirmed that they don't ship music DVDs, but also that they no longer ship some 'music-related' DVDs.

I went back to Play, filled my basket with Singin' In The Rain, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and Grease. As soon as I hit the checkout, the site removed them all. Musicals are not welcome in the UK, it seems.

It's a little bizarre; I'm wondering where they draw the line? Why is a film with a soundtrack allowed through, but not a musical?

In the end, I ordered it from CD-WOW instead. They don't seem to have a problem with letting the British get their hands on 'music-related' DVDs. Hurrah!