Quoting skipnet50:

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You are stretching, hal.

Hal is most certainly not stretching. It's painfully obvious that the community doesn't agree on all aspects of this issue, but this really is the first, basic step that actually is crystal clear in the contribution rules: under no circumstance can theme writers be given a "composer" credit. The rules spell it out: "composer" is only to be "used for the composer of the film's Original Score", and the rules go on to specify four "acceptable" credits which qualify for the use of "composer". "Theme writer" is not one of them, nor anything like it. The rules really leave no wiggle room whatsoever.

Again, that is step one: theme writers cannot get a "composer" credit. Step two is: can we still credit them? My answer is, yes, we can credit them as "song writers". That may be harder to grasp for a number of users, but step one really is settled beyond any doubt in the contribution rules.

Well, that seems unlikely when you look in the database: thousands of profiles have theme writers entered as song writers - and quite rightly so, IMHO.

Quoting nolesrule:

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Well, I wouldn't call it "rightly"...more of a loophole in the existing rules.

I'll stick with "rightly", thank you very much.   As of yet, it's the only correct way to enter them. Period.

I just fail to understand why this is such a problem. Both the software and the rules allow us to track both the composer of the score and other (original) musical contributors, while maintaining a clear separation between the two. Things couldn't be more simple.

Quoting skipnet50:

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AND thousands of them have theme writers entered as composers and quite rightly so, IMHO. ASSUMING we are talking about an instrumental piece of music.

I know you're doing that, yes, but it's factually against the rules. Once again, the rules spell it out: "composer" is only to be "used for the composer of the film's Original Score", and the rules go on to specify four "acceptable" credits which qualify for the use of "composer". "Theme writer" is not one of them, nor anything like it. The rules really leave no wiggle room whatsoever. It's just now allowed. I don't care so much if you don't agree with me about using "song writer", but using "composer" really is out of the question. That's not my preference - it's right there, black and white, in the rules.

Every time you're submitting a theme writer as a "composer", you're breaking the rules.

Quoting Unicus69:

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The word 'song' means: a short musical composition with words.

For the umpteenth time: outside definitions have no bearing on how we look at things for DVD Profiler purposes, so I just don't care. If this definition was in the rules, you'd be absolutely right. But it isn't. The rules say absolutely nothing about this, and the best hint that we have is the the rules specifically rule out using "composer" for themes. That, combined with the wish to credit these significant musical contributions and the fact that the the rules do not prohibit themes to be entered as "song writers", convinced me, and countless others, to do so. Also remember this...

I want to track the theme writer, the use of "composer" is prohibited, but using "song writer" isn't. So that's what I use - it's as simple as that, and as I've said all along, I've used nothing else than our own contribution rules to come to that conclusion. It sure seems like a better solution than lumping them together with the actual composer of the score, which, again, is simply not allowed by the rules.

Quoting T!M:

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As of yet, it's the only correct way to enter them. Period.

No, the only correct way to enter them is not to enter them at all, until we get a "Theme By" credit. 

Quoting T!M:

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Quoting Unicus69:

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The word 'song' means: a short musical composition with words.

For the umpteenth time: outside definitions have no bearing on how we look at things for DVD Profiler purposes, so I just don't care. If this definition was in the rules, you'd be absolutely right. But it isn't. The rules say absolutely nothing about this, and the best hint that we have is the the rules specifically rule out using "composer" for themes. That, combined with the wish to credit these significant musical contributions and the fact that the the rules do not prohibit themes to be entered as "song writers", convinced me, and countless others, to do so. Also remember this...

I want to track the theme writer, the use of "composer" is prohibited, but using "song writer" isn't. So that's what I use - it's as simple as that, and as I've said all along, I've used nothing else than our own contribution rules to come to that conclusion. It sure seems like a better solution than lumping them together with the actual composer of the score, which, again, is simply not allowed by the rules.

Since it seems that nobody can agree what is or isn't something I think we are in desperate need of a Glossary attached to the contribution rules to hopefully eliminate confusion.

Quoting hal9g:

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a whole bunch of TV series have "Theme By" credited as "Composer"

Yes, and they're all wrong. We might disagree over whether to enter them as song writers or to leave them out altogether, but using "composer" is definitely not allowed.

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the only correct way to enter them is not to enter them at all, until we get a "Theme By" credit.

As long as there's no indication that we're ever going to get such a credit, I prefer entering them as "song writers". I repeat: that method lets us neatly track both the composer of the score and any other (original!) musical contributors, while maintaining a clear separation between the two. There are no drawbacks whatsoever. And, unlike using "composer", it's not prohibuted by the rules. Still, it's clear that not everyone is up to this, and I don't mind. Not entering them at all is fine by me, too, although I don't think that it's what most users want, or even will do. At this point, I'm mainly concerned about those incorrectly entering them as "composers"...