remakes of great songs and their use on TV shows/movies soundtracks
 

I tried watching the pilot episode of the NBC show Love Bites earlier this evening and was initially elated when it opened with the great Pretenders song "Message of Love", but then was dismayed to realize it was a cover by another band. This reminds me of several other times that the producers of a TV show or movie apparently chose a cover of a great pop/rock song in favor of the original? Does this occur for artistic reasons or because royalty payments are lower for a cover version compared to the original. [Incidentally, IMHO, the show Love Bites does just that.]

Thanks,
PG