Eh… I gave up on ever being shocked by things like this when I heard an elevator music version of a Cure song in a grocery store once. I knew it was all downhill from there.
I definitely know where you’re coming from but I gotta say that I’ve got very mixed emotions here. It used to bother me that artists that I loved were getting played in commercials. After all, back in 1979 who would have ever predicted that the Ramones of ALL people would be used in a commercial for one of the world’s biggest monopolies (which AT&T was back then).
But times change and given that most of the artists I like these days get very little traditional radio airplay, a lot of them have been forced to alternative means to get their songs heard. These non-traditional methods are becoming a part of letting people know about new music because even people like Bruce Springsteen can’t count on getting a song on the radio. So you end up seeing TV commercials for Bruce’s new CD.
The world’s biggest band, U2 understood this very well, thus the Vertigo/iPod tie-in for which they didn’t collect a single dime directly from Apple. Is U2 cooler because they were on an iPod commercial or is an iPod cooler because U2 does a free commercial for them?
If I’m an artist, I want people to experience my art. I want people to come to my shows. If traditional radio is going to continue to suck and play the same 30 bands over and over, I’m going to find another way to be heard.
Then again, if radio didn’t suck, there wouldn’t be a need for Musical Justice, would there? :)
Eh… I gave up on ever being shocked by things like this when I heard an elevator music version of a Cure song in a grocery store once. I knew it was all downhill from there.
For me, the moment of disillusionment came when I heard “Fortunate Son” used in a patriotic Ralph Lauren ad.
I definitely know where you’re coming from but I gotta say that I’ve got very mixed emotions here. It used to bother me that artists that I loved were getting played in commercials. After all, back in 1979 who would have ever predicted that the Ramones of ALL people would be used in a commercial for one of the world’s biggest monopolies (which AT&T was back then).
But times change and given that most of the artists I like these days get very little traditional radio airplay, a lot of them have been forced to alternative means to get their songs heard. These non-traditional methods are becoming a part of letting people know about new music because even people like Bruce Springsteen can’t count on getting a song on the radio. So you end up seeing TV commercials for Bruce’s new CD.
The world’s biggest band, U2 understood this very well, thus the Vertigo/iPod tie-in for which they didn’t collect a single dime directly from Apple. Is U2 cooler because they were on an iPod commercial or is an iPod cooler because U2 does a free commercial for them?
So if these major artists want/need to do this, why not smaller bands? Other acts like the Caesars (“Jerk It Out” – iPod), Nick Drake (“Pink Moon” – Volkswagen), Richard Buckner(“Ariel Ramirez” – Volkswagen), Alexi Murdoch(“Orange Sky” – Honda) have all gotten far more attention because of the use of their songs in a commercial.
If I’m an artist, I want people to experience my art. I want people to come to my shows. If traditional radio is going to continue to suck and play the same 30 bands over and over, I’m going to find another way to be heard.
Then again, if radio didn’t suck, there wouldn’t be a need for Musical Justice, would there? :)
Oh, there will always be a need for Musical Justice.