Jim Morrison would say that everyone’s selling out today. Flip on the tube…it seems that everyone—from legends like The Beatles (Target) and Bob Dylan (iPod, Victoria’s Secret) to lower-flying comets M Ward (Volkswagen) and Regina Spektor (XM Radio)—is licensing music to television commercials. Even previously outspoken opponents like Steve Earle and John Mellencamp signed on for Chevy truck campaigns in 2006.

Many supporters of Indiana’s favorite son were shocked. “April 1984—Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Uh Huh Tour—Mellencamp states to the audience that he would never use his songs in commercials,” one disillusioned blogger wrote after hearing “Our Country” in the Chevy ad. “Yeah, I was there and heard it. ‘I was born in a small town?’”

Mellencamp defended his decision in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine: “There’s certain people who will say, ‘I can’t believe Mellencamp’s done that!’ But at the time I was making this record, Tom Petty had just put out a beautiful record, you know? Times have changed. Dylan’s selling his songs. If nobody’s playing Petty’s record, why the fuck would they play mine?”

Good point. This hasn’t been Morrison’s world for some time. Starchy corporate radio formatting has made irrelevant his notion that it was artistically feeble for the other Doors to sell “Light My Fire” to Buick in 1967. Most modern day songwriters have to look to outlets other than radio to spread their music; a paradigm shift has redefined artistic integrity. In fact, many songwriters argue that it’s now more respectable to hear their songs on television commercials than to have them played on the radio.
“As long as I’m not doing something for a cause that I don’t believe in or expressing a viewpoint that I don’t believe in, I don’t think it’s selling out,” folk-rocker Citizen Cope says. “Radio has its own formula, and I haven’t been accepted by even the smallest forms of radio. Deep down, the question is: Is your music credible? I’m not going to be defined by someone else’s ideals as far as selling out or not.”

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Citizen Cope

Cope makes no bones about it. He’s proud that his music’s been on television commercials. “If you look at it, radio has no credibility anymore,” he says. “So, you know, is getting your music on the radio today selling out? Historically, it’d be great to have your stuff on radio, but there’s nothing breaking there anymore—nothing with any edge or importance. It’s actually kind of corny to be on radio now. On the other hand, visual and music [in commercials] really work well together. You might even see one and think, ‘That was cool.’”

Pontiac gave Cope his first significant boost in 2004. It came at the right time. Cope’s RCA debut The Clarence Greenwood Recordings had been critically lauded earlier that year, but it achieved only modest initial sales. The Brooklyn resident gave an eager thumb’s up when the automobile manufacturer asked permission to use his “Son’s Gonna Rise” in an ad campaign. Results came quickly.

“There were people at shows who’d say, ‘I heard your music the first time in that commercial and went out and bought the album,” he explains. “It definitely had an effect on my career. Television is so powerful, and the exposure of having my music in that commercial was so big. There are so few outlets to get your music out there right now that it seems absurd to miss an opportunity. And I feel good enough about my record to feel that it’s a good thing.”

But Cope does draw a line. He refuses to compose music specifically for a commercial. “I’ve been asked to write songs for [commercials] and film,” he explains. “It just doesn’t work that way. Would I write a song specifically for a commercial? Most likely not. It’s just not what I do. I don’t know if I’d be inspired to do that.”

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INDIE TESTIMONIAL

Griffin House & Rembrandt

I am so very thankful to Mother (the ad agency that is launching Rembrandt's new campaign) for noticing me. The co-founder of the company, Linus Karlsson, discovered my music through his wife, Karla, and they came to a show of mine at the Living Room in NYC a year ago when I was on tour with my band. It was a great night. I was invited to a men's dinner by Bill Flanagan (senior VP at MTV/VH1), and I ended up sitting next to Steve Lillywhite, who I'd met a few times before. Max Weinberg and Elvis Costello and a bunch of other people [were there]…a guy like me was so thrilled to meet them that he can’t help dropping their names…I’m just trying to convey the fact that it wasn’t your everyday-ordinary night. I ended up at the Living Room after dinner to play my show, and my band was giving me a bunch of shit for going to this "men's dinner" by myself. Bill and Steve came to the show, and little did I know that amongst the packed crowd, Linus was sitting in the audience…and that he would end up, a year later, using my favorite song from my album Lost and Found, “Waterfall,” for Rembrandt’s commercial. They flew me up to NYC to do a photo shoot in October and talked to me about their ideas behind marketing and advertising, and how they wanted to use part of their energies in the campaign to sort of help and maybe even break a new artist. I have to say there is something really special and inspiring about Linus and Mother. They are really amazing at what they do, but they are equally great people with big hearts. The financial support I received for the song placement in the commercial was such a timely blessing because it allowed me to come out to California and do the record I am doing right now. I think that it is a testament to the fact that if you write and play and sing from the heart, and you do it because you really love what you do, that good stuff can happen. Rembrandt and Mother have been so good to me and so supportive, I just want to thank them for having it in their hearts to take the time to take a chance on supporting a new artist and dreaming right along side the dreamers. It's amazing to be a part of it. –GRIFFIN HOUSE

Robert Randolph

Then there’s Robert Randolph. The steel guitar virtuoso would gladly dream up new licks if the right company asked. “Yeah, definitely,” he says. “We’ve been given the gift of songwriting. So, for someone to say they want you specifically write something for them, it’s a challenge. I’ve talked to Eric Clapton and John Rich from Big & Rich and Hank Jr. about that…it helps expand your career and broadens your mind. I would be up for it if the product’s something that I could stand for, something that’s not derogatory toward anyone.”

Like, say, AT&T Wireless. The corporate giant used “Ain’t Nothing Wrong with That,” the lead track on Randolph and the Family Band’s 2006 album Colorblind, in a huge advertising push during this year’s Super Bowl. Talk about reaching a few new listeners. Randolph chalks up that stroke of fortune to AT&T identifying as much with his personal values as the song.

“These companies aren’t only looking for good music, they’re trying to find somebody who has the right image and isn’t mixed up in all kinds of negativity,” he figures. “It became an embarrassment, for example, when Sports Illustrated put Carmelo Anthony on the cover and then he had that big fight. The guys at AT&T really appreciate what band and I stand for and that we come from the church.”

Randolph’s grounded nature helps him process the business and promotional side of his career. The New Jersey native agrees with Cope’s assertion that television has usurped radio as the most viable route for deepening—or maintaining—an artist’s fan base. “Television is the new radio with all the commercials,” he says. “Bob Dylan or U2 wouldn’t sell as many records without the iPod commercial because they can’t get on pop radio. It’s the same artists constantly on mainstream radio.

“Television gives us a broader audience. If you’re talking the Super Bowl, that’s hundreds of millions of people hearing your song on a commercial—way more than you’ll get on the radio in a month.”

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Nick Drake

This afternoon’s alliteration: Petulant poets prosper posthumously.

In Nick Drake’s case, thank Volkswagen for that. The British songwriter, an obscurity during his brief lifetime, has become a folk icon in the past decade—largely because VW used his signature tune “Pink Moon” in a 2000 commercial. Just think of this: In some circles, because of a car company, Drake’s name has found its place next to Cohen, Dylan and Van Zandt. It’s amazing. So are his album sales, which have skyrocketed from the ground level in this new millennium.

Trevor Dann, author of the latest Drake biography (Deeper than the Darkest Sea), believes Drake would’ve disagreed with the tactic. But he also thinks it was ultimately harmless to Drake’s reputation. “It’s like Robert Johnson’s deal at the crossroads, isn’t it?” Dann submitted to American Songwriter via email. “Did the VW spot bring a new generation to Nick Drake’s music? Yes, he sold more records in 2000 than in all the previous years his albums had been available—put together. In Nick’s case, VW even added a button to their website directing people to a music retailer. So it was probably a good deal in the end. Would he have approved if he’d been alive? Probably not, but that’s life—or, indeed, death!”

Besides golden slumber, in passing Drake has another distinct advantage over those like Earle and Mellencamp; it’s hard to accuse a dead man of selling out. “For two reasons, the VW spot didn’t damage his credibility,” Dann continues. “First, the ad was beautifully shot and his music was used tastefully (the directors were both big Drake fans). Second, he didn’t make the decision. It was his estate, literally his sister Gabrielle, who will have agreed to the request.”

Cally, a representative of Drake’s estate who identifies herself only by first name, feels that longtime admirers were on the fence over the VW spot. “I think a few were appalled, but many felt good that Nick was gaining recognition,” she says. “There are a few older fans who would prefer that he remained their secret, in the cult-status tiny bracket that Nick himself was so eager to get out of. I am a little perplexed that they are happy to deny him the very recognition he deserved whilst he was alive and would have quite enjoyed, we think.”

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CASE STUDY

Jay-Z & Anheuser-Busch

When Anheuser-Busch comes to mind, you can either think of a night out on the town with your closest comrades playing pool or hurling darts while throwing back a cold one, or you can think of brewery excellence to the tune of 48.8 percent market share of U.S. beer sales. When Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter comes to mind, you can either think of eight consecutive summers of lyrical dominance from the radio to the nightclubs, or his unmatched wizardry in maneuvering the direction of urban/pop culture by the flicker of his pointer finger. Now, you can think of Anheuser-Busch and Jay-Z as a win/win situation. Mr. Carter, current President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, was appointed Co-Brand Director for Budweiser Select (the first celebrity signed to assist in the development of any brand at Anheuser-Busch) a little over six months ago. Mr. Carter has his hands on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development; this marketing remix is a far cry from when rap artists would drop the names of corporate giants throughout their lyrics without hearing one endorsing word in their favor. So why is it now acceptable for a Fortune 500 company to link itself directly to the urban market? The hip-hop culture, even at its least notable, has become the permanent voice of all that is “in” for consumers across the demographic board. An elite artist becomes the lead player in “Simon Says” each time he/she pens a trendsetting lyric. So if the influences of hip-hop can positively impact a company’s bottom-line, what do you think would happen when this “urban pass” is revoked? Jay-Z had the chance to wield his sphere of influence last year. In 2006 new managing director for Cristal, Frederic Rouzaud, was quoted to have made racist statements in the direction of the hip-hop community regarding urban consumption of the elite champagne. Jay-Z quickly pulled all bottles of Cristal out of his 40/40 Clubs, raised awareness of the statement to his community and denounced Cristal as the preeminent drink of status. After the gauntlet was dropped, Rouzaud quickly back-peddled on his previous statements, but it was too late. This marketing remix between Anheuser-Busch and Carter has trail blazed a unique venture, bridging the gap between time-tested mainstream strategies and infectious urban persuasion. Expect many other Fortune 500 companies to follow suit in the near future. –WILL “DESHAIR” FOSKEY

PUMP AUDIO

Listen for Brett Dennen’s “Blessed” the next time the Hilton hotel logo pops up on the screen. The lead track on the home-schooled Californian’s 2005 self-titled, self-produced debut represents this new age of advertising. It’s far more likely that viewers will discover independent artists like Dennen than hear an old favorite like Bob Seger, whose “Like a Rock” was a Chevy staple for years.

“I think, if anything, people are more aware of independent music as an option,” says Pump Audio CEO Steve Ellis. “People now realize that independent music is useful and can be good. Right now it’s a wide trend in the mindset of songwriters to be more independent, and to think independently. Also, the people choosing the music for commercials are more musically-oriented editors.”

Ellis has had first-hand experience. His 1990s band, The Simpletons, licensed music to commercials in an era when canned music was still the norm. Weary of his group sliding from major to indie labels and back with scant success, the experience redirected the British-born songwriter’s career path. He founded Pump Audio in 2001 as a means to serve as middleman between independent artists and commercial music editors. It’s been a hit.

The company’s centerpiece is “The PumpBox,” a database of more than 75,000 songs that Ellis offers prospective clients looking to place music in commercials, TV shows, videos, Internet downloads…you name it. The agreement (profits are split 50-50) between Pump and indie artists is mutually beneficial, and songwriters maintain all rights to their songs. Ellis says songwriters should use Pump to shoot for long-term success as a working musician—not overnight glory.

“A lot of people get sort of star struck, and they think that a big commercial might help you do this or that,” he reckons. “It’s hard to get in those commercials. A lot of people and labels are competing to get in those big commercials. You need to have the right song at the right time. We think aiming for one hit like that is no way to make a living. It’s more about having a system where there’s an ongoing opportunity to earn.”

BIBI FARBER

Pump Audio has helped Bibi Farber hit it both big and small. It placed one of the New York-based musician’s songs in a Kodak commercial (payoff: $10,500), as well as more than 250 lower profile television and video spots last year (which she estimates combined for about $7,500). Her tunes reached a diverse crowd, too. Pump placed them in everything from Food Network segments to a World Wrestling Federation DVD.

“Pump is really wonderful because they’re open to all genres of music,” Farber says. “You could be a struggling jazz guy who writes big band arrangements, and if you can just get them recorded and mastered, Pump will probably have a use for it. Boy, there’s some good music on commercials these days—fresh, original sounding. I think the canned, jingle-sounding music is never going to return. Contemporary original music on TV is par for the course now.”

Article from American Songwriter magazine May-June 2007 issue.
Used with Permission from American Songwriter.
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