I wanted to share with our fans and friends my thoughts on interesting things I've heard and seen related to great music from the Y100Rocks.com playlist. This is rather long, but hopefully not boring....
Let me start by asking if fans of R.E.M. and/or Disney have noticed worlds colliding recently. The ultimate indie band has for the first time decided to get into bed with a media monolith, allowing their classic song "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" in trailers and commercials for the new Disney film Chicken Little.
Hearing alt-rock in a commercial context can still be frowned upon by fans and critics. The tag of "sellout," of making the choice to jump at a rock'n'roll payday in exchange for music to help sell mouthwash, could be the end of the world as artists know it in terms of credibility.
Yet longtime followers know that R.E.M. remains as fiercely independent as possible. They're still punk enough to play in bowling alleys (a recent event, Google it if you haven't heard about it yet), and they claim to not do anything that doesn't feel right. Indeed, years ago Microsoft offered millions for the right to use "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" for the launch of the Windows 2000 operating system. R.E.M. famously said no, and the Rolling Stones ended up with Bill Gates' very lucrative sloppy seconds.
Songs like these work because they capitalize on obvious, even humorous connections. Another successful song -- not on our playlist but certainly part of the lore of the old Y100 radio station -- is Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger." Recently reconstructed as a personalized theme song for those energized by canned Starbucks espresso, commercials for the beverage won viewer raves and advertising awards for elevating the track from mere joke to sly punchline.
Less imaginative shills for a product, or for an artist's own music, might also be forgiven if the artist and music really astounds. Face it, if Bloc Party weren't OMG Bloc Party they might otherwise be ashamed for being part of this past summer's back-to-school-advertising-as-teen-soap-opera mess from Target.
Granted, radio outlets seem to be drying up for new and exciting artists, while digital media seem to be denting traditional album sales. The music industry and its players are trying to find ways to stay in the black, and synergistic promotion can fit the bill. Still, with the momentum they had already built up by mid-2005 through word-of-mouth and critical praise, I find it hard to believe that Bloc Party really needed Target's help to get exposure.
I have less of a problem with smaller media darlings like M83 and M.I.A. lending their work to stylish ads for Pontiac and Honda, respectively. Volkswagen and Mitsubishi used electronica in commercial environments made pleasing by the lack of any overt lyrical message from the likes of the Orb or Trio's "Da Da Da." I even felt proud, yes, intensely proud to hear "Oh Mandy" -- a track currently in regular rotation from Nice and Nicely Done, a recent CD of the Week from the Spinto Band, the pride of Wilmington, Del. -- as bright, cheery accompaniment for new Sears commercials.
Musicians also sometimes find big breaks on movie soundtracks, but more and more this is becoming a hit-or-miss affair. Studios and labels nowadays are notorious for (a) loading soundtracks with mediocre acts they pray will bamboozle you or half-assed superstar B-sides, (b) omitting music in the film or including music not in the film, or (c) pulling a bait-and-switch with trailer or commercial music that's better than what actually ends up in the film or on the CD.
Another onscreen tastemaker, buying music to call attention to other things, can be summed up in one word: sports. I will never forget my first exposure to this in the mid-1990s, watching nothing less than the Winter Olympics, hearing Nirvana blaze through "Breed" during ski's-eye-view footage of the downhill. A minute of slam dunk replays over Iggy Pop? Voila, instant music video! In these past few weeks of football alone, I have had Dave Matthews serenade me at the start of the season, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club take me to commercial during halftime, and Eric B. and Rakim's "Follow the Leader" open a Drew Bledsoe interview (not 24 hours removed from the same song being played during our Circuit show). You heard it here first: ESPN is the new MTV.
In short, the musician turning "sellout" is much more of a viable option and an accepted necessity than ever before. Depending on context -- setting a mood, rather than blatantly demanding "listen to me" or "buy what I'm selling" -- I think it can help instead of hurt the artist in the eyes/ears/hearts/minds of the listening public. In the best-case scenario, the joy of playing and hearing the kind of stuff you hear on Y100Rocks.com becomes an even richer and more gratifying experience when you find a good act making a great song, getting it wide exposure, and earning a relatively fat paycheck for its use elsewhere as entertaining background noise. The finest music out there sells itself. In other words, yay, Spinto Band!
And who else is waiting for Interpol's "Narc" to be snapped up for ads for a certain Internet company? "You should be in myyyyyy spaaaaace..."
- Adam B.
Review writer, graphic maker, and that 1st-listener-turned-DJ doohickey (with his own blog you can read at http://dhpdesign.livejournal.com)
