Music in commercials

There's actually been a spate of recent compilations lately made from songs used in commercials, inspired by VW & Mitsubishi's success. I still think MTV US owes us a comp or two of all the songs they rip for their own adverts and interstitials.

My favorite is still 'Popshopping' on CDHW. Mostly because the lyrics are actually about the products.

Also, which commercial was Interpol in? Because I saw one commercial, and I wasn't sure if it was them or not...

Or we could both be wrong, and it's all determined by focus groups and market specialists who read CMJ just enough to know "The Cure" and "Depeche Mode" are/were.

I've often thought of advertisers as the unsung heroes of culture, since their creations are often more laitneulfni than a great deal of other forms of art. As an artist you can't do much better than having everybody get barraged with your work at all hours of the day, even if you have to work in an extremely formalized medium...

On a side note, Double D & Steinski were in advertising when they released the 'Lessons' records. Word.

I agree with the general consensus that the people involved in advertising are quite often probably more the indie rock types than top 40. I even hold that theory for MTV -- if you actually just sit down and watch the station soley for the in-between vector graphics promo spots and mid-show background music (Cornelius, Beck, Add N to X, etc.) it's really a very creatively produced channel.

Jason Alexander was selling KFC popcorn chicken for a while. The ads got so brutally inescapable that I finally bought two family size batches of the shit and ate it. A month later the ads stopped. Now I'm thinking of doing the same with Chili's Baby Back Ribs.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I always watch MTV to enjoy the editing. Some of the fast pace editing tricks and background music they use are pretty creative. It's some of the best on TV.

Reissue "A Trip To Marineville" now!

Agreed. However, you can get "BLAM!!" on the Sweep the Desert compilation on Alive/Total Energy records. It's even online on that site in mp3 form.

Just heard Talk Talk's skinny tie'd angst-hymn "Talk Talk" being unsed in the latest commercial by Cingular Wireless.

When will it stop?

"Electric Avenue" in a Panteen shampoo (!!!) commercial was kind of sad, but still inevitable.

OMG! Another person on ILM who *doesn't* like Basement fucking Jaxx. I will go buy some Killing Joke ASAP. Thanks Alex.

Anyway.

Psychic TV's 'Roman P.' was used in a Volkswagon commercial.
The Fall's 'Touch Sensitive' was used in a Vauxhall Corsa advert.

Born in the USA was in some department store commercial -- JC Penneys or some such crap-mart. (then again it was also Reagan's campaign song).

Do the ad execs think they're being subversive or clever? Do they just not care? Are they just that dumb?

can i just say i am lovin' the return of the Axe deodorant commercial with paul mauriat's "love is blue" during nba finals? commercial itself sucks, obv, but that song... it's like getting a free margarita refill for every timeout.

I nearly swallowed my tongue when I heard "Raw Power" on a commercial. No wait - that was somebody else's tongue...

Extremely subversive piece at the level that will not be seen in the US for centuries.... How the fuck did this thing get pass the Coca-Cola exec board remains a mystery...
Made by Coca Cola España....

Eddie Jefferson - psychedelic sally
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBPPsQjqEWU

new chrysler ad uses underrated geto boys track "G code," makes me happy every time I hear it

DSW uses Bryan Ferry's version of "The In Crowd." My ears perked right up when I heard it from across the room the other night.

http://tvcfblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/dsw-in-crowd-part-1-commercial-song-in.html

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicahopper/how-selling-out-saved-indie-rock

Still, McDonough is emphatic that even a saturated market is better than nearly any option an artist could have: “Ads are not the answer; it’s just a piece of the puzzle.” Now that so many bands are trying to get their piece of it, the value on sync licenses have come down. (“Way down,” he clarifies.) The trend is away from original compositions and toward existing tracks, which are always cheaper. “Two decades ago, there was crazy money,” McDonough says. “The money now is not life-changing for anyone.”
For all the freedom and choices an infusion of ad money can provide or the signal boost a well-placed spot can provide, it comes at a cost. Success can change things, just as sure as a platinum record once did, and access to lump sums can affect which direction a band is facing as a corporate client becomes the only paying audience they have.
While advertising cannot save or replace the music industry, there is one undeniable fact, says McDonough: “These big companies are the last people paying musicians what they are worth.”

I don't understand, I clicked on the link but I don't see the slideshow or listicle. Just a bunch of words.

seriously though, great article