We read a really interesting article on AdWeek.com today about how brand advertisers are turning to indie bands for their television and radio commercials’ background music. In the age of YouTube and Myspace, where new artists are being discovered every day, it makes sense for advertisers to hear a song they feel would be perfect for a specific ad. Not to mention the cost is less than that of a song by a more well-known artist. Ad agencies and creative departments of big brands have taken “finding new music” to a new level in recent years. Super agency, Leo Burnett, now hosts showcases that feature up-and-coming bands. Companies such as Comma specialize in finding original music for commercials and will bring in executives from various agencies to listen. Brands are getting involved, too. Last July, sneaker brand Converse opened a state-of-the-art recording studio in Brooklyn called Rubber Tracks that gives away recording time to low-profile bands for free. The 150-plus bands that have used it have the benefit of promoting their own tracks on Converse’s Facebook page, which has 23 million fans. For the bands, there are obvious benefits and risks. On one hand, their music is gaining national exposure that they wouldn’t normally receive in the indie circuit as well as a four to five figure paycheck. On the other hand, the band may not agree with the product the commercial is selling or worry that their fans will think they are “selling out”, to be cliché. There’s no doubt that as long as these bands keep making great music that we will keep hearing them on our televisions and radios, as a good song is just as important to an ad as the tagline.
