People go into music and entertainment for two reasons: because they’re driven by their muses, or their driven by monetary greed. These motivations are not mutually exclusive and, if one is lucky, can come together in the realization of a happy, successful career.
Though surely I understand and appreciate that musical artists want to be number one, but sometimes they cross the line; here are but a few examples of artists who have lost a bit of my respect for selling their work to the highest bidder, and one who owes his career to it.
Mos Def, “Original Crap:” I still have not forgiven hip-hop legend Mos Def for lending his voice to a GMC commercial. And this wasn’t like he let them use one of his songs: He sang for them. Coming from a man who has built his career on social responsibility, I found it absolutely shocking to hear him hustling for a carbon-monoxide-spewing truck. He did the same thing for a cell phone company. Disgraceful!
Led Zeppelin, “Rock and Roll:” The boys from Led Zeppelin may be the most egregious of the commercial sell outs. They had already been rich and famous for almost four decades when Cadillac used their legendary track “Rock and Roll” to hawk their latest luxury vehicle, so did Led Zeppelin really need the cash, or were they just being greedy?
Phoenix, “1901:” Although Phoenix has been on the scene for a few years now, it wasn’t until recently that they began to get noticed in the mainstream, and they clearly jumped at the opportunity to cash in on their popularity: the French band sold one of their latest singles, “1901,” to Cadillac.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, “Janglin’:” I was pretty disappointed to hear that Edward Sharpe and his coterie of gypsy musicians had collaborated with Ford for the company’s latest “Fiesta” four-door.
Of Montreal, “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games):” Ugh. I can’t even get into this, so just the facts: the once-respectable indie band of Montreal tailored the lyrics of their track, “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games),” to suit the Outback Steakhouse franchise. It really doesn’t get much lower.
Spenser Davis, “Gimme Some Lovin’” Another old goodie who tainted his legacy: Spenser Davis. The 60s-era, hippy-dippy pop musician gave Ameriprise Financial access to his most famous song, “Gimme Some Lovin’.” Those commercials also featured the late Dennis Hopper. This is what happens when playing to the Baby Boomers goes awry.
Nick Drake, “Pink Moon” and “From the Morning” Who’s in charge of the late Nick Drake’s aural legacy? Whoever they are, they should be ashamed of themselves: two of the folk hero’s most beloved songs, “Pink Moon” and “From the Morning,” have been used in big brand adverts, Volkswagen and AT&T, respectively.
Coincidentally, that same AT&T commercial features images incredibly similar to artist Christo and Jeanne-Claude “The Gates” art project. It’s so similar, in fact, that the telecommunications company had to include some fine print, “The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have no direct or indirect affiliation or involvement with AT&T.”
YACHT, “Psychic City (Rory Phillips Mix)” Goodness me! Cadillac totally dominates when it comes to ruining my favorite songs. In this case, they took a Rory Phillips remix of YACHT’s “Psychic City” and used it to hype their new SUV—as if a remix makes it better. Forgive me, I’d rather take the bus.
Kings of Leon, “Red Morning Light:” I didn’t want to believe that Nashville rockers Kings of Leon would be the types to compromise their creativity for a buck; alas, they did, by letting Ford use “Red Morning Light” in a Focus advert.
José González, “Heartbeats:” Now, I don’t want to be a total stinker. Not all musicians who sell their work to commercial interests are worthy of scorn. Swedish musician José González owes almost his entire career to Sony’s use of his cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats.” It’s only when someone’s established that they should eschew the consumer market. I never said I was against capitalism; I’m just against artistic abuse.
Special thanks to the entire Death And Taxes team for their wonderful suggestions!
August 10, 2010 at 1:52 am, Luis de Jesus said:
Music artists have to make money somehow. With cd sales slumping and the music industry tanking, licensing tracks would make a lot of sense and would be a good way to get money in the pockets of the artists. Now I'm not entirely sure how much they get and how much the record companies get, but it is understandable why it could seem appealing to an artist these days.
That Of Montreal commercial is sickening though, there's no excuse for that. If you don't want to see your favorite artists reduced to slinging corporate schlock, then buy their albums and go to their shows and support them any way you can.
August 11, 2010 at 1:32 am, Freddy Gipson said:
If only the author of this post knew how to properly use “there, they're, and their”
August 11, 2010 at 5:10 pm, Jimmy Ray said:
Matt & Kim – Daylight
Sold to Bacardi.
August 12, 2010 at 2:50 pm, js22 said:
The push and pull between art and commerce is fertile ground for critics to kvetch about their favorite musicians selling out. But as one under-the-radar musician who sold a song to VW for an Olympics spot told me, that one paycheck — more than he'd make in a year of touring, merch, and record sales — enabled him to concentrate on making music for a solid year.
August 15, 2010 at 3:00 pm, Hi said:
I think you meant carbon dioxide. But I guess it's just a technicality when you're a hipster douche looking for the latest rant against the system.
August 19, 2010 at 7:38 pm, Eric Van Bezooijen said:
I've been introduced to some great songs & artists thanks to commercials, especially car commercials … Let's see Dirty Vegas and Shiny Toy Guns come to mind recently. What's wrong here?