Don't get me started on Jackson and the Beatles catalog. I just shudder every time I think about that. But, all's fair in love and war.

Years ago I worked for Office Depot, when they had the exclusive use of Takin' Care of Business by BTO for a couple of years. I don't know what all arrangement they had, but they had the original song, I think also a new recording, and Randy Bachman was known to have played at managers meetings with the OD president (who later went on to form Mars Music)

They should pay stratosphere prices for cutting and piecing the songs to death.

JJK

Thanks. That's what I figured. I thought maybe they used them because they got a better deal on the music but I guess the examples cited here rebute that thought.

Maybe the comercials use them because the people deciding what songs to use are our age and that's the songs they grew up likeing. :)

Either way, I know that's one area that makes people think that copyrights expire after 20 years or so. It used to make me think that anyway.

Thanks Again,
Michael

Its what SPOT said. They use the songs for familiarity to sell the product to a certain audience. You'll hear a song that you know, and MAYBE watch the TV to see whats going on, in turn looking at what product is being sold. Even if you think the commercial is stupid, you'll most likely remember it (and even if you have no idea what they are trying to sell in the commercial. lol)

Actually sometimes they do. There is a use cost and sometimes there is an edit cost if you are going to change the music.

Ian Anderson, of Jethro Tull, re-recorded a song for a commercial rather than let someone chop it up.

Dave T2

And then there are some you can buy for a song (sorry bad pun!).

It depends on the popularity of the song, how desperate the license holders are and what type of commercial.

Dave T2

Another reason for using older music (or image of a deceased artist) is that if the person represented has deceased, and they have a "good" reputation, that is the reputation that the company knows will be projected.

Many companies have discovered that there is a risk in having living artists (or a living artists work) represent their products, since that person could still be charged with murder, rape, child molestation charges, drug related charges, etc, and, by association, damage the reputation of the company.

The entire idea behind advertising is to get the viewer's attention and get them to buy your product. In the "old" days, the ad agency would commission a jingle or an original piece of music for the commercial and, if it were catchy enough, people would remember it and, more importantly, remember the product with which it was associated. These days, commercials are primarily a bunch of images unrelated to the product with some old song as background music. I rarely, if ever, remember the ad, much less whose ad it was. I am old enough (51) to clearly remember ads from my childhood, like "plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is" and remember that it was an ad for Alka Seltzer. I can't honestly think of a single ad these days that has had any effect on my purchasing habits. Ad agencies are trying to be "hip" and, for the most part, their ads are completely ineffective. They're somewhat entertaining as a 29.5 second piece of cinema, but like I said, ineffective. Nike is the worst.

John

I hear ya. When I was a kid (I'm 42) I would never have linked Lynard Skynard with Cadillac. :)

What about the use of music at say political campains. Was it Regan that used "Born in the USA" against the wishes of Springstein? I think Clinton had blessings to use Fleetwood Mac's music even it not actual permission. Is there a special loop-hole in the law for them. Who can forget Ross Perot singing and dancing to "Crazy". :)

I think Clinton had blessings to use Fleetwood Mac's music even it not actual permission.

Permission? They reunited to play at his first inaugural ball.

I've spent a lot of time with ad agencies, and the talent has gone WAY downhill from where it was twenty years ago. That said, there are still some very effective TV ads. Every heard of Aflac two years ago? Now, will you ever forget it? Fantastically effective ad at getting their name remembered. Also, most people know that it relates somehow to insurance.

"Every heard of Aflac two years ago? Now, will you ever forget it?"

OK, there is that one...

John

For me, sometimes the brand gets lost on the song.

Right now, I can tell you there is an office supply company that has the Spinners great mid 1970's tune "The Rubberband Man" behind a bouncy tv commercial in an office setting. I have seen the commercial a dozen times and can see the 1970ish looking dude cool-stepping his way through the office dropping off supplies, but cannot tell you if the brand is Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, or some other.

I guess those ads (using the music as a hook) are designed to get in your head so when you see theme again in print, the brand will then get memorized. As for what they paid to use the song, I would imagine _______________, being in the office supply business, was glad to pay whatever necessary to put some perfect music behind their rubberband man.

Interesting topic, MHampton; thanks for starting it.

I hear ya. When I was a kid (I'm 42) I would never have linked Lynard Skynard with Cadillac. :)

I haven't seen that one. Every time I notice a Cadillac ad it's Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." It cracks me up that Cameron Crowe, who toured with the band, couldn't get the rights to use "Stairway to Heaven" in "Almost Famous," that Jack Black had to do a begging video to use "Immigrant Song" in "School of Rock," but Plant and Page have no problem selling a song to an "old man" car company. Everytime I see that ad I think if anyone had told me back in the 70s Led Zeppelin would be used to advertise anything let alone Cadillac I'd of thought they were on PCP.

I seem to recall reading how Microsoft approached The Rolling Stones asking to use their song "Start Me Up" for the launch of Windows 95 (or was it 98?). The Stones reportedly jokingly replied "ten million dollars". Microsoft cut the check! That must be the most expensive music rights deal ever for a commercial.

Blues