"indie" music in non-"indie" settings?

[math is money]

Agh, this wasn't meant to be a snobbish/superiority complex thread about anyone being pissed off at the fact that more underground music is finding its way into American culture. Just a humorous one

Anyway, I thought the I&W song in the M and M's commerical was pretty cool. I also remember a long while ago hearing that horrible "Transplants" song in a shampoo commercial.

[Andrew_TSKS]

i'm with you, math, i've always thought shit like that was cool. certainly nothing to get pissed off about (although stuff i like showing up specifically in commercials does bug me, for a couple of reasons, that's not what the thread was about, in general).

[RoyBiggins]

I agree wholeheatedly with you, HeatherMarie.  And really I just wanted an excuse to tell people that Gilmore Girls is awesome.

Gilmore Girls not only predates Seth Cohen's deathcab love, but Adam Brody played an awesome-music lovin' character on Gilmore Girls first.  His name was Dave Regalski.  And I've probably said too much.  Well, as long as I've gone this far: Sebastian Bach guest-starred on the show as an old guy who wants to be in the kids' band.  It was awesome.

[diesel_powered]

I think what it comes down to is that people are starting to get more hip about bands that aren't on major labels because the major labels are stagnating. (C'mon indie labels... keep growing.... C'mon indie bands.... don't sign to majors!) I think it's kind've a sign that major labels are becoming a thing of the past as the average music consumer decides that they don't care about a bunch of copyright bullshit and overpriced tickets. I mean... you could hear about an indie band, download an mp3 or two on their website for free, see them for $8, buy their record at the show for $10, and be happy. Or, you could hear about a band on a major, god help you if you try and actually listen to their music before buying the record, pay $50+ to see their show, and buy their record for $17.99. It's basic economics.

Furthermore, about hearing them on TV and in commercials, it's just cheaper to licence indie acts. I think that stigma of having your song in a commercial has pretty well died out (which is a good thing, IMO) since Moby and Fatboy Slim started whoring themselves out, thus increasing the amount of real music licenced in commercials. Indie acts produce just as polished a product as anyone on a major label and they're more likely to licence their stuff for less money because they actually need it. I mean, if somone came to you and asked if they could put your band's music in a commercial for $30,000, wouldn't you say okay? That's a helluva lot less time you'll have to spend at your day job and a helluva lot more time you could spend making music.

[Andrew_TSKS]

nah, see, i disagree because i don't like the idea of art that i appreciate being identified with a product. i didn't like that, in the late 90s, people kept relating nick drake, whenever i mentioned him, to a volkswagen commercial. that's a lot more likely to happen when the first a person hears of an artist is on a commercial. the most confounding example of this for me didn't involve a commercial at all, though, but instead the television show "my so-called life". i'm sure whoever put buffalo tom on the show likes them just as much as i do, and was trying to help. however, i'm sure they didn't expect or intend for the fact that, for years after that show was aired, people stopped responding to my mentions of buffalo tom with "never heard of them", only to instead respond with "they're a real band? i thought they were made up for an episode of 'my so-called life'." gahhhhh.

death cab for cutie is lucky that didn't happen to them with "the oc".

[waylaid]

nah, see, i disagree because i don't like the idea of art that i appreciate being identified with a product.

I agree (with Andrew) and I also don't like the idea of an artist I appreciate letting themselves be identified with a product.  Money or no money to me it cheapens the rest of your music if your prepared to let your songs (even, in this case, a cover) be used on something like an advert for M&Ms. Go ahead, but I'll be saving money not buying your next record and spending it on an artist that isn't making music they'll flog off to any ol' advertising exec.

[Maaik]

Yeah, I fucking hate people who like M&Ms.

Sheesh, ppl.

[davy]

wow. "cinnamon", huh? one of my favorite songs EVER. i'm not sure i like this.

Was it you who posted about that song in the "What song are you obsessed with?" thread about a year ago?  'cause I had a really nasty break-up soon after and that song became the soundtrack.  And I can't listen to it anymore.  and I feel you're somehow responsible.

probably!

and sorry!

[heather marie]

I agree wholeheatedly with you, HeatherMarie.  And really I just wanted an excuse to tell people that Gilmore Girls is awesome.

Gilmore Girls not only predates Seth Cohen's deathcab love, but Adam Brody played an awesome-music lovin' character on Gilmore Girls first.  His name was Dave Regalski.  And I've probably said too much.  Well, as long as I've gone this far: Sebastian Bach guest-starred on the show as an old guy who wants to be in the kids' band.  It was awesome.

YES! he was so much better as dave regalski than seth cohen. and the first time i saw sebastian bach on the show, i almost died. AMAZING.

i would be nothing without gilmore girls, really.

[dieblucasdie]

The story I always tell about this stuff is the time I heard "To Hell With Good Intentions" by Mclusky on effin' One Tree Hill (this terrible show was only on because I had left the TV on after Gilmore Girls.  Word to RoyBiggins and heathermarie).

The main character on the show was like, a popular cheerleader chick who was secretly angsty and has a blog with a livefeed camera, and it was playing while she was looking all angsty into it.  Sadly, but not surprisingly, they didn't play any of the:

"My love is bigger than your love
We take more drugs than a touring funk band
SING IT!"

parts.

I'm pretty sure I've posted this exact story before.  Whatever.

[jordanmichael]

I've skimmed a lot of this, and there is a lot of talk connecting Gilmore to The OC. I dunno if you brought this up, but they had the same guy working on them, Allan Heinberg. He also did Party of Five and Sex in the City. He works a lot of his personality in. He also writes comics now. He does Young Avengers and JLA. He is AMAZING.

[DCDave]

He's no Bendis.

Edit: But I'm a huge nerd for Kang.

[Antero]

The story I always tell about this stuff is the time I heard "To Hell With Good Intentions" by Mclusky on effin' One Tree Hill (this terrible show was only on because I had left the TV on after Gilmore Girls.  Word to RoyBiggins and heathermarie).

The main character on the show was like, a popular cheerleader chick who was secretly angsty and has a blog with a livefeed camera, and it was playing while she was looking all angsty into it.  Sadly, but not surprisingly, they didn't play any of the:

"My love is bigger than your love
We take more drugs than a touring funk band
SING IT!"

parts.

I'm pretty sure I've posted this exact story before.  Whatever.

My god!  McClusky?

That's... very, very strange.

My band is better than your band, we've got more songs than a song convention!

[jordanmichael]

He's no Bendis.

Edit: But I'm a huge nerd for Kang.

Bendis is pretty good. The first arc of New Avengers was okay, but it got A LOT better with the last issue. He is really decompressed with his storytelling pacing. Are you on the Bendis Board?

[JamesSchneider]

yo, I heard B&S in the background of some VH1 Show talking about how much money Oprah has. Fuck! Heard the Decemberists in the Gap while buying undies, Fuck you yes I buy my undies there, the square cuts fit nicely. Fuck you. Girlfriend heard This Charming Man by the smiths in Aeropostale. Fuck. The Real World is more or less soundtracked by non-single radiohead songs. Radiohead aren't really that indie are they, what with the whole EMI/Capitol juggernaut or however the fuck you spell it backing them. What lush hair you have mr. greenwood. What an iguana you look like, other mr. greenwood. Why do I feel so bummed when I hear these songs that I love in places I don't love. Surely this means money for the deserving, floging the infadels la la la la la la la. Tell me what B&S Song those la's were from. Right but why do I hate my pretties showing up in uglies again? If I heard Golden Boy in sears, i'd prolly shite my square cuts. Does that play actually mean more money for artists? Do they pay the record company for that? Do those crooked fucks pay the artists? Is there an employee who keeps track of the music and who you can ask about the song? or do you have to remember some lyrics and google it, or hum it till someone tells you what you're humming, or preview every song on every album in the main st. jukebox in stroudsburg, pa til you find the right track? What'll it be? Yo, I'm out.

PS Long Winters Love love love love love me and I love love love love love love love them.

[jordanmichael]

Not really "indie" but the Journey's in my local mall played Deltron 3030, and followed it with some Le Tigre. They were music videos though.

[jebreject]

death cab for cutie is lucky that didn't happen to them with "the oc".

I'll hate The OC forever if it means I have to hear Death Cab even more fucking often than I already do.

[JamesSchneider]

whats wrong with fairly gentle earnest pop emo

[jebreject]

It's BOOOOOOOOORRRRIIIINNNNNGGGG

[Andrew_TSKS]

i was more mentioning it in the sense that it would be really horrible (or really funny, depending on your opinion of them) if after the first season of 'the oc' all these teenybopper kids were saying "death cab for cutie? aren't they that fake band that seth from 'the oc' likes?"

[Antero]

It's BOOOOOOOOORRRRIIIINNNNNGGGG

Amen!

[diesel_powered]

It's BOOOOOOOOORRRRIIIINNNNNGGGG

Amen!

I say Amen to that Amen!

[diesel_powered]

nah, see, i disagree because i don't like the idea of art that i appreciate being identified with a product. i didn't like that, in the late 90s, people kept relating nick drake, whenever i mentioned him, to a volkswagen commercial. that's a lot more likely to happen when the first a person hears of an artist is on a commercial. the most confounding example of this for me didn't involve a commercial at all, though, but instead the television show "my so-called life". i'm sure whoever put buffalo tom on the show likes them just as much as i do, and was trying to help. however, i'm sure they didn't expect or intend for the fact that, for years after that show was aired, people stopped responding to my mentions of buffalo tom with "never heard of them", only to instead respond with "they're a real band? i thought they were made up for an episode of 'my so-called life'." gahhhhh.

death cab for cutie is lucky that didn't happen to them with "the oc".

Meh... See, the problem is that if you're a fan of the band, then you're going to notice if their song was being used to sell toilet paper. But if you're the average citizen, chances are it's all audio wallpaper anyway. Most people just don't give that much of a shit about music anyway.

But ultimately, the idea that art is somehow cheapened by being associated with commerce is a moot point. Art has been being used to sell things for years, just look at Toulouse-Lautrec, most of his best work was posters to advertise things. Most of the biggest composers of the 60's and 70's composed commercial music under pseudonyms (anybody hip to library music?) After all, the Sistine Chapel is the world's biggest work of commercial art.

[elpollodiablo]

I think the last time I said something like that, you mentioned the fact that you'd enjoy 'pummeling my ass.'

i'd enjoy it about as much as you enjoy being an asshole for no reason.

Then you'd really, really enjoy it.

[John]

I agree (with Andrew) and I also don't like the idea of an artist I appreciate letting themselves be identified with a product.  Money or no money to me it cheapens the rest of your music if your prepared to let your songs (even, in this case, a cover) be used on something like an advert for M&Ms. Go ahead, but I'll be saving money not buying your next record and spending it on an artist that isn't making music they'll flog off to any ol' advertising exec.

On the one hand, I'm purer than the driven snow - when publishing ppl asked me about uses for my stuff, I drew the line at commercials (unless the Lush store came calling, naturally I would shill for them all day bcz I love them so much). But it's real easy to say "money or no money" when it's somebody else's income you're talking about, and the harder it gets to sell records, the more artists are going to find themselves saying "fuck it, I gotta eat."