Bands and Brands

Rock Brand-Partnerships & Alliances In Music Games

2010-03-05T10:48:00.007-05:00

My most recent feature for leading music marketing agency Frukt's FMI Report goes behind the scenes on the approach that MTV Networks have been taking to brand partnerships and alliances for the Rock Band Franchise. While this feature majors on the gaming world there are considerable learning's and best practices that can be applied to any brand or entertainment property that are thinking of getting in to bed together.

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Rock Brand-Partnerships & Alliances In Music Games

2010-03-05T10:42:00.004-05:00

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Rock Brand-Partnerships & Alliances In Music Games

2010-03-05T10:40:00.004-05:00

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Rock Brand-Partnerships & Alliances In Music Games

2010-03-05T10:25:00.005-05:00

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Taylor Swift Monetizes Her 'Brand'

2009-10-18T17:35:00.003-04:00

As published in leading Music marketing agency Frukt's FMI Report , which Mike T contributes to as well as representing Frukt's interests in North America

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Bonnaroo Brand Partnerships

2009-10-18T12:46:00.006-04:00

As published in leading Music marketing agency Frukt's FMI Report , which Mike T contributes to as well as representing Frukt's interests in North America.

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The Brand Band Love In (Part 2)

2009-10-18T12:43:00.002-04:00

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The Brand Band Love In (Part 1)

2009-10-18T11:14:00.003-04:00

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2009-07-15T11:38:00.005-04:00

Music Branding Gets All Grown Up
Originally published in Talent Zoo on 14th July 09
By: Mike Tunnicliffe

The last few weeks have been the busiest this year to date for the “brand”-related music space thanks to a number of breakthrough announcements involving brands and entertainment properties partnering in ways that are delivering real commercial benefit and delivering new revenue streams.

Here are some examples:

Universal and George at ASDA. Universal Music announced a tie in with Walmart’s George at ASDA clothing line in the U.K., where lyrics from Universal’s catalogue have been printed on clothing and shoppers who buy the products will be offered free downloads of the songs the lyrics are from. Look out for people walking around with “Born To Be Wild” emblazoned on their chests and blaring from their earpieces, but more importantly, look out for incremental revenues for Universal Music and ASDA.

Pearl Jam’s new partners. The band announced that it’s releasing its next album without a traditional label involved for the first time in the band’s 18-year history. Instead, a number of commercial partners will be on board, including Target. The retailer will be the exclusive big-box retailer to carry its product, and Pearl Jam has cut a Target TV commercial. (The Eagles had a similar exclusive arrangement with Walmart for its “Long Road Out of Eden” and AC/DC and Guns n’ Roses have recently tied up similar arrangements with Best Buy for their respective album releases.)

Liam Gallagher and Pretty Green. Oasis front man Gallagher announced the launch of a new clothing line, Pretty Green, available at http://www.prettygreen.com/ The site lures fans with free exclusive content, including a movie and behind-the-scenes look at a Gallagher photo shoot. It’s rumored that the next Oasis single will be released free at the Pretty Green site.

Beatles Rock Band game. The long-awaited game from Harmonix / MTV Games and Apple Corps was unveiled in Los Angeles at the recent E3 , electronics and entertainment expo. The Rock Band game will launch this fall to coincide with the digital release of the entire Beatles’ back catalogue. The Beatles are the latest iconic music act to partner with a music gaming franchise to release their own branded game, following in the footsteps of Aerosmith & Metallica who have released games with Guitar Hero and with others from Hendrix and Van Halen rumored to be in development.

Artists partnering with brands and brands using music in their marketing is nothing new, but the neat thing about the ideas above is that they’re clear examples of where consumer brands are becoming business partners and revenue generators for artists (and vice versa) rather than just suppliers of exposure, and ad dollars and this is set to increase further with brands potentially being one of the commercial lifelines for the music and entertainment business.

The financial/commercial approach to the monetization of content and entertainment brands needs to be as innovative as any technological development we’ve seen over the last few years. The real “rock stars” of the business of music are going to be those who can create value and hard revenue from innovation, in whatever forms that takes. It might even be something that executives in the music industry can learn from their more rigorous consumer brand counterparts.

There is also a growing acknowledgement, that artists partnering with brands need to be able to deliver real tangible benefits and that these partnerships need to be based on a higher level of strategic thinking to ensure a good brand fit, relevance and benefit for the brands & the fans/consumers. If we get this right, these types of partnerships could become a longer term – more consistent play for the brands and a revenue generator for the brands and artists, rather than a glorified form of sponsorship or endorsement.

These and other key themes around brands, advertising and music were discussed and vigorously debated at the inaugural Billboard/Adweek 'Music in Advertising' conference which was packed with attendees from the music and brand worlds. This space is very definitely moving towards the top of the brand marketing worlds agendas as advertisers seek out new and different ways of emotionally engaging with consumers (fans) and artists and entertainment properties seek ways to monetize around their ‘brand’ and their content.

It seems that we truly are at the dawn of a new era. Opportunities abound at every corner. Music is more alive than ever, consumers listen to more music in more ways than ever thought possible, artists interact and build connections with fans in new and unique ways, music and other entertainment content can be delivered via multiple platforms for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, and artists can form business relationships with many different partners—including consumer brands.

The opportunities for brands to partner with music in creative and commercially fruitful ways are endless. The only thing that limits them is our imaginations.

Billboard/AdWeek Music and Advertising Conference

2009-06-18T00:40:00.004-04:00

The Power Play: Connecting Brands And Bands
June 05, 2009 - Branding

Originally written by By Rachel Barnhard, N.Y.and published in Billboard

The connection between artists and brands, and the future of this relationship, was the focal point of “The Power of Connecting Brands and Bands” panel at Billboard and Adweek’s Music and Advertising Conference in New York.

Moderator Mike Tunnicliffe of Filament Entertainment/Tuna Music led participants in the discussion and all agreed that differentiation is the driving force behind the use of music in a branding campaign. The artist should go into the relationship with the ability to communicate how his or her music fits the brand and how it can make the brand stand out in the mind of the consumer. "You have to know your story, you have to be succinct and it has to create differentiating value," voiced David Keefe of Siegel & Gale.

If you are aware of this, you can also ensure that the sponsorship opportunities you pursue do not harm the connection with your fans: "[fans] welcome brands if they're getting something beneficial and worthwhile out of it," Tunnicliffe noted. And maintaining the fan relationship is key. "The reason people want to do things with Rihanna or Madonna is because of who their fans are," said panelist Larry Mills of Getty Images.

This prompted moderator Tunnicliffe to encourage panelists to move the case studies into a more realistic level, with less focus on pure celebrity endorsements. But, if brands are not solely using endorsements for the value of the celebrity of an artist, and if they're willing to take on less developed artists, are brands becoming the new record label?

Jack Horner, founder of FRUKT suggested that a vacuum has been created in the wake of record labels' slowing growth. "It's no surprise that so many brands are getting involved with talent competitions because [young artists want] an opportunity to get discovered." He continued by outlining new ways brands can play different parts of the record label role in an artist's career. For example, Joe Killian of Momentum Worldwide cited Denny's effort to bring in the late-night high school crowd by offering free food to local bands after their gigs. This used to be a service the labels provided in the form of a per-diem.

The panelists wrapped up with a discussion of the future of the industry. Mills imagined that we will see more promotions where a brand affiliates with a small group or genre of artists, and cited examples like Heineken, Jagermeister and Converse, which all worked with communities of artists rather than individual endorsements. Still, you cannot depend on advertising to sell your music. As Horner states, "You have to find other places where your music can play and work all of those outlets as creatively as you can," because you cannot control what happens on the cutting room floor.

2009-05-02T12:10:00.006-04:00

The Branding and Banding of Green

Originally published in Ad Week on 30th April 2009

By Mike Tunnicliffe

Spring is in the air and "green" is high on the agenda for both musicians and major brands -- but not necessarily together. Could greater collaboration be a missed opportunity?

The answer to that would seem to be "yes."

Brands and musicians are plowing their green furrows in increasing numbers. More and more marketers are developing their communications strategies to meet consumer demands for environmentally friendly products. "Eco friendliness" is growing exponentially in sectors including household cleaning, appliances, computing, automotive and food. But musicians only seem to come together with "green" brands outside the mainstream, and in low key or specialist ways.

As Billboard magazine's recent Green Issue reported, there's no slowdown in the number of artists embracing environmental issues. Some fairly mainstream and iconic musicians leading the charge include John Legend, Radiohead, Ludacris, Tommy Lee, Pharrell Williams and Feist, as well as more ecologically focused artists like Jack Johnson, Okkervil and Cake. These performers are among those driving the message home to their fans, leading by example. They're reducing their carbon footprint via biodegradable fuel in tour trucks, designing energy-efficient stage sets, running solar-powered recording studios and banning disposable water bottles at their performance venues.

Musicians are also encouraging fans to learn more and participate in socially responsible and cause-related behaviors. For example, Hanson's Take the Walk, which encourages fans to participate in a mile-long barefoot walk with them at each gig, raises awareness of poverty and AIDS in Africa. It also raises funds to send shoes to underprivileged kids there.

John Legend's Show Me Campaign encourages people to take individual action and, according to Billboard, has been a large part of his 2008 Evolver tour where fans can text in donations during the show and visit Show Me displays.
A number of environmental organizations have been tapping into the emotional engagement artists have with their fans. For example, Rock the Earth, which campaigns for and takes action on many environmental issues, has partnered with a number of high-profile artists including Alanis Morisette, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crowe, Ozzy Osbourne and Tom Petty.

So with all this star power and influence, why aren't we seeing more partnerships with big marketers?

According to Shawn Kilmurray, executive director of Rock the Earth and a music industry veteran, it's not that brands aren't interested; it's that artists are wary of brands that greenwash -- meaning they talk the green talk to lure in consumers, but don't walk the walk. When the Sierra Club, for instance, endorsed Clorox's eco-friendly cleaning line -- and as result gets a share of the profits -- it suffered a backlash from some longtime supporters who thought the club had sold out. Kilmurray points out that artists are worried about losing credibility if they take dollars from unsuitable brands.

Anthony Ackenhoff, co-founder of global music branding and strategy company Frukt, also notes that while artists have got over the notion of selling out to brands, when it comes to their own beliefs and personal interests they're extra careful. Brands, he says, have to pass the sniff test and be able to stand up to scrutiny. If the artist and his or her fans smell a rat, then the artist -- and the brand -- could be damaged.

The stakes are high for all, but there is clearly an opportunity for brands that are genuine in their green/sustainability claims and performances. As the old saying goes, "He [or she] who dares, wins."

Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner at the Filament Entertainment Group. He can be reached at mike@miketunnicliffe.com.

2009-03-18T11:54:00.004-04:00

Brand New Music Business

Originally published in AdWeek ; March 18th 2009

By Mike Tunnicliffe

As the financial storm and economic woes blow a chill wind through the stock market, and music stocks in particular take a bashing to end all bashings, is this the end of the music business as we know it?

Quite possibly -- but that's not what we should focus on.

The real issue is that we're at the beginning of a new era. Music is more alive than ever, consumers are listening to more music than ever before, artists are interacting and building bonds with fans across multiple platforms, digital distribution is enabling artists to get their music out to fans for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, and brands and other alternative marketing partners are being embraced as the new patrons of artists and music. So, yes, it may be the end of the traditional music business as we know it, but for those willing to embrace change it's the start of a brand new paradigm in the entertainment and brand-marketing worlds.

Last year saw the brand-music partnership space explode with never-before-seen collaborations between artists and brands. Highlights from 2008 include:

• The world's largest consumer brands company formed a record label: Procter & Gamble/Def Jam's Tag Records, to help break new urban acts through its advertising.

• Bacardi partnered with British Dance Act, Groove Armada, to build a global marketing strategy based around music.

• Red Bull and Levi's set up labels and studios to help create and break new music.

• MTV Networks' Rock Band franchise sold more downloads than many digital online stores.

A number of new business models and players also emerged, including promoter Live Nation, which signed a series of mega-global stars away from their traditional labels into new deals that have the concert promoter and artist partnering across multiple revenue streams (known as "360 deals"), of which sponsorships and partnerships with brands will be a key source of revenue. Artists included Madonna, Nickelback, Jay Z, Shakira and U2, which signed a slightly less encompassing "270 deal."

The old notion of "selling out" is long gone. Let's face facts, the music and entertainment industries have something that brands want and vice versa. Put simply: Brands offer artists opportunities for exposure and marketing dollars that simply don't exist anymore in traditional music companies. And brands want to tap into those ever-elusive emotional engagements with consumers (fans) that artists seem to have in buckets.

Fans themselves are endorsing the notion that brands are going to be central to the new music economy and ecosystem. A recent survey by Bauer Media in the U.K. showed that 69 percent of those classified as "most passionate" about music thought that brands being involved with music and artists was a good thing.

Another recent survey, from music-branding company Heartbeats International, polled senior brand marketers and found that seven out of 10 marketers see music becoming an increasing part of their tool set going forward. Usage ranges from enhancing TV commercials and other forms of promotional content, to artists collaborations, music in products and the development of a "brand sound" -- a whole other area with massive growth potential for agencies and "sonic branding" specialists.

As often happens in times of economic downturn, new opportunities arise for those willing to flout convention and look forward rather than backward.

So gazing into my crystal ball, what sort of things might we see happening this year? In broad terms the trend will continue of artists increasingly seeking new business partners and associations away from traditional music companies. More specifically:

• A major artist will almost certainly "sign" with a brand to make their new album and content available exclusively through the brands online- and product-distribution networks. Imagine, for example, something like MyCoke Music. Com partnering with The Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters' legion of fans would then be interacting and engaging with Coke to get access to their favorite band and the artist will have massive promotional support that's just not available from traditional music companies.

• A new breed of very nimble, rapidly evolving music and entertainment companies will emerge to take advantage of the growing number of digital pipelines and increase in branding and partnerships. A combination of ad agency, content owner, talent agency and technology company, perhaps?

• Some of the new players will emerge as leading aggregators of musical content. As the financial pressure continues to mount on traditional music companies, a number of assets will change hands, fueled by investment money that will be increasingly looking for a home in businesses that can be turned around, if leveraged in new and different ways.

• A major smash hit record will break after partnering with a brand and being featured as the brand's signature tune across multiple platforms. A No. 1 hit single courtesy of Pantene shampoo, perhaps?

Whether these particular predictions come true or not, we'll have to see. But what I can predict with some certainty is that we will see some never before thought possible business models, partnerships and collaborations involving music and brands.

Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner at the Filament Entertainment Group. He can be reached at mike@miketunnicliffe.com.

2009-03-01T21:33:00.005-05:00

Tunnicliffe On Tour
Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe on Sunday March 1st 2009 at 10.00PM

Well I'm certainly feeling like I'm on a non stop roadshow.

I'm backwards and forwards to LA on a bi weekly basis , as I join my partners in the most exciting venture to hit the music, branding , technology and entertainment scene for some while Filament Entertainment Group. More details will be brought over the coming weeks , but in the meanwhile check out our website .

Speaking engagements are flooding in like crazy :

Last week saw me join the panel of experts at the Digital Music Forum East in New York to tackle the pro's & con's of 360 deals
Austin Texas beckons on March 18th where I'll be running a session on fans & brands at The Band Bootcamp sessions , which are being produced by Music Supervisor. Com at South X South West
On to Santa Monica on May 6th to appear at Digital Hollywood's Music 2.0 panel - Re-Invention of an Industry Music Power Shift: Artist, Label, Technology, Management & more
Europe beckons in early June , when I take part in the inaugural Brands in Entertainment conference in Barcelona

Just in case you want a sneak preview of some of the themes that I cover at these conferences check out the video below:

2009-03-01T21:19:00.002-05:00

Do Those Rascal Flatts Come in a Size 7?

Mutual Brand Benefits Cited as JCPenney and Band Get Back to 'Their Roots'

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.20.09

Multi-platinum country rock act Rascal Flatts is working with JCPenney for a broad marketing and promotional deal, which includes in-store promotion, tour support, merch and TV ads.

The deal kicks off with the April 7 release of the band's new album "Unstoppable" and, according to Billboard.biz, will continue for at least two years, with an option to extend it for more. The deal ties together Rascal Flatts with JCPenney's American Living range of clothes and other household items, which, when launched last year in conjunction with Ralph Lauren, was billed as the biggest merchandising launch in the department store's 105-year history. The original campaign featured a beautiful spot set to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Killing the Blues," which we dubbed one of the year's best ad songs.

This partnership is a continuation of JCPenney's well-executed -- and well-timed -- return to its roots as a retailer serving Middle America with value-priced goods. as SFS pointed out last fall, the appeal of country artists has been growing as the recession has been biting harder, and the country music audience has remained slap-bang in the middle of America, claiming nearly 55% of women and 45% of men.

This partnership seems to hit the spot not only for JCPenney, but also for Rascal Flatts, whose co-manager Doug Nichols told Billboard, "We feel that JCPenney is a partner that can grow our brand and we fully intend to help them grow their brand." About this time last year, the Rascal Flatts was promoting the new Rubix Cube.

The band wrote a track, "American Living," which will serve as the soundtrack for the first TV commercial and will be available on a special version of the "Unstoppable" CD sold only at JCPenney stores. The net proceeds from the sale of the album will be going to JCPenney Afterschool, which provides children in need with access to after-school programs.

JCPenney will also follow band members Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney on tour as they wear the clothing on-stage, and their TV spot and behind-the-scenes footage will run on two large screens during concerts. Fans will be able to purchase American Living-branded tour merch, and the band's 18 tour buses will be splashed with the brand.

All in all, a deep collaboration that hits the spot on a number of counts: It's a good brand fit between the retailer and the act, the band gets great exposure from the collaboration, JC Penney gets a totally relevant multi-platform integrated endorsement from a band that mirrors its values, and, most importantly, fans/consumers get a stack of added-value content, merchandise and connections.

~ ~ ~
Mike Tunnicliffe is founder of NY based Tuna Music LLC & a partner at LA based Filament Entertainment

2009-03-01T21:15:00.002-05:00

The Boss Raises Red Flag on Ticketmaster

Springsteen Voices Concern About Effect of Mega-Merger on Fans

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.06.09 @ 12:18 PM

Having just recently apologized to fans for the "mistake" of allowing his latest greatest hits album to be exclusively released in Wal-Mart, The Boss is back in action on behalf of the fans, this time giving Ticketmaster a good blasting for the way that it handled the recent sale of tickets for his forthcoming tour.

Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau have vented their anger at Ticketmaster for what they refer to as an "abuse of our fans" after the ticket company redirected customers attempting to buy Springsteen concert tickets to the company's secondary ticketing site, TicketsNow. This site, Springsteen says, "specializes in up-selling tickets at above face value". The redirection -- which occurred when other seats remained available at face value -- has once again raised concern over the dual ownership of both primary and secondary outlets.

"Fans are confused and angry, which is the opposite of what we hoped to accomplish," said Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff, who has now issued an open letter of apology to Springsteen and his fans. The company, he says, "will never again link to TicketsNow in a manner that can possibly create any confusion during a high-demand on-sale."

Springsteen and Landau also voiced considerable concern over the potential merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, arguing that it would return concert ticketing "to a near monopoly." Similar concerns have been voiced from a number of quarters regarding the ability of Live Nation to allow performers the opportunity to list tickets on the resale system without ever officially listing them in the primary market.

Michael Hershfield, co-founder and CEO of secondary ticketing site Live Stub told SFS that "It is the dirty little secret of the potential merger. This is a substantive issue that regulators and fans should be mindful of."

The gloves are off ... and I think that we can expect a further backlash if the deal goes forward.

~ ~ ~
Mike Tunnicliffe is founder of New York-based Tuna Music, & a partner at Los Angeles-based Filament Entertainment

2009-03-01T20:07:00.002-05:00

A Walmart for Music-Brand Deals

Potential Merger of Live Nation, Ticketmaster Could Be Boon for Marketers

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.04.09 @ 05:37 PM

Despite a well-publicized spat when Live Nation decided to take all its ticketing contracts in-house and away from Ticketmaster, the two camps appear to have kissed and made up. According to a story in last night's Wall Street Journal, the two companies are well on their way to merging into one mega "360" entertainment powerhouse.

There were so many interesting developments driven by Live Nation last year that, at one stage, we dubbed SFS "All things Live Nation." The concert promoter led the way with a number of ground-breaking "360 deals" that saw artists such as Madonna, Nickelback, Jay-Z, Shakira and U2 embrace totally new business models that incorporated touring, branding, sponsorships, recordings, publishing and merchandise all under one roof.

Looming rival Ticketmaster followed a similar strategy towards the end of the 2008 when it acquired "mega manager" Irving Azoff's Frontline Management, whose 80-strong executive management team controls the careers and revenue streams of some of the biggest names in the business -- i.e., The Eagles, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne and around 200 other acts -- in order to form Ticketmaster Entertainment with a similar objective of leveraging all artists' 360 revenue streams within the same company.

Aside from the obvious corporate intrigue and the massive personalities and egos of the management teams and their stars, the merger of these live music giants presents a potentially fascinating deal for brands. The combined company would put under one roof the ability to have a direct connection with fans through artists and multiple contact points such as ticketing, concerts and sponsorship activation, recordings and distribution of content, merchandising opportunities, celebrity endorsements and much much more. With the ticketing element now a key part, this partnership could take a whole new turn for brands, which will have access to vast amounts of data that can be mined for marketing purposes. Examples could include the profiles of who's buying tickets for particular acts and the relevance of that audience to the brand, what they feel about certain brands and products and their associations with music, what fans are spending on merchandise and associated products, regional skews and, in time, much more complex data mining that will take the whole accountability and effectiveness of brand partnerships to a new level.

As we've said before, the key for the newly combined entity would be for it to understand the brands' requirements, speak the brands' language and understand how the partnerships can help the brands as well as the artists. While I don't doubt that Live Nation/Ticketmaster will want to directly control as much of the interaction with brands as possible, there is a great opportunity here to partner with agencies and specialist entertainment companies who work with brands day in and day out and can help navigate and translate for both Live Nation/Ticketmaster as well as the brands themselves. If Live Nation/Ticketmaster gets these relationships and partnerships right, it could give more traditionally music-related media channels such as MTV, VH1 and Fuse a good run for their money. The new entity would also be a preferred one-stop-shop that's an awful lot better to deal with than going through traditional labels as the entry points to artists.

~ ~ ~
Mike Tunnicliffe is founder of NY based Tuna Music LLC & a partner at LA based Filament Entertainment

2009-03-01T20:03:00.003-05:00

What You Missed at Midem This Year

Cannes Music Confab Features Announcements From Bacardi, Coke, CoverGirl

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 01.21.09 @ 04:32 PM

This year, as in years past, Midem, the music business' annual shindig at Cannes -- which kicks off the annual Cannes-hosted events, including, of course, the ad industry's Cannes Lions -- featured a lot of talk, panel discussions and announcements about the growing involvement of brands with music. Here's the big ones.

Coke

More details emerged about Coke's partnership with Warner Music Group, which, as Ad Age hinted at last week, culminated in a branded song featuring Patrick Stump from Fallout Boy, Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes, Brendon Urie from Panic At the Disco, Cee-Lo Green (of Gnarls Barkley) and Janelle Monae. The track was unveiled at the conference by Umut Ozaydini, Coca-Cola's global marketing manager, sports and entertainment marketing.

The track "Open Happiness" will be released digitally in March via Atlantic, and, in addition to its appearance in TV spots in over 100 countries, the performers will be printed on billions of cans across the globe. For the release, Atlantic records and Coke will split the proceeds of sales of the single, with Coke using a proportion of their share for their "Live Positively" campaign, according to a source familiar with the deal. Coke, which commissioned the song, will also retain ownership of the publishing rights, which, if the single takes off, could prove valuable.

All in all, a well-thought-out idea that brings together social, commercial and branding initiatives. The star power involved will surely generate interest from teenage fans, but, like any piece of music, it'll still come down to the quality of the end-product.

Bacardi and Groove Armada

Bacardi and British dance band Groove Armada, which last year tied up a groundbreaking partnership, announced a new online collaboration under which the band will release a new EP via Bacardi's B Live global music site. Fans who register on the site will get the first MP3 for free and will be encouraged to share the track via a Facebook application, e-mail or a widget available for other social networks. Once they share the track with twenty friends, they will be sent the second track for free.

According to coverage in Billboard, the sharing process is automated and the original user increases his or her share-count among a network of friends, up to three generations. So one friend could pass it on to several people, and those people could each pass it on to several more, with the original users share tally constantly increasing. As the process continues, the original user will get access to more tracks: track three becomes available after 200 shares of track one, and when that reaches 2,000, track four will be unlocked. The more first-generation friends, the quicker that total will be reached.

SFS applauds this initiative as it is the first time that a brand and artist have so actively tried to harness the power of social networking to release free music, and it will be a real test of whether true fans of the act are prepared to play under the brand's rules in order to access the music. And it certainly makes an interesting divergence from the now increasingly prosaic "free download."

CoverGirl

For the second year running, Grey Worldwide's senior VP-director of music, Josh Rabinowitz, has announced that client P&G is inviting delegates attending Midem to submit tracks for use in a in a new CoverGirl campaign. Last year Mr. Rabinowitz gathered tracks in a similar way for a Pantene campaign in summer 2008 that featured the song "Shine," co-written by Rosi Golan and Human, a New York-based music house. This year, CoverGirl is, according to the submission criteria, looking for a song that is "positive, emotional and encourages women to step it up -- take a chance -- be their own COVERGIRL."

SFS will be happy if it means that we don't have to listen to "Umbrella" by Rihanna, which has been the sound of the CoverGirl song for the past year. Time for change indeed.

~ ~ ~
Mike Tunnicliffe is founder of NY based Tuna Music LLC & a partner of LA based Filament Entertainment

2009-03-01T13:24:00.002-05:00

HMV Gets a Taste for the Floodlights

British Retailer Diversifies Beyond Recorded Music, Becomes Live Brand

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 01.19.09 @ 11:32 AM

Within days of learning about the death warrant out for Virgin's Times Square megastore -- described by the New York Times as "another step towards extinction for the sales of recorded music" -- it was heartening to see an innovative move from British based retailer HMV to find revenue outside of compact discs last week.

The books-to-CD retailer is expanding into the £1B live music market after agreeing to a joint venture with AIM-listed listed Mama Group that will give HMV a stake in some of the UK's best-known music venues, including the Hammersmith Apollo, the Edinburgh Picture House and Birmingham Institute.

The tie-up means the retailer will profit from ticket and merchandise sales across all 12 venues, which, in total, attract over 2 million concert goers each year.

The deal also hands HMV branding rights for the Hammersmith venue, which will be renamed the HMV Apollo. Hammersmith is one of the most iconic London rock venues, having played host to almost every big name star on the way up as well as on the way down. Up until now, it's historically been associated with beer brands; it was previously the Carling Apollo, and some years ago, when I was a regular visitor, it was the Labbatt's Apollo.

Of the deal, HMV CEO Simon Fox told the UK's Music Week: "Music is very much part of our DNA, and by extending the HMV brand into the growing live music and entertainment market, our customers will be able as never before to access and experience music in all of its forms via HMV."

This is an innovative move that sees a retailer diversify in a hugely relevant way while also grabbing naming rights / branding opportunities at the same time. As we've pointed out recently, live sponsorship can reap big rewards in the UK.

[Music Week]

~ ~ ~
Mike Tunnicliffe is founder of NY based Tuna Music LLC, a partner of LA based Filament Entertainment Marketing.

2009-03-01T13:20:00.002-05:00

Rock Games Singing Sad Songs, Waltzes

Profit Warnings and a Slowdown Without Much Signs of Letting Up

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 12.13.08 @ 05:20 PM

Note: The lede for this post has been altered slightly to provide better context for the story.

While the rest of the video game industry seems to be prospering despite the tough economy, two rock-branded game franchises that once promised to broaden the market have unexpectedly fallen behind their competition. Is the tour winding down for "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" ?

Electronic Arts, the video game publisher behind the "Rock Band" franchise, has issued its second profit warning within as many months, and, according to numerous reports over the last few days, including one from the BBC, a number of holiday season titles -- including the second installment of the "Rock Band" series -- have seen disappointing sales figures since their releases. The company also said it had been hit by the growing market share of Nintendo's Wii console, which experienced unexpected growth in November and features a bevy of successful first-party software titles. That said, even Nintendo's music game offering, "Wii Music," has thus far been an unexpected failure.

Over at Activision, the company behind "Guitar Hero," analysts are starting to predict a slowdown in revenues, with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter telling Wired that we can expect to see an overall Activision revenue drop of 14 percent. Jesse Divnich of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research issued a research note on Monday that stated "Guitar Hero" should expect unit sales to decline by at least half, series-over-series for November. In October, this figure was at 60 percent.

However, the same report also acknowledged that, although sales are going to be down, games like "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" will not be disappearing "anytime soon." Thanks goodness for that as I'd hate to see those Hedi Klum commercials disappearing off our screens!

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in LA based Filament Entertainment

2009-03-01T13:15:00.003-05:00

Madonna Gets Racy With Louis Vuitton

Newly Single Star Is Latest Face of Luxury Brand

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 12.04.08 @ 05:30 PM

Busy star Madonna, who's thrown together a divorce, moved to New York, released a new album, participated in a global tie-in with Sunsilk, signed an enormous "360" deal with Live Nation and is in the middle of a sellout world tour, has now taken on another high-profile job as the new face of Louis Vuitton's spring/summer fashion campaign. She reportedly earned $10 million for the campaign.

According to the press release, Marc Jacobs, designer of the 2009 ready-to-wear collection, "knew exactly who he wanted to embody the spirit of the season." Dressed in little else besides mesh stockings and high stilettos and sitting in a smoky, old-fashioned Parisian bar with the latest Vuitton "it" bags, Madonna is intended to embody Jacobs' "vision of the quintessential Parisienne." He says, "I wanted the campaign to be very bold, very sensual and very atmospheric. To carry this off, we needed the ultimate performer -- and for me, that is Madonna."

Louis Vuitton has been using a range of iconic stars in its advertising this year, with former James Bond Sean Connery currently gracing the front page of its website. Figures as varied as Catherine Deneuve and Mikhail Gorbachev have all posed for the "Core Values" campaign, shot by celebrated -- and, as of late, controversial -- photographer Annie Liebovitz. The campaign also features images of Francis Ford Coppola with his daughter Sofia, Andre Agassi with wife Steffi Graf and, as we've covered before, Keith Richards.

The Madonna campaign has been shot by her longtime creative collaborator Steven Meisel, and it's the first time the influential fashion photographer has shot a campaign for LV. Whoever is behind the lens, SFS is just pleased that this provocative series of ads featuring an iconic rock/pop star is a little easier on the eye than Keith Richards!

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in LA based Filament Entertainment

2009-03-01T13:10:00.002-05:00

Mixing Business, Pleasure and Brands

MSG Chairman, Cablevision CEO Shows Passion for Synergistic Riffing

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 12.03.08 @ 12:05 PM

A great example of how passion for music and the business of music and entertainment can fit together so well has just popped into the SFS mailbox courtesy of Ticketmaster, with an offer for customers to download a free new album by JD and The Straight Shot.

"Right on Time" features guest performances by "two of the greatest musicians to ever touch a six-string": Joe Walsh of the Eagles and pedal steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph, known for leading his own Family Band and collaborating with icons such as Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Dave Matthews and others.

Not content with offering the free album, the band is also offering, via their website, a nice brand partnership in the shape of a contest for a "no purchase required" Gibson guitar signed by Joe Walsh and the leader of the band, JD himself, James Dolan.

Whilst not trumpeted anywhere in the promotion of the album or band, Mr. Dolan is in fact chairman of Madison Square Garden Entertainment and president-CEO of MSG's corporate parent, Cablevision Systems Corp. MSG's many entities include some of the most iconic rock venues in the world, and although Mr. Dolan no doubt has connections with some of the greatest rock acts in the world through his venues, he is definitely delivering this project on some serious musical merit of his own -- and an undoubted passion to just play some goddamn great music.

From the band's site:

"I'm just like thousands of guys who picked up a guitar when they were 15, except that I never put it down," he says. "Music is one of my earliest passions and has always been a part of my life. I think you can grow up without growing old," Dolan says. "We still enjoy timeless blues and classic rock, but our new material has a certain energy and vitality to it that can connect to music lovers of all ages. Maybe I'll even inspire some 15-year-old kid to pick up a guitar."

Never mind the 15-year-olds, this 47-year-old has dusted down his 1972 Gibson Les Paul Custom one more time ... so keep your eyes peeled for an appearance at some of those holiday parties!

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in LA based Filament Entertainment Group

2009-03-01T13:07:00.004-05:00

The 'Prince of Darkness' Resurfaces to Sell

Ozzy Osbourne's Eccentricities Highlighted in Spots for Samsung, Blizzard

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 12.03.08 @ 11:17 AM

Ozzy Osbourne hits the screens in two separate endorsements this month.

The first one, for the Samsung Propel phone, has the mumbling rock star trying to order coffee, take a cab and visit his therapist. Unfortunately no one can understand poor Ozzy's mumblings, not even the barista at the coffee house, so he texts him his order for "black coffee" using the Propel. Later, a taxi driver can't understand Ozzy, so he texts the cabby his destination, and finally Ozzy performs the same routine with his therapist, who naturally finds this quite disturbing.

The campaign is taken online with a neat "Ozzy said what?" section of the Samsung site that invites customers to translate what Ozzy's saying and type it in on the new QWERTY keyboard.

Ozzy also appears as "The Original Prince of Darkness" to promote Blizzard Entertainment's "Warcraft" game, where the character Arthas is poised to steal his crown. In the nationally televised spot, Ozzy is seen mumbling that he has been "the prince of darkness since 1979" (though we can only digest this dialogue through the subtitles) and finally yells at the camera "What's your **@!! Game?"

These are two amusing pieces of communication that fit perfectly with the mumbling, shaking star, though as music/brand marketing agency Frukt points out, with Ozzy's shaky hands, the likelihood of any text message being clearer than his words is slim!

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in Los Angeles based Filament Entertainment Group

2009-03-01T13:03:00.003-05:00

Adidas Kicks It Old-School for 60th Birthday

Stars Come Out for Classic 1980s Hip-Hop House Party

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 11.28.08 @ 03:03 PM

England and LA Galaxy soccer star David Beckham has joined a diverse group of other stars including Katy Perry, Estelle and Missy Elliott for a new Adidas commercial that's essentially a 60-second house party snapshot. Soundtracked to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons' 1967 hit "Beggin" remixed by DJ Pilooski, the ad also features hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, rappers Method Man, Redman and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and The Ting Tings.

The commercial, which hit the screens on November 25, is the kick-off spot for Adidas' "60 Years Of Soles and Stripes" anniversary, which the company says is its largest global campaign. Montreal-based agency Sid Lee, which created and produced it, was named the global advertising agency for Adidas Originals at the start of 2008 after working on various communication and retail projects for the brand over the last few years.

The creative will come to life in a complete through-the-line offering including two television spots, cinema, digital, retail, activation events and a print campaign shot by RJ Shaughnessy. Adidas is also teaming up with a number of other "cool" brands, including Italian scooter manufacturer Vespa, which is also featured in the commercial.

Nice commercial and idea, though the mind boggles as to what the production budget must have been for this star-studded extravaganza.

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in Los Angeles based Filament Entertainment Group

2009-03-01T13:00:00.002-05:00

Sony and Bloomingdale's Make Healing Waves

Holiday Auction With High-Profile Artists Benefits Musicians on Call

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 11.28.08 @ 12:16 PM

Whilst we've had misgivings about the relevance of some of the recent fashion and music collaborations, Bloomingdale's has put together a neat tie-in with Sony in aid of the charity Musicians On Call, which brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in health-care facilities and promotes the use of music to complement the healing process for them, their families and caregivers.

As part of this tie-in, Bloomingdale's has just unveiled "Ultimate Experiences," a series of once-in-a-lifetime auction packages with award-winning Sony musicians. These prizes are featured in Bloomingdale's holiday catalog and will be auctioned off online at bloomingdalesholidayauction.com from Dec. 1 to 11. The winners can paint with Tony Bennett during a one-hour personal lesson at his private Manhattan studio or invite three friends to a private brunch and performance with Grammy-award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Another lucky four can then set sail aboard the party ship "Mayercraft Carrier 2" with another Grammy Award winner, John Mayer, for a party, performance and a personally signed guitar. Celine Dion goes a stage further and lays on a personal meet-and-greet for a winner and six close friends after they attend the grand finale of her world tour. As the bidding begins at $25,000, we can expect to see some significant money raised through this initiative.

In support of Musicians On Call, Bloomingdale's has created a number of other music-related promotions, including a donation of $50,000 from the sales of its annual Little Brown Bear by Gund.

This Bloomingdale's/Sony partnership has already enabled Musicians On Call to create 40 custom, co-branded CD Pharmacy facilities in cities across the country where Bloomingdale's has retail stores. A CD Pharmacy consists of at least 200 CDs handpicked to reflect the demographics of each facility, which, at no fee, the organization provides for hospitals -- along with CD players -- for patient use. Musicians on Call currently has 240 CD Pharmacies throughout the United States and in Dublin, Ireland.

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in Filament Entertainment Group

2009-03-01T12:43:00.004-05:00

Anatomy of a Song Promotion

The Fray Strike Far-Reaching Deal With ABC

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 11.21.08 @ 11:34 AM

Within a week of The Fray's song "How to Save a Life" appearing in "Grey's Anatomy," sales of the single shot up 283%, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Subsequent sales eventually hit over 2.5 million downloads as ABC and channels in other countries used the soundtrack in trailers for the show.

This appearance, along with other notable acts and songs such as Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars," marked the coming of age of shows like "Grey's Anatomy," "The OC," "Gossip Girl" and others as one of the highest-profile methods for bands to gain exposure. Now The Fray are back with ABC in a partnership that pushes the boundaries of these tie-ins to new levels. From a report in Billboard:

In a commercial break from the tense elevator confrontations of the Nov. 20 episode of "Grey's Anatomy," a one-minute promo with scenes from the upcoming season of ABC's "Lost" will premiere the Fray's new single, "You Found Me," as well as parts of the music video. Viewers will be directed to abc.com, where they can find a three-minute version of the clip as well as a link to iTunes; there they can buy the single, which will be released to radio the next day.

The partnership between ABC and the Fray -- leader Isaac Slade, guitarists Joe King and David Welsh and drummer Ben Wysocki -- also includes an agreement for the band to appear on the American Music Awards, "Good Morning America" and the outdoor concert series on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ABC will use "You Found Me" as the promo song for this season of "Lost," and discussions are under way to use the band's music on sister channel ESPN during the height of football season.

As we've commented in recent weeks, nothing's going to be impossible in the growing tie-ins between artist and brands, in this case a media brand.

[Video via Idolator]

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in LA based Filament Entertainment Group

2009-03-01T12:40:00.001-05:00

Does Every Brand Have a Sound?

SFS Blogger Returns Home With Overview From Experts on the West Coast

Originall posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 11.18.08 @ 02:35 PM

NARIP confab: (From l.) Three Ring Projects CEO Jeff Rabhan, Coca-Cola's Global Music Marketing Manager Umut Özaydinli, NARIP President Tess Taylor, Bluestone Partners CEO in Residence Martin Pazzani and Wright Crear Management's Jared Rosenberg

After a globe-trotting couple of weeks, the full SFS team is finally back together in New York. I've just returned from NARIP's "Bands, Brands & Beyond Expo" in Los Angeles, where I presented at the keynote. The National Association of Recording Industry Professionals confab was a well-attended and well-designed event with a large contingent of industry leaders and an impressive line of speakers, some of whose comments I've noted below:

Tena Clark, chief creative officer for DMI Music & Media Solutions, started out the day with a clear view on music branding. "At the heart of every brand is a unique sound," she said. "You've got to work very hard to discover what it is or should be. It's what we call the soundDNA, something that can build emotional connections with the brand. SoundDNA is the answer to the question 'What is the sound of your brand?'"

This idea of "sound branding" was also echoed by Martin Pazzani, CEO-in-residence at Bluestone Capital and former CEO of Elias Arts, who said, "A growing number of marketers are beginning to see the benefits of using audio, the sense of hearing, at a much higher level than ever before. They use music and sound as an integrated, planned, strategic communication tool rather than a lowly production afterthought. These marketers are creating the new discipline of audio brand identity and realizing a new area of competitive advantage."

The issue of branding for artists was another clear theme echoed by many of the panelists, including Umut Özaydinli, global music marketing manager, worldwide sports and entertainment marketing for Coca-Cola, who had this piece of advice for artists: "Everyone must become his own brand manager."

Finally, your very own SFS argued that "artists need to think of themselves as brands; what they stand for, what their values are and what message they want to give," if they are to succeed in partnering with consumer brands.

Anyhow, back to some real work now!

SFS Spreads Good Word on Music-Branding

2009-03-01T10:45:00.011-05:00

SFS Spreads Good Word on Music-Branding

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 11.06.08 @ 05:46 PM

Mike Tunnicliffe (second from l.) and fellow panelists at MUSEXPO Europe.

The good looking half of SFS has been busy trotting the globe this fall as a speaker and panelist at a number of music industry events. After a quick warm-up gig at The Swedish Music conference during the CMJ Music Marathon two weeks ago -- with other panelists like Josh Rabinowitz, head of music at Grey, Calle Sjoenell, creative director at BBH and Ed Razzano from global licensing platform Ricall -- the tour swept into London last week for the inaugural MUSEXPO Europe. Yours truly co-moderated a panel called "One step beyond: extending the brand," which explored the growing influence of brands on the breaking of and continued success for new and established artists.

The panelists, which included Martin Morales, head of Disney's recorded music assets for Europe; leading showbiz attorney Doug Mark; Richard Kirstein from BBH's Leap Music in London; and Alicen Schneider and Marianne Goode, music supremos for NBC and Lifetime Television, respectively. We engaged in a lively debate about around a number of key topics, including whether brands would increasingly be looking to take an equity stake in the artists that they break/support -- as we've seen this year with P&G's Tag Records, JV with Def Jam and Bacardi's "signing" of top British dance act Groove Armada.

The overwhelming view from the panel was that "nothing's impossible," and that any number of previously un-thought-of arrangements between brands and artists would arrive over the coming year. Brands are increasingly looking to own some of the intellectual property that they help create, said Richard Kirstein, CEO of Leap Music: "It's no longer taboo from either the artists or brands perspective to want to be in some sort of partnership together; each can help the other out."

Anyhow, the SFS rock n' roll tour hits Los Angeles next week for NARIP's (National Association of Recording Industry Professionals) "Bands Brands & Beyond Expo," where I'll be delivering a keynote titled "Evolving Deals In Licensing & Branding: A Behind-the-Scenes Look" as well as mixing it up with the likes of Umut Özaydinli, global music marketing manager, Coca-Cola, Martin Pazzani, CEO-in-residence, Bluestone Partners, Jared Rosenbergand, Janet Jackson's co-manager, and a stack of others leading figures in the brand-music space. Hope to see some of you there!

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in Filament Entertainment Group

2008-11-30T18:30:00.004-05:00

A New Game in Town

More Artist-Brand Extensions Coming Down the Track

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap 10.20.08 @ 01:03 PM

No sooner had we written about the innovative deal between EMI Music Publishing and British retailer Sainsbury's Tu brand than the folks that made the deal, Corporate Creative Licensing have announced a partnership with publishing company Primary Wave. You may recall that, earlier this year, Primary Wave -- who's iconic catalog includes the songs of Steven Tyler, Kurt Cobain , Greg Allman and Earth Wind & Fire -- created a cartoon show "J-Stache" based around John Oates' mustache and were also behind the licensing of Kurt Cobain's lyrics to Converse for Kurt Cobain editions of some of their classic sneakers (According to PW, 200,000 + pairs sold so far).

As SFS has been suggesting for a while now, there's money to be made in theme there hills. We strongly believe that using the heritage and brand equity of iconic/heritage artists for creative approaches to licensing and brand partnerships will generate significant new revenue streams in the future. And, as we said last week, some of these ideas are no brainers; to see what we mean, try this party game and list all the relevant brand associations that you can think would fit your favorite lyrics and song titles, no matter how appallingly implausible. Here's our first go:

Aerosmith: "Sweet Emotion" Ice Cream
"Walk this Way" Crocs
Britney Spears: "Oops I Did It Again" Paper Towels ... or Diapers
Duran Duran: "Hungry Like The Wolf" Dog Food
Earth Wind & Fire: "Got To Get You Into My Life" Dating Service
Procol Harem: "Knights In White Satin" Sheets
Steppenwolf: "Born to Be Wild" Condoms

We are sure that you'll get the hang of this pretty quickly, so if you have any cracking ideas please feel free to post them in the comments section below. SFS is off now to patent our new game "Lyrical Pursuit" ....

2008-10-15T10:47:00.003-04:00

EMI Helps Usher in T-Shirt Karaoke Fad

Music Publisher Licenses Lyrics to Sainsbury's for Clothing Line

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 10.08.08 @ 01:43 PM

EMI Music Publishing and UK retailer Sainsbury's are collaborating to feature the lyrics to some of the greatest songs ever written on a brand new fashion range. The new collection from the Tu clothing division, which includes products for men, women and children, will feature words from EMI's catalog of more than 1.3 million songs such as "My Girl," "ABC," "(Theme From) The Monkees," "Wild Thing" and "Dancing In The Street."; The Tu range is now carried in 281 of the retail giant's 545 stores across the country.

The agreement marks the latest in a series of initiatives under EMI Music Publishing's Lyric brand, which helped create art posters, greeting cards and board games in the last few years. The deal was brokered by cutting-edge licensing agency Corporate Creative Licensing in conjunction with EMI Music Publishing's Head of Media Licensing Steve Hills and Tu Childrenswear Buying Manager John Carolan. Michael Gottlieb, corporate creative head of licensing, said, "I am thrilled to have helped bring together a leading British retailer with the leading British music publisher. The EMI catalogue contains the world's greatest lyrics, and now Sainsbury's customers will be able to wear inspirational clothing featuring some of the most famous words ever written."

As artists look to replace dwindling revenue streams from recorded music, we are going to see more of these types of innovative and creative deals that take the "brand equity" of the artist and their songs and extend that into new forms of licensing, collaborations with brands and businesses. This particular deal by EMI is such a "no brainer" that I'm surprised it's not being done by every music publisher. Lyric Culture, in West Hollywood, has a similar business plan, but their t-shirts are high-priced, boutique items, not mainstream-consumer-friendly and not widely available at a nationwide retail chain. But that's the great thing about "no brainers" like EMI's deal with Sainsbury's. They only become that way when someone makes them actually happen!

[Press release]

2008-10-15T10:45:00.002-04:00

Radiohead: US Music Biz Has One Advantage

UK Musicians Lobby for Ownership of Their Work

Originally published by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' 10.07.08 @ 03:01 PM

Photo: WENN

Radiohead and other British artists are banding together for ownership rights.

UK pop and rock stars are taking action to try to gain ownership and control of their work from record labels. Robbie Williams, Radiohead, Kaiser Chiefs and The Verve are among the acts who have signed up to a new pressure group, the Featured Artists' Coalition.

According to a number of reports on the BBC, the group wants artists to keep the rights to the music they create and to have a greater say in how their songs are sold -- and a bigger slice of the takings, naturally. At the moment, record labels normally own the rights to the music their artists make, though the artists often get "charged" back all the recording and marketing costs against their advances. Instead, the body is proposing that artists should own the rights but lease them back to labels, technology companies or anyone else for that matter, for up to 35 years, as happens in the US.

The coalition also wants its members to be consulted more fully on how their music is used, the ways it is sold and who gets the money, particularly in regard the increasing number of deals done by labels and publishers with new digital services. "Record and technology companies are signing agreements to deliver music to fans in new ways," the Featured Artists' Coalition charter says. "Artists are not involved in these negotiations and their interests are likely to be overlooked. Artists should receive fair compensation as part of these new deals."

While labels, management companies and agents are still feeling their way in the brand partnership world -- particularly since a lot of current deals are promotional or exposure-oriented rather than hard-cash generating for them -- these partnerships are becoming an increasing source of revenue for their artists and will no doubt come under the same land grab for revenue streams that artists are now fighting off. Agencies and brands need to be aware of the multiple number of "interested parties" when putting together these types of deals, and this coalition is a potent reminder.

2008-10-15T10:30:00.003-04:00

Getty Images Launches Premium Music Platform

Media Clearinghouse Strikes Deals With Majors for Ad, TV Placement

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Advertising Age 'Songs For Soap'

Published: October 07, 2008

Getty Images, one of the largest creators and distributors of visual content and other digital media in the country, has unveiled Premium Playlist, a music collection that makes popular music available for commercial licensing in movies, TV commercials/advertising, broadcast, online and other new media.

The Premium Playlist music collection will be available through gettyimages.com, where it will benefit from worldwide distribution in more than 100 countries. Premium Playlist will additionally be promoted through Getty Images' 600-strong global licensing, distribution and rights-clearance professionals. Getty Images' team is already experienced in music licensing, managing the Pump Audio library of more than 100,000 music titles by independent artists.

According to Billboard, Craig Peters, VP-multimedia products at Getty Images, said, "We have seen significant growth and success in our Getty Images music product and our Pump Audio collection. Representing premium music content through Premium Playlist is the next step and a natural fit for our business model."

Several music publishers, management companies and record labels, including Cherry Lane Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Group, Koch Records, Lionsgate, Nettwerk, Red Light Management and Warner/Chappell Music, have concluded worldwide, non-exclusive deals with Getty Images. The collection has officially launched with an initial catalog of more than 1,000 songs from such artists as Barenaked Ladies, Smash Mouth, Peter Malick (featuring Norah Jones) and music from Lionsgate properties, including the hit TV shows "Mad Men" and "Weeds," and the movie "3:10 to Yuma," among many others.

Nice move from Getty and another sure sign that music licensing is set to continue to grow at a time when the rest of the music business' revenue appears to be heading south. Now who's going to produce the first brand partnership database that profiles artists, giving brand-relevant information and a one-stop shop for clearing multiple rights? Just off to write the business plan for this ...

2008-09-19T19:55:00.004-04:00

Between a Rocawear and a Hard Place

Hip-Hop Icons Hope to Broaden Their Portfolios With New Fashion Lines

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' 09.19.08 @ 06:39 PM

The "Grave" t-shirt from Jay-Z's Artful Dodger line.

Well the brand-music partnership space is certainly back with a vengeance after a long slow summer. I could turn this writing into a full time job if we carry on at the rate the stories are currently hitting the wires.

In time for the fall fashion season, our favorite group of "enter-preneurs" are out and about, showing off their new ranges.

First up to give us a nice twirl is the King of Branding and Business Opportunities, Jay-Z, who showed off his newly revamped Artful Dodger line at a party hosted by GQ magazine at the Chelsea Art Museum. Hova acquired Artful Dodger with partners Iconix for $15 million in cash last November. Both must be hoping that Jay-Z's legendary marketing skills can propel the Artful Dodger brand to the same capital value as his former clothing label Rocawear, which was acquired by Iconix for $204 million in early 2007.

Lupe Fiasco has announced his own new line, a natty range of t-shirt with fashion label Fruition, based on a re-designed Fila logo. This will fit nicely alongside his range of sunglasses and Fallacy Of Rome clothing line. He just needs a shoe range to finish the wardrobe off!

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Snoop Dog is apparently weaving his Rich and Infamous clothing line and other Snoop products into his reality TV show "Father Hood" and the follow-up to his 2004 movie "Coach Snoop," which, according to Woooha.com, will generate millions of dollars worth of free exposure. Good for you Snoop, I'm glad that these shows are of use to someone.

Finally, Sears has just revealed the new fall ad campaign for the LL Cool J range of clothing featuring the rapper and, by the looks of it, his entire family.

Got to stop writing now whilst I get my kids to model those new Tunnicliffe "Tuna" hoodies that I've been developing this summer ...

2008-09-18T18:53:00.001-04:00

It's a Brand-New Metallica

Metal Supergroup Embraces New ID and Alternative Marketing Strategies

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 09.18.08 @ 11:52 AM

Heavy metal supergroup Metallica, who have had a reputation for heavy-handedness with illegal file sharing, fans posting videos on YouTube and journalists who don't quite play ball, have taken a refreshing new approach to the Metallica brand and marketing strategies around the launch of their much-anticipated ninth studio album, "Death Magnetic."

The album, which sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week (which was a short one due to a Friday release) and hit the No. 1 slot on the British album charts, has been accompanied by several new developments:

First, in good brand-management style, the Metallica ID has been revamped with a new logo, a "signature" typographic style and a brand kit that incorporates logos, imagery and graphics, as well as promotional items including a flag, a coffin-shaped special edition album and a vinyl boxed set. Perhaps more surprising is that the band brought in Cannes-award-winning design firm Turner Duckworth, which traditionally works for consumer brands including Coca-Cola, Palm, Amazon and South African Breweries.

The band has also pushed out quite a few new marketing initiatives. For fan-club members (of which I am now one!), anyone ordering tickets for Metallica's live shows will receive an "e-voucher" they can redeem to have the new CD mailed directly to their home for no charge. They'll also receive more "e-vouchers" to download, again free of charge, a video recording of the live show they are going to see. All of this and more, including the ability to order set lists, ticket stubs and recordings of other live shows, is available from livemetallica.com.

As any good marketer will tell you, evolving the look and feel of a brand and offering your consumers the chance to interact with it in new and compelling ways helps keep it fresh and increases "brand stickiness" or, in rock n' roll terms, it keeps your fans stuck to your side.

2008-09-18T18:33:00.009-04:00

Hip-Hop's Shorthand Branding

How Luxury Brands Learn About Themselves Through Song Lyrics

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 09.18.08 @ 10:57 AM

This week's Billboard celebrates the 50th anniversary of its legendary Hot 100 Chart, so if you want to know who's had the most number 1s, who's spent the most time on the charts, what the all-time top rock song was (you'd be surprised!) and you generally geek out for lists, check it out.

What also caught my eye, following our recent post about Chris Brown being paid by Wrigley's to write their product into his songs, was an article in the same issue that highlighted which brands and products were most frequently name-checked in hip-hop lyrics from 2003 to 2005. The original compiler of the report, Lucian James of Luxury Goods Consultancy Agenda, neatly summarizes why hip-hop and luxury brands fit so well together:

"The thing you notice [about] a lot of the main players that always get mentioned -- Hennessy, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac -- is these brands always crop up because they are the best shorthand for success and material wealth," James says. "It's a poetic way to use language. When you say 'Benz' you're not just mentioning a product, you're connecting to a whole set of values and how you see yourself in just four letters."

... "They (key Hip-Hop artists) were wearing / using them and talking about them. It was the first wave of that and now it's kind of matured. Now it's a lot more structured. Luxury brands have learned more about themselves from their relationship with hip-hop in the past four to five years than in the past 10."

As we commented the other week, the hip-hop community has indeed learnt a lot from their early associations and is streets ahead, both commercially and culturally, in understanding the benefits of branding to their own businesses.

2008-09-18T18:33:00.008-04:00

Plain White T's Encourage You to Try on Some Blue Jeans

Platinum Sellers Link With Aeropostale Clothing Store

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' 09.12.08 @ 05:24 PM

Pop-punk act Plain White T's, who scored a big hit with their iconic song "Hey there Delilah," are teaming up with Aeropostale for an integrated marketing effort centered around the band's new album, "Big Bad World."

During the campaign, Aeropostale will be promoting the CD with window displays, bag stuffers and in-store signage at over 850 stores across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. When customers purchase the album in-store or online, they'll receive (while supplies last, of course) a free, exclusive Plain White T's T-shirt, and Aeropostale will promote the deal through e-mail blasts and online banner ads on social-networking sites such as MySpace.

Before the album launch Sept. 23, Aeropostale is offering fans a free, exclusive Plain White T's song download, "Love at 10th Sight." Beginning today and ending on the album release, customers who try on a pair of jeans at any retail location will receive this track for free at www.aeropostale.com.

Nice tie-in, although it makes me wonder why the Plain White T's don't have their own "signature" plain white T-shirt. Seems like a no-brainer.

2008-09-18T18:33:00.007-04:00

Musicians Hop Onto Election Cycle

Democratic Convention Has the Stars, McCain Gets Grief

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap September 08, 2008

Photo: AP

John McCain wants to be your first dancing president.

With election fever raging, the nation's musicians are showing their colors. Obama heads the race as far as star endorsements go, with the recent Democratic convention featuring a kickoff concert at Denver's Red Rocks Amphitheatre with performances from Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews (with long-time cohort and activist Tim Reynolds) and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles.

There were several "off-convention" performances by acts such as Rage Against the Machine and many smaller acoustic performances from Death Cab for Cutie and others. As one might expect, there was also plenty of schmoozing from the stars, which, according to the NY Times, included Kanye West and other "multiplatinum rappers, indie-rock scenesters, D.J.'s and Jennifer Lopez arriving by the van- and private planeload to perform, rally or schmooze with the political elite."

The final day of the convention saw performances by Jennifer Hudson -- who opened proceedings with the national anthem -- and Will.i.am, who recreated the viral video hit "Yes We Can" live onstage with a full gospel choir. The night was topped off by Stevie Wonder, who performed two songs, including "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours."

Chris Daughtry, the "American Idol" rock singer, played both the Democratic and the Republican conventions with his band, taking a strictly nonpartisan stance. McCain must have been glad that at least one major star wasn't giving him a hard time; the Republican presidential nominee has received a deluge of complaints from artists who have not been happy about the use of their music in his rallies and public appearances, including Chuck Berry, Jackson Browne, Van Halen and, most recently, classic rock outfit Heart. The band has issued a cease-and-desist letter to McCain's camp over the use of the 1977 hit "Barracuda," which was used as running mate Sarah Palin's theme song at the Republican convention last week.

There's probably a lesson or two to learn from Obama on how to effectively bridge the gap between politics and pop culture. The Illinois senator has been embracing music from the get-go with the Barack Obama Music Alliance, and he's brought artists along for the ride by involving them in his events.

2008-08-22T11:15:00.003-04:00

Hip-Hip-Hop You Don't Stop

Rappers Earn Top Dollar as True 360 Businesses Evolve

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 08.21.08 @ 05:21 PM

Photo: AP

The perception that linking with brands was "selling out" has long vanished from the hip hop-world, and entertainers now have morphed into "enter-preneurs" that create new brands, businesses and revenues streams from the base of their core entertainment brand.

While Jay-Z has had significant press from his $150 million Live Nation deal, 50 cent has been accumulating his own pool of hip-hop cash. According to a recent Forbes hip-hop package, Fiddy has raked in over $150 million in the last 12 months, with at least $100 million of it coming from his stake in Glacéau, the parent company of Vitamin Water, which was sold to to Coca-Cola. He also has the G-Unit clothing line and record label, films, videogames and a stack of platinum albums, but perhaps most intriguing is a rumored partnership with South African mining billionaire Patrice Motsepe, who has been in discussions with 50 about a JV that will create 50-branded platinum for the necks and fingers of the bling crowd.

Whatever one thinks about the real value of these properties, the fact of the matter is that these types of 360 degree business models are ones that play to the strengths of the artist-brand and deliver products, services and content that is bang-on what the target audience wants. Whilst many traditional labels are talking a good 360 game, none have really managed to move beyond record sales, concert tickets and merchandising as a way of generating more revenue.

To quote from Paul Resnikoff's recent "Parting Shot" in Digital Music News, "the moneymaking possibilities are only limited by the creativity of the entrepreneurs involved."

2008-08-22T11:11:00.001-04:00

Acting Like a Virgin Is a Good Idea

Mobile Operator Puts an Increasing Focus on Music Events

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 08.06.08 @ 11:23 AM

Virgin Mobile USA announced it's sponsoring a free Bon Jovi concert designed to celebrate the Philadelphia Soul's Arena Bowl XXII win earlier this month. Jon Bon Jovi just happens to be the majority owner of the team, and this is what we like to call "synergy."

Along with the sponsorship, Virgin Mobile USA and the Philadelphia Soul are finalizing a new partnership that will run through 2009.

This is the latest in a run of music- and entertainment-based initiatives that the mobile-phone operator has been pursuing as part of its strategy to increase customer uptake and loyalty in North America.

Virgin has pursued a similar strategy in the U.K. and Australia, where it has had a series of highly successful V Festivals that have become a staple of the live summer music scene in both countries. Here in North America, Virgin's association with live music is reaching a similar status, with shows featuring high-profile acts such as The Who and Red Hot Chili Peppers in Vancouver last year and this week's show in Baltimore, which is set to feature the Foo Fighters, Wilco, Jack Johnson, Bob Dylan and Kanye West, among others.

As SFS has commented before, mobile platforms are increasingly becoming a life raft for the music industry and a platform that demands increasing focus and attention. A report from eMarketer predicts worldwide mobile-music revenue will grow from last year's figure of $2.4 billion to $13 billion by 2012. According to a report in Billboard, $8 billion of this will come from ringtone and ringback sales and $5 billion will be generated from full-track downloads, with ad-supported programs likely to grow from $42 million today to $1.5 billion by 2012.

2008-08-05T22:17:00.004-04:00

Musicians Throw Down Their Songs for Peace

Annie Lennox, Bryan Adams to Perform at Peace One Day Show

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 08.05.08 @ 01:06 PM

The global peace organization Peace One Day has announced a star-studded concert celebrating Peace Day 2008 that will feature Natasha Bedingfield and Grammy-award-winning singers Annie Lennox and Bryan Adams. At the event, which will be held Sept. 9 at the Nokia Theatre Times Square, the musicians will perform acoustic sets interspersed with video messages of peace from celebrities and artists such as Jude Law and Lenny Kravitz, plus there will be additional performances and speeches from yet-to-be-announced luminaries.

A similarly high-profile event will take place in the U.K. at London's Royal Albert Hall on World Peace Day, Sept. 21, which is now officially designated by every member state of the United Nations as an annual day of global cease-fire and nonviolence. Last year on this date, Peace One Day's campaigning helped to create a 24-hour cease-fire in Afghanistan that resulted in 1.4 million Afghan children being vaccinated against polio.

Although this blogger isn't directly involved in planning these concerts, he did help book an unannounced British band for the U.K. show and managed to speak with Peace One Day's founder, Jeremy Gilley, in the process. Gilley told Songs for Soap he's looking to take awareness of the cause to another level in 2009 with charity concerts planned for Paris and Mumbai, and he's put out a call to get more corporate support to keep the momentum going. "We are very interested in working with consumer brands and corporations to keep raising the awareness of Peace Day, which will help save lives and create a movement of global unity," Gilley said.

The two events, which will be broadcast globally this fall, have been made possible by the support of some major brand sponsors, including Ben & Jerry's, which launched a new flavored ice cream called Imagine Whirled Peace earlier this year and will be backing the roll-out of a world peace education program to every school in North America. Puma will continue its "One Day One Goal" program launched last year, which encourages people all over the world to celebrate Peace Day through a shared passion for sports. Longtime supporters Coca-Cola, Ecover, British Airways and British financial firm Execution will also back the movement this year.

2008-08-05T22:15:00.003-04:00

Nelly and Kylie Offer Packaged Pheromones

Welcome to Sex Week on SFS

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 08.05.08 @ 12:13 PM

Photo: Anthony Cutajar

Sean John could certainly have picked a Fatter Joe for its underwear campaign.

Howabout we make this sex week on SFS? Wonderful. Here's a couple recent items about how rapper Nelly and petite pop star Kylie Minogue are using their ~~scientifically enhanced~~ god-given gifts to move product.

Minogue is launching a new perfume called Sexy Darling with beauty company Coty. The fragrance, which launched in the U.K. today, has been created for the "modern, sexy, self-confident woman," and the pop princess herself says in the release, "I firmly believe that sexiness is all to do with your state of mind. Some people radiate an inner sense of self-esteem and beauty that's irresistible."

Yes, well quite! A sentiment that we often feel at SFS.

Meanwhile, back on these shores, Nelly will be modeling the Sean John underwear and loungewear line, which will include briefs, boxer-briefs, boxers, undershirts, pajamas and robes, among other unmentionables. According to a post on Celebrity Brands, Sean "Diddy" Combs said, "Nelly is the quintessential definition of the Sean John man, he has the attitude, the swagger and most of all, the physique that our customers can both aspire and relate to. And let's be honest, all of the ladies out there are going to be thanking us for this campaign. The images are so strong; they speak for themselves."

Just be thankful that, for these two products, SFS won't be filming any product-testing experiments. Could get ugly.

2008-07-29T23:22:00.004-04:00

Surprise! Your Favorite Summer Jam Is Really About Chewing Gum

Wrigley's 'Seeds' Chris Brown Track for Later Jingle Campaign

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe and Charlie Moran in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 07.29.08 @ 04:33 PM

Photo illustration: Charlie Moran

A story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal went behind the scenes on a story first featured in Billboard a couple of weeks back about rapper Ne-Yo, R&B performer Chris Brown and country singer Julianne Hough (a professional contestant on "Dancing With the Stars"), who have all reworked classic Wrigley's jingles for a new campaign. Ne-Yo will rap about Big Red with a reworked "Kiss a little longer" jingle, and Hough has recorded a "twangy" version of Juicy Fruit's "The taste is gonna move ya," but Brown's contribution almost works in reverse.

Last year, after reportedly writing the new Doublemint jingle in 30 minutes, Brown and producer Polow Da Don expanded it to a full-length song and "seeded" it as a single called "Forever," well before the campaign was announced. It was included in his 2007 album "Exclusive," which was re-released last month, and the song shot to the top of the Billboard 100. Only now has Wrigley come out and revealed the intent and funding of the track, whose subtle references to the classic Doublemint jingle ("double your pleasure / double your fun") will be emphasized in an upcoming TV spot.

The deal was put together by Interpublic's Translation Advertising, who commented, "By the time the new jingle came out, it was already seeded properly within popular culture."

While hip-hop artists have plugged into virtually every high-end brand from Cartier to Versace in their song lyrics, this is the first time (to our knowledge) that a branded song like this has been delivered to the public in such a covert fashion. It was well-executed, but we don't necessarily see this as the start of a big new trend. Luckily for Wrigley, the song is a hit, but a feeling of deception may leave a bad taste in some consumers' mouths.

Full disclosure: SFS would have picked t.A.T.u. and dressed them up as the Doublemint twins.

Here's the full song:

2008-07-29T23:19:00.003-04:00

Will Live Nation Get a Nickelback From Their New Signee?

Concert Promoter Adds Another Big Act to Its 360 Roster

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 07.08.08 @ 05:06 PM

The Live Nation 360 train continues full-steam ahead with the tour promotion company now finalizing a major deal with Canadian rockers Nickelback. This latest move, which comes less than a week after the company announced a 360 deal with Latin superstar Shakira, is, according to various media reports, a three-album, three-tour deal encompassing multiple revenue streams, including merchandising, live, album, endorsement, secondary ticketing and DVD sales. It's said to be worth between $50 and $70 million.

The post-grunge band, fronted by Chad Kroeger, has sold over 26 million albums and still has two albums left to release through its current label, Warner Music's Road Runner Records, before it can record any albums for Live Nation.

UPDATE: Wall Street doesn't like Shakira, but does like Nickelback. Draw your own conclusions about the dubious musical tastes of stock traders.

According to the promoter, Nickelback's last North American and Australian tour in 2006-07 made more than $67 million. The band will join a growing superstar roster at Live Nation that, in addition to Shakira, also includes Madonna, Jay-Z and an extended relationship with U2.

As we've reported before, Live Nation has been pursuing an aggressive strategy of signing major artists to these types of deals, which has led to some discord among the senior ranks of the company. Chairman Michael Cohl resigned recently after disagreements with CEO Michael Rapino, who wanted to slow the pace of new signings.

If this is a slower pace, I can't wait to see what Live Nation will do when they decide to speed things up.

2008-07-29T23:13:00.009-04:00

Live Nation Seeks to Reassure

With Shakira 360 Deal

Latin Pop Star Signs 10-Year Contract Estimated at $70-100 Million

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 07.03.08 @ 12:50 PM

According to The New York Post and the LA Times, Live Nation has signed a $70 million to $100 million "360" deal with Latin superstar Shakira. Once the deal begins, Live Nation will receive revenue from her concerts, recordings, merchandising, digital and other aspects of her career for 10 years.

The concert promoter has been pursuing an aggressive strategy of signing major artists to these types of deals, whereby the company receives a stake in all of an artist's revenue streams. Last year, LN signed a reported $120 million deal with Madonna, a reported $150 million deal with Jay-Z, and, this year, it completed a major deal with U2.

This latest signing comes on the heels of Live Nation Chairman Michael Cohl's resignation last week after an apparent dispute with CEO Michael Rapino over the speed and aggressiveness of pursuing these 360 deals. Cohl was a proponent of upping the intensity of the signings, with the Rolling Stones rumored to be his latest goal.

According to the New York Post, Live Nation and Shakira have been in talks for about 10 months, but sources said that after last week's negative press from the resignation, Rapino wanted to quickly finalize the deal in order to reassure employees the he was committed to the 360 strategy of the Artist Nation division.

Shakira still owes SonyBMG's Epic Records another English-language studio album, expected next spring, as well as a greatest-hits compilation. This means Shakira likely won't deliver her first album to Live Nation until late 2009 or early 2010, at the earliest. Prior contract commitments mean Madonna and Jay-Z are not expected to release Live Nation albums until then, either.

2008-07-29T23:10:00.003-04:00

Pantene Lets Its Hair Down, Picks Unknown Singer-Songwriter for Spot

P&G Brand Releases Digital Single of 'Shine' Concurrent With Commercial

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 07.03.08 @ 12:16 PM

This week, Procter & Gamble's Pantene shampoo released two commercials created by Grey Advertising that featured original music sourced from a user-generated contest held earlier this year at the MIDEM conference in Cannes.

The competition, which was overseen by Grey's director of music, Josh Rabinowitz, stipulated the following entry criteria for the winning song: "a main-line, loved-by-all sound; makes women feel strong and empowered; immediately branded but never a jingle; works as an instrumental in varying lengths and formats; creatively interprets the brand message of 'shine' and 'let the best of you shine through.'"

Both spots are set to use the winner, the original song "Shine," co-written by Rosi Golan and Human, a New York-based music house. Those parties will receive a majority of the income from the song, although, according to Billboard, P&G will retain the publishing and master recording rights. Golan said, "Artists like me who work hard and make very little money, one of the few ways to make money is through touring and iTunes." The song will be sold on Apple's digital music store beginning the same day the spot airs.

While this is being billed as a successful example of "user generated" content for marketing purposes, it's really a better example of an unsigned artist who was used to create a track with both a "cool" factor and the production values of a hit song. Among advertisers, these twin factors are becoming more important.

2008-07-29T22:57:00.005-04:00

Apparel Brands Cozy Up to Artists

Three Deals Announced in Recent Weeks

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe and Charlie Moran in 'Ad Age Songs For Soap' on 07.02.08 @ 02:26 PM

First up, rapper Nas has announced a one-year partnership with Fila whereby the apparel company will offer financial support for his upcoming tour as well as the print and TV campaign for his new album, out July 15. In return, he will wear Fila products and co-create an apparel line that draws from fashions of the late '80s.

At the same time, Soulja Boy has signed a multi-year sneaker and apparel contract with Yums Shoes, which is fast becoming a major force in urban streetwear. There will apparently be an exclusive Soulja Boy-designed range, and the rapper will appear in both television and print advertising for the line as well as five webisodes that will run across the Yums and Soulja Boy websites. Soulja Boy will also be teaming up with graffiti artist and designer Tex to promote his own signature Yums "Block Star" sneakers as well as an apparel line.

Finally, although there aren't very many details yet, Kanye West told Women's Wear Daily that he's working on a men's shoe line with Louis Vuitton. While attending an LV show in Paris recently, he also told the Guardian: "I'm here for Louis. I grew up with the Louis look, you know. I just love the style." He's also expected to unveil his own women's clothing line, independently, this fall. If Carlton Banks in drag is your thing, stay tuned ...

Thanks for the tip, Sasha!

2008-07-29T22:56:00.005-04:00

John Oates' Mustache to the Rescue

Hairy Superhero Carries Back Catalog Into the Future

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Advertising Age 'Songs For Soap" on 07.02.08 @ 11:33 AM

No sooner had we written about the need for artists' back catalogs to be marketed in more creative ways -- via tailored ideas and exploitation strategies -- than Primary Wave Music Publishing announced "J-Stache," a cartoon about John Oates' mustache.

According to Billboard, the formerly mustachioed half of Hall & Oates could appear in a new cartoon series that portrays him as a modern-day family man who finds himself enticed back to the rock-star life by his superhero facial hair.

The series has a twofold objective: to help portray Oates in a new modern-day light while reminding people of the great songs from his back catalog. As Oates says in Billboard: "Just as I'm represented as the John Oates of today, the mustache is the John Oates of yesterday. The focus of the music will be on the back catalog, but it's an open-ended situation."

"J-Stache" is the brainchild of Primary Wave Senior Creative Director Evan Duby, who commented: "I thought to myself that this guy could be a pop icon on a completely different level. I wanted to be part of bringing John Oates to a younger generation." Primary Wave -- which is quickly building a very cool collection of heritage-based music, including the songs of Steven Tyler, Kurt Cobain and Greg Allman -- is currently shopping the Oates concept to the networks.

2008-07-29T22:54:00.003-04:00

Music Supervisors Get to Sit at the Adult Table

Ad Festival Season Demonstrates Prominence of Music, Sonic Branding

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 06.26.08 @ 05:16 PM

The advertising festival season -- in full swing for the past two months -- has seen an ever-increasing focus on music, says Josh Rabinowitz of Grey Group.

In a recent Billboard piece [sub. required], the prominent music supervisor highlights the importance of music at all the leading awards shows, ranging from The Clios to the Cannes Lions and all the shows in between, such as the AICP, the One Show, the Bessies, the 2008 AICE Awards Show, the Fab Awards and the ADDY Awards. In his column, Rabinowitz says these shows not only give awards to music-led creative, but they are also popular places for advertisers to discover new sounds.

This theme was echoed in USA Today, which last week reported from the Cannes Lions with a feature titled "Jingles out, cool songs in," which highlighted the importance of advertising to music publishers, labels and songwriters alike, and how music business executives were in attendance at the festival looking to drum up more business. The report went on to say: "Advertisers' appetite for hit music in ads, or songs composed to sound like hits, has largely sent the old hard-sell jingles, with campy music and product lyrics, the way of vinyl LPs."

This is leading to much higher levels of sophistication in the music selection process, with clients increasingly seeking to develop "sonic branding" guidelines that take on the same importance as brand identity and developing music strategies that drive how they leverage music in all forms of communication.

2008-07-29T22:06:00.003-04:00

Beatles to Join Licensing Gold Rush?

Financial Times: Fab Four-Themed Video Game in the Works

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe on 06.26.08 @ 11:14 AM

A report in the Financial Times suggests that representatives from (the Beatles') Apple Corps are in talks with both Activision and MTV Games, the companies behind the highly successful "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" games, respectively.

Whilst the notion of a Beatles video game is interesting in its own right, the report also suggests that this could be the precursor to a broader licensing of The Fab Four's back catalog for more commercial opportunities. Martin Bandier, chief executive of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which controls more than 200 Beatles copyrights, told the FT: "To my view, it's only a matter of time before we see Beatles songs that are the original recordings in motion pictures, in television work, and yes, maybe even one day in a commercial."

SFS thinks that this is exciting news and further adds to the notion that we've been pushing in recent posts and on conference platforms, that music-brand partnerships are going to develop into a major part of the fabric of the music business going forward. Our post on Led Zeppelin/"Stairway" earlier this week pointed out that not only does a broader approach to licensing tap into rich and growing revenue streams but also gives some of the "oldies" an opportunity to introduce their music to a younger audience.

It's great to see music licensing grow, but the licensing of songs is almost always a reactive business. There must be dozens of songs from our heritage artists that are not "sweated" as hard as they could be, and they could benefit from their own tailored marketing plans to help attract more interest from brands.

2008-06-22T13:54:00.002-04:00

'Music 2.0 Manager' Sets Off Into the Wild Unknown

Music Tank and Terry McBride Create 'Brand Roadmap' for New Act

By Mike Tunnicliffe originally published in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap': June 18, 2008

British music business development network MusicTank and Terry McBride -- "music business 2.0" manager of Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies and CEO of Nettwerk Music Group -- are kicking off a unique, year-long project that will generate from scratch a mold-breaking 360-degree road map for an up-and-coming British act.

The initiative follows McBride's recent MusicTank report that showed how management and labels need to alter their mind-sets in order to cater to the behavior of the millennial generation -- generally defined as those born in the early 1980s who demand content to be available across multiple platforms simultaneously.

In the report, McBride endorses two key concepts that resonate with SFS:

Constant experimentation is the key to success. This is a common theme for McBride, who has achieved a high degree of success for his acts by developing "unconventional" but thoughtful marketing approaches.
Creating an artist "branding road map" that develops a true appreciation of the "artist as a brand" and sets out a clear inventory of the artist's assets -- fans, music and non-music content -- and all the multiple on- and offline platforms for reaching listeners. Once this is established, the idea is to identify suitable content platforms or "highways," which are then weighted according to their importance.

This is pretty much what we've been advocating for some time now on this blog: treat artists as brands and apply the same level of discipline to marketing artists as brands do to their own marketing.

2008-06-22T13:50:00.003-04:00

Jumpin' Jack Cash?

Could the Rolling Stones Be the Newest Horse in Live Nation's Stable?

By Mike Tunnicliffe originally published in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' : June 18, 2008

Photo: AP

Another exile on Main Street?

In the world of alternative music-business models, Live Nation has blazed a trail in recent months, landing "360 deals" with major acts, including Madonna, Jay-Z and an almost-360 deal (excluding recordings) with U2.

The latest rumor hitting the street is that the Rolling Stones are considering leaving EMI after 31 years and throwing their lot in with Live Nation with a "360 deal" that would incorporate the back catalog (which reportedly earns EMI about $6 million annually), touring income, merchandise and brand partnerships. A report in the British Sunday paper The Observer stated that the band was "just weeks away" from announcing a deal that could also see Universal records getting in on the act by licensing new versions of the catalog from Live Nation.

The Stones camp has denied the story, but, given the band's long-standing and extremely close relationship with Live Nation chairman Michael Cohl (who has produced all of the band's recent tours), it seems highly likely that this will be a done deal shortly.

The only potential spanner in the works is a reported unease amongst Live Nation's senior executives about its 360 strategy and whether the company has been signing up mega-acts too quickly. As we've said before, Live Nation is really going to have to learn to speak the language of brands and manage brand-related businesses if they are really going to get their money's worth out of these deals.

2008-06-22T13:17:00.002-04:00

Steve Madden Would Like You to Try on His Headphones

Footwear and Accessory Brand Launches Music Platform

By Mike Tunnicliffe originally published in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' on 06.13.08 @ 03:57 PM

Fashion brand Steve Madden is launching a music platform that will be featured in-store and online, according to a report [sub. required] in today's Billboard.

The platform will apparently be launched under the moniker "Steve Madden Music" and will highlight a different recording artist every other month. The first artist to sign up for this deal is current chart sensation Katy Perry, whose latest single "I Kissed a Girl" raced up the Billboard Hot 100 after selling 173,000 digital downloads this week. Next is upcoming R&B-rap crossover artist artist Little Jackie.

The Billboard report quotes Steve Madden himself as saying, "[The labels are] after the same girl that we're after. Even the mind-set of trying to make a hit shoe or a hit record is the same. People always want to know what's cool. I figured if [Sean "Diddy" Combs] and Russell [Simmons] could get into my business, then I could go into theirs."

The platform will apparently have extensive in-store components, with live performances from the artists at flagship Steve Madden stores, artists' videos appearing on-screen and at point-of-sale within the 70 nationwide stores as well as a significant online presence through a soon-to-be-launched Steve Madden Music website.

Retailers are increasingly getting in on the brand-music act with a number of high-profile promotions in the retail environment, including Urban Outfitters, American Eagle and Tommy Hilfiger, which is in its third year of staging "The Hilfiger Sessions," and in April launched tommytv.com. In the non-fashion sector, Whole Foods recently launched its own Artist Discovery Series.

[Billboard.biz (sub. required)]

2008-06-22T13:14:00.002-04:00

WPP, Universal Put More Resources Into Brand-Music Partnerships

BrandAmp Goes Down Under

By Mike Tunnicliffe
Originally published in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap": June 13, 2008

BrandAmp, the 50/50 European joint venture between Universal Music Group and WPP, is expanding internationally with the launch of an office in Sydney, Australia.

BrandAmp was established in London in September 2006 to develop music and brand partnerships between Universal Music Group's artists and WPP's client brands, and it signaled the start of music and brands being taken seriously at the agency and music label corporate levels. At the time of the launch, WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said, "In a world of media fragmentation, music remains a powerful medium. We see an increasing desire for brands to partner with bands. BrandAmp will allow us to facilitate and manage those partnerships more successfully."

The brand-music and music licensing marketplace is booming across the world and is particularly strong in Autralia, according to a report in Billboard, which broke the story:

" The band-and-brand sector in Australia is experiencing rapid growth. Sean Pickwell, managing director of Sydney-based Waterfront Entertainment Marketing, estimates the sector grew 60% last year and will achieve a similar growth in 2009. He puts its annual revenue at A$12 million to A$15 million ($11.3 million to $14.17 million)."

This concurs with SFS's report from March, which put the global music licensing marketplace at around $3 billion per year and growing rapidly.

SFS predicts that other agency holding companies are eying up this space, but we also think that they'd better move quickly, as a number of start-up ventures that sit between artists and client brands are looking to break out as independent entities.

2008-06-22T12:10:00.004-04:00

Come for Natasha Bedingfield, Stay for the Continental Breakfast

W Hotels, MasterCard and Sony BMG Form New Music Partnership

By Mike Tunnicliffe originally published in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap : June 11, 2008

According to a number of reports, Starwood Hotel division W Hotels Worldwide, along with MasterCard Worldwide and Sony BMG Music's Commercial Music Group, are launching W WonderLust Live, an exclusive concert platform featuring established and emerging artists. Guests and local consumers with MasterCard credit cards can book a "W WonderLust Live Package," which will include two tickets to the concert, an exclusive W Hotels/Sony BMG all-access VIP gift bag, drinks, a 3 p.m. checkout and a "Fabulous Suite."

The live performances -- hosted by A-list producer Bryan Michael Cox -- will also be broadcast on W's dedicated video channel, accessible only in W Hotels. Two concerts have taken place already; the inaugural one featuring Natasha Bedingfield, took place at W New York-Union Square on May 19. The second performance was held yesterday at W Los Angeles-Westwood with Irish singer-songwriter Paddy Casey.

Live Nation Studios -- the media company's live recording arm -- has signed on to record select performances and stream them at livenation.com. Some of the music will also be made available on a W Hotels CD, "WonderLust, The Worldwide Tour" produced by Sony BMG.

Previously, Starwood had a similar deal with the label to curate in-house mixes for all of its brands, and a compilation of electro-pop tunes picked for the W Hotels called "Warmth of Cool, Interlude" was released for retail.

2008-06-22T12:04:00.003-04:00

Seether Rides Along With Chopper Like Any Other Sponsor

Motorcycle Reality Show Integrates Post-Grunge Outfit as a Featured Brand

By Mike Tunnicliffe originally published in Ad Age 'Songs For Soap' 06.06.08 @ 12:18 PM

The producers of the CMT show "Chopper Challenge" have gone outside their traditional brand sponsors and have, for the first time in a TV show, featured the post–grunge band Seether as just another integrated brand on the show.

In addition to having its image and logo appear on the episode's custom bike, the band gained further exposure by having its members appear in the episode talking about bikes and having its songs "Fake It," "Rise Above This" and "Remedy" played during the show. The "Chopper Challenge" website includes a link to Seether's website, and the finished Seether bike will be donated to a charity of the band's choosing.

The deal put was together by leading entertainment marketing firm GMR, Seether's manager, Stu Sobel of The Firm, and the show's producers, V Entertainment.

From a "behind the scenes" report in Billboard: "V Entertainment Group pays CMT an undisclosed fee to air the show and then sells the advertising that appears during each episode. That advertising is sometimes tied to the brands featured in the show, though in this instance Seether ads were not part of the agreement."

As we commented in last week's post, more and more artists will be taking center stage in a number of broader entertainment-based properties, and this area can only be headed for growth. But the Seether promotion does raise a couple of interesting hypothetical questions:

When are we going to see the first artist-funded show, where costs are offset by sponsors/advertisers? SFS can see quite a few artists building financial equity in shows that are derived from their own brand equity.
Where are the record labels in all of this? Surely exploiting their artists through TV shows that they have equity in has to be a no-brainer, right?

2008-06-21T19:22:00.003-04:00

Material Girl Brings Home More Goodies From 'Hard Candy'
More Licensing Revenues Flow to Madonna

Posted originally by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 06.06.08 @ 11:45 AM

Madonna has gotten a lot of mileage
out of 'Hard Candy.'

Following a slew of recently announced licensing deals, Warner Music International has tied up a multicountry deal with Sony Ericsson whereby, according to a report in Billboard, Madonna's latest album, "Hard Candy," is to be pre-loaded or carried alongside Sony Ericsson handsets across 27 countries. This past April, Samsung pre-loaded content from the album in its devices for the French market, and the success of the roll-out seems to have peaked Sony Ericsson's interest in engineering a similar deal for themselves.

This latest agreement comes on the back of a huge launch campaign for the album in conjunction with Unilever's Sunsilk, which engendered the first ever co-coordinated global launch of a brand campaign with an album launch for a mega-star artist of Madonna's stature.

The release of "Hard Candy" has benefited from a string of international, multimedia initiatives, including wireless operators Verizon Wireless and European-based Vodafone, who teamed up to simulcast a Madonna performance live to mobile phones on their networks. A remix of the single "4 Minutes" has also been made available exclusively via Verizon Wireless in the U.S. and internationally through Vodafone. Overseas, Madonna also signed an exclusive deal with Fuji TV in Japan to license "Miles Away," the expected second single from the album, as the theme for the new drama series "Change."

SFS can only say "Wow, very impressive!" as these deals all appear to give dollars to Madonna but also deliver some significant value for the fans and brands involved. It certainly also sets some fertile ground for Live Nation to sow their Madonna seeds when Madonna joins the books as the first of their superstar signings later this year. Kudos to Warners though for a fine farewell effort.

2008-05-31T09:16:00.002-04:00

50 Cent and MTV Do a Trump
Rapper and Music Channel Team Up for Hip-Hop 'Apprentice'-Style Reality Show

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Advertising Age 'Songs For Soap' on 05.30.08 @ 02:54 PM

Just a week after his purported $300 million deal with MySpace hit the rumor mill, 50 Cent and Viacom-owned MTV have announced a partnership that, according to a report in Variety, will feature the rapper hosting a new kind of hip-hop "Apprentice"-style show. The premise? Sixteen contestants will live together and compete in challenges that relate to being street-savvy, business smart and, no doubt, showing the same kind of deal-making prowess that is a common theme in the entrepreneurial urban music scene.

Each week's episode will end with 50 Cent narrowing his search down by firing two of the contestants, so look out for that new catch phrase "You fired, bro."

MTV also announced a clutch of other new music-based reality shows: "Buzzin'," a humorous reality series that will chart the rise of music artist Shwayze and Cisco Adler; "Busted," a half-hour show that chronicles kids that break the law; and a docu-series that follows T.I.'s community service and march toward jail, which will hew to a similar formula to sibling channel VH1's "Countdown to Lockdown," which charted a similar run-up to a jail sentence for top female rapper Lil' Kim.

Finally, Diddy's "Making the Band" is being revamped and will now be called "Making the Rock Band" as Diddy "steps out of his comfort zone."

It's interesting to see this crossover of styles and formats as artists continue to take centerstage in broader-based entertainment properties, where a music career is essentially a star's "cost of admission." As we keep saying at SFS, there's a big opportunity for brands to integrate into music reality and entertainment based shows, though with three of the five shows featuring hosts or participants with criminal records, it does make you wonder if, for marketers, there are slightly safer and more mainstream-alternative TV vehicles to get involved with.

2008-05-31T08:51:00.003-04:00

Songs For Soap on the Soapbox Again
Panel at Clio 2008 Outlines the Future of Brand-Music Partnerships

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Advertising Age 'Songs For Soap' on 05.20.08 @ 11:37 AM

Tunnicliffe & Simon : Clios Keynote 2008

Following my participation in the Musexpo panel in L.A. three weeks ago, yours truly has been at it again, this time addressing a packed audience last Friday at Clio 2008 in Miami. This time, I joined someone who knows a thing or two about the creative side of music and brands: Joel Simon, the award-winning founder and creative force behind JSM Music. He's arguably the biggest producer of commercial production music in North America and the current go-to producer for big name stars performing in commercials.

Our joint 45-minute panel, "How the Ad Industry Became the Saviors of the Music Industry", tracked the evolution of brand–music partnerships and showed examples from the three stages of evolution that we'd identified:

Brand-music "associations" -- music appearing in commercials
Brand-music "integrations" -- i.e. Madonna and Sunsilk, Mary J. Blige and Chevy
Brand-music "business partnerships" -- i.e. Groove-Armada-Bacardi and P&G-Def-Jam, which allow brands to potentially profit through becoming business partners with artists and labels.

We went "behind the scenes" on some deals and also pointed out that, while the opportunities for profit, innovation and breakthroughs were increasing exponentially, the deals were becoming much more complex from a licensing and rights point of view, and clients and agencies needed guidance in this space.

We had such a positive reaction that Joel and I have decided to make the presentation available -- complete with examples and behind-the-scenes information -- to any agencies or clients that wish to learn more about the latest happenings, challenges and solutions in brand-music partnerships. Contact me if you fancy your own private show ... erm so to speak ....

2008-05-31T08:38:00.005-04:00

Will MySpace Put $300M in 50 Cent's Pocket?
Major Labels Under Pressure to Compete in Brand-Music Partnership Space

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Advertising Age Songs For Soap on 05.19.08 @ 01:56 PM

50 Cent: 'Loads o' Money'

According to widespread media reports, MySpace is in advanced talks sign 50 Cent to a $300 million multiyear, 360 deal that would give Rupert Murdoch's company control over Curtis James Jackson III's tours, books and film projects as well as future albums.

However, rumors of the deal have been denied by 50 himself as well as his management and a G-Unit "associate" that spoke with Vibe magazine, but it's not clear whether the reports may be wrong, inaccurate or just awkward while negotiations are still taking place.

50 Cent would be the first A-list artist that MySpace has enticed aboard its fledgling MySpace Records, and the deal, if completed, will dwarf those made by Live Nation with Madonna for a reported $120 million and Jay-Z for $150 million. 50 Cent is currently signed to Interscope Records, which has been with the rapper since the early days of his career, but his deal, which includes his own Interscope-backed label, G-Unit records, is due to expire soon.

Forbes hasn't issued its 2008 Celebrity 100 list yet, but in last year's ranking, 50 Cent received an estimated $33 million through his various ventures. With the sale of his stake in VitaminWater for an estimated $100 million, his ranking this year should put him at the top near Oprah Winfrey, who was first last year with an estimated income of $260 million.

Increasingly, labels are left holding only the back catalogs as their superstars flee for other ventures, but that's not where the real money appears to be these days. While CD sales continue to decline, artist income is increasingly coming from broader enterprises. To quote leading-edge artist manager Terry McBride (who's in charge of the Barenaked Ladies and Avril Lavigne) at the Musexpo keynote: "We are now in the business of building entertainment brands, the music is simply the glue that holds it together"

At a time when major labels are reporting poor earnings and shedding staff, it looks like they are really going to have to invest in talent in order to compete with the deep-pocketed new entrants to the markets.

2008-05-31T08:20:00.007-04:00

Panelists at Musexpo Talk of Music-Branding's 'Coming of Age'
If You Need Proof, Watch the Evening News

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe originally in Advertising Age Songs For Soap on 05.07.08 @ 10:57 AM

The MUSEXPO bands and global consumer brands session: Photo: John Gannon

(From l.) Chris Dorne (VP, production/director, Connectivetissue/Mediavest, USA), Steven Stewart (senior manager, Nokia Music Solutions), Gary Arnold (senior-VP entertainment, Best Buy), Jim O'Mahoney (co-founder, Filament), Dan Diamond (VP, National Cinemedia), Mike Tunnicliffe (president, Tuna Music), Marianne Goode (VP music, Lifetime TV/Lifetime Entertainment) and James P. Dunne (president, Inspire Entertainment).

"You know that there's a serious business here when it's become a regular topic in the news," stated yours truly at a packed bands and global consumer brands session at the Musexpo music conference in L.A. last week.

Other panelists concurred, including the former CEO of Saatchi international, Jim O'Mahoney; Best Buy's senior entertainment officer, Gary Arnold; and Nokia's head of music, Steven Stewart. All agreed that the business has finally come of age, and if one needs further proof, he or she merely needs to turn on the nightly news. Consumer-brand tie-ins with artists continue to make high-profile media stories, most recently Groove Armada's recent deal with Bacaradi, which made a splash across the news in the UK.

O'Mahoney, who is leaving Saatchi to set up a business in the brand-music space, said, "There's no getting away from it. We are at the dawn of a new era, and its staring us right in the face."

This echoed a similar theme from the keynote panel, which featured luminaries such as promoter Harvey Goldsmith and managers of acts like Avril Lavigne, Missy Elliot and Kiss, who all commented on the growing importance of brand partnerships for the artists and events that they managed. While welcoming brands' involvement, the panelists were somewhat scathing about the traditional record labels' ability to "get with the program" and act in a collaborative manner.

This sentiment was summed up by a rather forthright comment from Goldsmith, who suggested that artists may soon opt to go it alone with support from brands instead of labels. "Why are the record labels today still so fucking difficult and slow?" he told the panel audience. "The opportunity is to get with the program, otherwise the artists will just take advantage of what is fast becoming payback time."

2008-05-31T00:08:00.005-04:00

Major Scottish Brewer Inaugurates World's First User-Generated Music Festivals
Tennents' New Business Model for Live Music Offers Some Answers to Industry Woes

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Advertising Age Songs For Soap on 04.28.08 @ 01:18 PM

The Tennents Mutual site is a
music destination as well as a hub for
the user-generated non-profit.

Leading Scottish brewer Tennents has created a new music fund and online destination that allows fans to select artists, decide locations and call the shots on ticket prices for sponsored gigs in Scotland this fall.

The beer co. has invested £150,000 (about $300,000) in the start-up, dubbed Tennents Mutual, and fans who sign up before June 30th will be given "founder" member status, giving them the right to vote on the "who, what, why, where" of all decisions in regards to how it's spent. Tennent's Mutual is a not-for-profit enterprise, and no booking fees will be charged for shows. Ticket income will be ploughed back into the central fund, creating a self-generating amount that will grow and be reinvested into creating more live events.

As the live music industry increasingly becomes where the dollars (and pounds, in this case) are coming from, this model puts more control into the hands of fans, a natural development, considering they've been taking and receiving increasing control in other areas of the music industry lately through file-sharing and fan-led pricing models (i.e. Radiohead's "In Rainbows," Nine Inch Nails's "Ghosts" albums and Saul Williams' "Niggy Tardust" album.) It also plays nicely in the current environment, where fans and government/industry bodies are pushing back against ever-increasing ticket prices, although it's not clear if this venture will be able to stop the tickets from landing in "secondary markets" for which there is an increasing backlash from fans and (in the UK) the government.

Tennents, brewers of Tennent's Lager, the best-selling of its class in Scotland, has had a long-standing association with live music, in particular through its high-profile summer festival T in the Park. In addition to other music gatherings, the company also sponsors the T Break program, a Battles of the Bands style contest where unsigned acts compete for the chance to play sponsored gigs and jump-start their careers with other promotions like CD samplers.

2008-05-31T00:01:00.003-04:00

Will People Fast-Forward Through a Show About Ads?
Mark Burnett Intends to Find Out With New CBS Reality Series About Jingle-Writing

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 04.15.08 @ 02:56 PM

Who says the jingle is dead?

According to Reuters and The Hollywood Reporter, reality show producer Mark Burnett is lining up a new advertising jingle reality show for CBS where contestants will be given weekly advertisement-writing assignments that they will then have to perform in front of a studio audience.

Viewer votes will then determine the weekly winner, whose tunes will have the opportunity to be featured live in an actual commercial. According to the HR story, CBS ordered eight episodes of the advertiser-friendly "Jingles" (working title) before the Hollywood writers strike started last November.

While details of the show are still trickling out, SFS thinks that there could be opportunities to extend the concept into broader brand-music partnerships, especially since they've largely eclipsed the impact of jingles these days. Why stop at writing jingles? Contestants could also be tasked with coming up with ideas that show how brands and music can former broader partnerships, the sorts of more engaging projects that we write about here every day.

According to The Hollywood Reporter / Reuters, sources said the series has started casting and pre-production, and CBS is expected to announce a summer launch within the next couple of weeks. We don't have details of who the panel of judges will be, but I'm sure that Burnett would have no shortage of qualified candidates from the ranks of Advertising Age. Our agents will be in touch.

If and when this show airs, expect round-the-clock coverage of it on SFS.

2008-05-30T23:45:00.005-04:00

The Rise and Rise of Niggy Tardust
Nike Boosts Fortunes of Hip-Hop Poet Saul Williams

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap 04.14.08 @ 01:35 PM

Saul Williams has come out a
winner with his 'Niggy Tardust' album,
possibly thanks to a halo effect from his song in a Nike spot.

Hip-hop poet and Trent Reznor protege Saul Williams has scored a big hit through licensing his song "List of Demands" to Nike for its SPARQ "My Better Is Better Than Your Better" spot.

The song, which comes from Williams' self-titled 2004 debut album, appears to have had a halo effect for his second album, the Reznor-produced and critically acclaimed "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust." The Nine Inch Nails frontman persuaded Williams to put out the album directly to fans with the option of a reduced-quality free version or a higher-quality $5 version, a similar formula to Radiohead's and a precursor to Reznor's own "Ghosts i-iv" album.

According to a story by rock critic Greg Kot in Friday's Chicago Tribune, sales of the downloaded album have been gradually creeping up since the Nike commercial began airing. As of today, 225,000 people have downloaded the album and 60,000 have paid the full price, which is double the amount that his first album has sold. The single track itself has also had more than 400,000 views on YouTube, and the digital single has been selling 10,000 copies a week since the ad first aired.

Williams has always been difficult to classify and package as an artist because of his eclectic nature; he mixes rap, poetry, hip-hop, industrial and various other genres. But he says he's delighted with the effects of the Nike ad. He told Kot: "And at the end of the day, it's been about the exposure. Not only the exposure to me and my music, but for me, who always falls in the category of being a 'message writer,' there are a lot of people being exposed to perhaps a new way of thinking, some new ideas, and that really excites me."

2008-05-30T23:31:00.005-04:00

As Sponsorship Dollars Roll In, Fans Need to Be Taken Care Of Too
Live Sponsorship Business Broke $1 Billion Barrier Last Year but Predicted to Slow in 2008

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age S ongs For Soap on 04.14.08 @ 01:05 PM

According to leading sponsorship agency IEG, North American-based companies will spend an estimated $1.04 billion to sponsor music venues, festivals, tours and concerts this year, capturing around seven percent of total sponsorship dollars. While this is only a four percent increase on last year after years of double-digit growth in the past, IEG senior editor William Chipps told Billboard.biz that corporate spending on live music "remains healthy."

According to the report, the most active categories include air travel, apparel, auto, beer, cable, computer storage, energy drinks, insurance, soft drinks and wireless telecoms cos., though various broader "bundled" deals have started to come through, such as Live Nation's deal with Citi last year. This deal included tour sponsorships, ticketing, venues, and one-off events like Billy Joel's summer concerts at Shea Stadium.

IEG's March sponsorship report has a separate interview with Live Nation's president of national alliances, Russell Wallach, who says that "companies are looking for bigger opportunities than traditional music sponsorships have offered them," and that they're are now asking how they can get involved with music as a year-round marketing platform.

However, it's not just a case of looking at broader platforms and packages, what we've been increasingly advocating is better communication and understanding of not only what brands and artists want out of brand-music partnerships, but also what consumers get out of them, making sure that all three parties have mutual benefit. This applies no less to the live marketplace, where the venue/festival, the artists, the consumer brands and the fans need their interests aligned, and if we dare say it, where actually the consumers/fans should be foremost in everyone's minds.

2008-04-12T18:18:00.008-04:00

P&G Gets Into the Record Label Business
Hip Hop Mogul Jermaine Dupri Partners With Tag Deodorant

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 04.11.08 @ 01:52 PM

Dupris and P&G: Smell of Success

In an interesting twist on brand-music partnerships, Jermaine Dupri has partnered with the Procter & Gamble-owned Tag Body Spray to form TAG records, which is part of the Tag brand's initiative to cultivate relationships with the urban community through the development of programs that provide opportunities for aspiring hip-hop talent.

Dupri will serve as president of the new company, which will distribute through Island Def Jam Records. Dupri said in an interview on MTV.com that, in the face of declining sales and technological advancements, this deal will provide him and the label with promotional support that's unprecedented in today's market.

Artists that are signed up will get the full support of marketing campaigns built around the TAG brand including television, print, radio, digital and event marketing.

This is not the first time that a brand has ventured in to the record label space. Starbucks is probably the best known example, but there are other brands out there that have announced some interesting deals including Levis, who set up Levity records in Australia and Bacardi, which signed an exclusive deal with British dance Act Groove Armada.

This is certainly an area that SFS feels is set to grow and could be a great a way for artists to have more freedom and control over their product and for brands to have the ability to invest in content and get a return over and above the promotional benefits of being associated with an artist. Just imagine the potential returns if a brand got involved on the ground floor with a financial interest in the next Alicia Keys, Beyonce or Jay-Z.

2008-04-12T18:07:00.004-04:00

Fashion Faux Pas
Stars' Clothing Lines Leave a Little to Be Desired

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 04.10.08 @ 01:03 PM

Whilst SFS is not necessarily an arbiter of fine fashion, two musician-endorsed ranges that have appeared recently that are well, 'erm, a little off color in the fashion stakes!

Veteran Crooner Stewart

Veteran crooner Rod Stewart has launched a range of clothing and accessories, which according to a report in The Telegraph, "consists largely of sober T-shirts and tracksuit tops for men and women, bearing the rocker's image. But the collection is not without a nod to the singer's flamboyant past with 'official Rod Stewart panties,' a snip at £2.50, are shiny black, emblazoned with red hearts and include the words 'Isn't it Romantic'."

The collection also includes Rod Stewart emblazoned mugs and baby grows. Hmm tasteful!!

Meanwhile Scary Spice, aka Mel B, has launched a range of "Catty Couture," according to a report in Celebritybrands.net.

"Catty Spice" Mel B

According to the report, the range "features a number of animal print patterns, her trademark costume as Scary Spice. Reflecting much of Mel's onstage wardrobe" and the 32-year-old star commented in People magazine, "I'm so excited! It got pulled together quickly, really quickly. ... To actually see it, yeah, it's amazing."

Well indeed! SFS thinks that it just shows how amazingly bad some of these endorsements and artist-designed ranges can be when they are pulled together so quickly and apparently without much thought.

On a serious note, in the new 360 brand-partnership world, the artists' brand values need to be as carefully defined and protected as leading consumer brands, as discussed in our post on the Livenation Jay-Z deal last week.

2008-04-12T18:01:00.005-04:00

Jukeboxes Now Hooked in to Social Networks
How Would Fonzie Feel About Facebook Picks?

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 04.10.08 @ 11:05 AM

Touchtunes, the supplier of those snazzy digital jukeboxes that can be found in over 30,000 bars and clubs, has teamed up with "social technology" company Loca Moda to provide a mobile social platform that connects consumers' favorite online social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter with their favorite social hangouts such as bars and clubs.

This is how it's meant to work: People in bars and clubs will be able to use their mobile phones to interact with flat-screen panels driven by Touchtunes' jukeboxes, so they can send the jukebox requests for songs or "gift" songs to their friends. In a stalkerish twist to things, online users of the social networks can actually see which of their friends are hanging out in their local bar by getting notification via data feeds of which friends are using their mobile phones to connect with the flat screens. They in turn can also gift songs from their computers to their friends in the different bars and locations as well as send messages, photos and other forms of user generated content to the in-venue screens. Brand content can also be displayed via the platform, giving opportunities for brands to interact with music fans in a social environment.

Art Matin, CEO of TouchTunes, said, "Because user messages and brand content can be displayed both online and on-location, advertisers can easily extend their brand's reach and multiply the number and value of their impressions "

2008-04-12T17:53:00.004-04:00

Jay-Z Keeps Live Nation on the Hearts and Minds of America With Enormous Deal

With Nearly $400M Invested in Artist Deals This Year, Tour Promoter Needs to Maximize Returns

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap onn 04.03.08 @ 02:44 PM

No long after we reported on the Live Nation-U2 deal, the ever-expanding music company is clogging up our RSS readers again with the announcement of an almost-completed 10-year deal with urban star and business mogul Jay-Z.

Jay-Z has inked one of the most lucrative music deals in history, according to the Times.

The deal, announced in yesterday's New York Times, is reportedly worth $150 million, by far Live Nation's biggest 360 artist deal. But the agreement buys into much more than Jay-Z the artist; it reportedly takes in Hova's broad range of business endeavors, including recording, merchandising, touring, publishing, image-licensing and sponsorships.

Whilst many are lauding this as a shrewd investment from Live Nation and for the future of the music business, not all industry pundits are applauding. Maverick music industry commentator Bob Lefsetz says this morning in his daily newsletter that this deal is "old men trying to cash in one more time to support their egregious, expansive, expensive lifestyles" and an attempt by Live Nation to bolster its flagging stock price.

Live Nation's chairman, Michael Cohl, commented in the Times piece that he was not worried, and that "the whole [deal] is what's important, [Jay-Z] could be doing more tours and doing great, there could be endorsements and sponsorships."

Given that Jay-Z sold his Rocawear Company for over $200 million last year and has many other financial interests, Mr Cohl may well be on the right track with Live Nation's new artist-related businesses. But, with an ever-increasing need to maintain and leverage these superstar artists' brand equity, Live Nation is really going to have to learn to speak the language of brands andmanage brand-related businesses.

2008-04-01T10:06:00.003-04:00

Live Nation Extends Relationship With U2

Welcome to Songs for Soap, Your Trusted Source for Everything Live Nation and Madonna-Related

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.31.08 @ 04:25 PM

Photo: Gary Calton
U2 will join Live Nation for 12 years.

Reuters reported this morning that Live Nation Inc. has announced a 12-year deal to exclusively represent U2's touring, merchandise, branding opportunities, website, digital marketing and other creative and marketing services.

The contract follows a broader deal struck last year with Madonna, which also included music distribution and publishing. While the U2 deal doesn't include publishing and recordings -- which remain with Universal Music Group -- the deal highlights the ongoing changes in the music industry.

There are not many details yet about the logistics or financial aspects of the deal with U2, but the Madonna deal which was reportedly worth $120 million over 10 years, so, using that as a benchmark, the U2 deal is likely to be worth in the 10's of millions.

According to Reuters, Live Nation Chairman Michael Cohl said the company "will focus on signing other major artists rather than developing new acts such as a traditional music label or publishing house would." The company's new strategy is to diversify its interests away from tour promotion and into other areas of revenue and product development. According to Cohl, its new strategy will also include its website LiveNation.com, which he said was "aiming to become the biggest music portal on the web through a mixture of ticketing, merchandise sales as well as fan clubs and other features."

[Via Reuters]

2008-04-01T09:55:00.004-04:00

Madonna Makes Hard Cash From 'Hard Candy'

More Details Emerge About Multiple Brand Tie-Ins From Forthcoming Album

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.31.08 @ 02:54 PM

According to a feature this morning in leading U.K. national newspaper The Telegraph, Madonna's "Hard Candy" album, which was pre-launched last week as part of a global Unilever Sunsilk campaign, is set to earn millions from other brand tie-ins.

The newspaper reports that she has signed other lucrative contracts with major companies, including Vodafone and Fuji, and over half of the tracks on the album have been licensed to advertisers. This will ensure that she not only gets pots of money, but also more global exposure for the album launch.

The deal with Vodafone means the network's customers will be able to listen to seven of the tracks a week before the album's worldwide release on April 28. Though the paper claims that this is the first time that an album has been launched on a mobile phone, hip-hop artist Timbaland announced an exclusive deal with Verizon back in February to become an "artist in residence" for the phone carrier, releasing a track a month exclusively for Verizon V-cast customers. As we also pointed out recently, mobile could become a major life raft for the music industry, so it's good to see two such high-profile artists embracing the platform in such an innovative way.

Madonna has also licensed "Miles Away," expected to be the album's second single, as the theme for a drama called "Change" on Japan's Fuji TV. John Reid, the president of Warner Music Europe and vice-chairman of Warner Music International, Madonna's label, said: "If it all goes to plan then there is no reason why other acts shouldn't strike similar deals."

Given that Madonna is leaving Warners to join Live Nation for a "360 contract," they should indeed be looking at their roster to strike more of these types of innovative deals.

2008-03-31T19:09:00.004-04:00

Does Alicia Hold the Keys to 20-Something Women?

R&B Singer Stars in Dove's New Micro-Series

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.31.08 @ 01:03 PM

Keys, alongside Desi Lydic, on 'Fresh Takes'
Hot on the heels of Sunsilk's ground-breaking global launch this month starring Madonna, Unilever is making more waves with R&B singer Alicia Keys, who is starring in a new micro-series for Dove's new "Go Fresh" fragrance collection. "Fresh Takes," aimed at 20-something women, was created jointly by media agency Mindshare Entertainment and MTV.

The micro-series runs for 5 weeks during "The Hills" on MTV, and the first 3-minute episode premiered a week ago. Like "The Hills," Dove's branded show gives viewers a look at three girlfriends who navigate their lives through laughter, Facebook and text messages.

All the episodes, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Alicia and the entire cast, will be available on dovegofresh.com and MTV's microsite after each air-date.

In a press release issued Friday, Keys said, "I am so excited to be starring in 'Fresh Takes' because it puts the pressures that I deal with every day in a new light and opens my eyes to the reality that I can be successful in many different ways and have every reason to feel beautiful right now." This isn't the first acting gig for Keys, who got her start in an episode of "The Cosby Show" and is slated to appear in "The Secret Life of Bees" next year.

Unilever appears to be surging ahead of the competition with these brand-music tie-ins and it's good to see that a media agency and media channel have led the development of this idea, which is something that I believe we should be seeing more of. Full marks all round! [Ed. That's an A+ for us Americans]

2008-03-30T18:44:00.005-04:00

Dave Matthews Gives Live Audiences Free Momento
Live CD Scheduled for October Release to Be Made Available as Free Digital Download for Ticket Holders

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.28.08 @ 04:00 PM

It wouldn't be summer without a Dave Matthews sell out tour!

Dave Matthews Band and Ticketmaster announced this morning that fans who buy tickets for the group's upcoming 40-city tour will also get a free digital album.

The live disc, which will feature highlights from this summer's concerts, will be available in stores and digitally via iTunes in October, but fans who buy tickets through Ticketmaster.com will be able to get the album free via digital download soon after the tour completes, one month in advance of the album's street date.

The deal portends what many have been suggesting and what the industry is begrudgingly heading towards: recorded albums as side attractions to profitable musical brands. With declining CD sales and an increasing reliance on merchandise and tour revenues -- hence the development of 360 deals -- this tie-in effectively positions the album as an extra bonus instead of the driving force for income. Ticket prices for the upcoming tour appear to be about on par with past years.

The free-album-with-ticket concept was pioneered by Prince, who gave away copies of his last album with tickets to his 21-consecutive-night sell-out run at London's 02 centre.

2008-03-27T15:28:00.005-04:00

Goodbye Record Label Hello Corporate Sponsor!
Groove Armada and Bacardi Sail Out of "Perfect Storm" and Hit the News Headlines in the UK

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.27.08 @ 12:31 PM

Last week, top British dance act Groove Armada and drinks company Bacardi announced their new partnership, and it's now hitting the mainstream television news in the UK. The deal is being hyped as an example of how the "perfect storm" engulfing the record industry can produce some ground-breaking new initiatives to keep careers alive.

Bacardi & Groove Armada sail in to new waters

The report on the UK's Channel 4 news yesterday, entitled "Goodbye Record Company, Hello Corporate Sponsor," highlighted the Groove Armada / Bacardi deal as an example of the "superbranding of bands" trend and also covered Madonna's recent deal with Sunsilk and her exit from Warner Music to a new 360 degree partnership with Livenation. The piece speculated on whether other super-acts, including The Rolling Stones, who are currently in danger of leaving EMI, would follow suit and develop new partnerships that excluded the traditional record label.

Explaining the decision not to renew the group's deal with a traditional record label, Groove Armada frontman Tom Findlay told Channel 4 that the new deal with Bacardi "will give them total creative freedom" while allowing them to retain ownership of their own music and "taking them to places that they wouldn't normally benefit from going to" because of limited funds.

As part of the one-year deal with Bacardi B-Live, the drinks company's global music platform, Groove Armada will perform live at various Bacardi-branded events, including the April 19 B-Live Miami event, part of a broader, international, 25-date dance music performance series. Bacardi will also finance and help release Groove Armada's record releases.

2008-03-27T12:17:00.004-04:00

Playground Battles
Two Different Dolls Hit the Music-Fashion Market, but Only One May Be Tween-Friendly

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.20.08 @ 10:50 AM

The tween market isn't just a Miley Ray Cyrus cupcake party full of feather boas and sparkly jeans. Sometimes things can get ugly.

Just ask the Pussycat Dolls, who launched their new range of lingerie at this year's LA Fashion week. The line was designed by the Dolls' founder Robin Antin, who described it as "feminine and edgy, just like the Pussycat Dolls." It's a far cry from where the act were heading a while ago, when they tried to introduce a range of dolls that were eventually nixed by Hasbro following pressure from third-party groups, including the organization Dads and Daughters.

Let's hope that Dads & Daughters take a better view of the other announcement last week that Jakks Pacific has signed a worldwide licensing agreement through CAA to develop and market a line of apparel, toys, dolls and other related products based on the award-winning and double-platinum American country music singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift.

Is it much of a stretch to imagine Swift's face cast in rubber?

Under the agreement, Jakks is planning a fall 2008 launch for a line of role-play toys (including Swift's signature crystal guitar), accessories, craft and activity sets and fashion dolls featuring Swift's most memorable duds. The Malibu, Calif., toymaker is hoping to hook on to the phenomenal success of Taylor Swift, whose double-platinum debut has spawned three Top Ten Billboard Hot Country songs.

UPDATE! Thanks to that now-ubuiquitous-but-we-thought-was-gone toy ingredient -- lead -- Miley Ray Cyrus is having her own merchandising issues.

[Jakks Press Release]

2008-03-27T12:02:00.004-04:00

When Bands and Marketers Reach for the Same Audience
Both Parties Need to Understand Consumers, Speak Their Language

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.19.08 @ 12:19 PM

It's often been said that brands can learn a lot from the music business and the way that artists are marketed: building fan loyalty, harnessing the power of social networking, generating buzz through word-of-mouth and great viral campaigns, etc. But we are increasingly hearing from brand marketers that dealing with artists and labels requires traditional brand-marketing discipline in order to maximize success.

This topic was hotly debated at SXSW, which featured a number of panels and forums debating this area. Digital Music News interviewed some key folks who were there, many of whom commented that "speaking the right language is the first step to securing lucrative partnerships," as is "understanding the consumer, where to reach them and how to target them."

As music-brand partnerships heat up, management and labels will need to better communicate what it is that the artist can offer the brand, and that will best come from understanding what the artist's "brand equity"and marketing objectives are, and how these relate to the consumer brands that they want to partner with.

Having a better understanding of the artist's fans/consumers will not only help create better-informed brand-music partnerships, but it will also help artists make smarter business decisions. For example, would better consumer insights amongst the Nine Inch Nails fanbase have shown that they could have had even more success last week with self-released album "Ghosts I-IV?" Would the fanbase have borne 5,000, 10,000 or even 15,000 "Ultra-Deluxe" limited editions? Trent Reznor has done a fantastic job of maintaining the "Nine Inch Nails" brand, and his guerrilla and viral strategies have generated a lot of buzz. But maybe he could do some more research the next time he self-releases an album; the math of a success would far outweigh the math of conducting consumer surveys to find out.

2008-03-17T20:53:00.008-04:00

Madonna and Unilever's Good Hair Day
Star Breaks New Single Globally Through Appearance in Hair-Care Commercial

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.17.08 @ 01:38 PM

Madonna debuts her new single "4 Minutes (to Save the World)" in a new Sunsilk commercial that hits the screens around the world today.

Madonna
Photo Credit: AP

The song, produced by Timbaland and featuring Justin Timberlake, is from the singer's forthcoming album, "Hard Candy," due April 29. The track will also be premiering simultaneously on multiple radio stations worldwide at noon GMT and will be available as a download tomorrow via the Madonna Store.

This is the first time that a music-brand partnership of this magnitude has been seen with a world-class megastar teaming up with a major marketer for a global launch. The collaboration between the Madonna and Sunsilk began with an appearance in the brand's "Life Can Wait" Super Bowl ad, which also featured Shakira and Marilyn Monroe, in a campaign built on the idea that hair, more than any other physical attribute, plays a crucial role in a girl's power of transformation and self expression.

The new spot traces Madonna's ever-evolving look, keeping the Madonna brand itself fresh and appealing. David Rubin, director of U.S. hair-care operations, Unilever, in a press release said: "Madonna continues to be such an inspiration for young girls by continuously reinventing her looks, and we expect the new commercial will also encourage girls to evolve by changing their looks and making their hair and lives happen in a variety of exciting ways."

According to unconfirmed reports online at the time of the Super Bowl commercial, Madonna picked up a cool $10 million for this brand endorsement. If that's true, it's an impressive amount, but, more important, it shows how a relevant brand tie-in that leverages the artist's brand equity can be a real winner all-round, for Madonna, Sunsilk, fans and consumers.

[Press Release]

2008-03-17T20:49:00.003-04:00

Mercedes-Benz Steers Musical Future Forward Auto Manufacturer Ramps Up Music Initiative

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.04.08 @ 12:20 PM

German automaker Mercedes-Benz is stepping up a gear in its drive to attract younger purchasers. In 2004 the company launched a music download initiative called Mixed Tape, which has attracted over 2.5 million users to download 28 million songs.

Mercedes-Benz has turned its Mixed Tape concept into an online video channel.

Now, Mixed Tape is entering a new era: Mercedes-Benz is keeping the popular download compilations and broadening its scope to include a monthly music show on Mercedes-Benz TV.

The half-hour Mixed Tape Music Magazine show features videos, album reviews and profiles of newcomers and established artists -- with a different theme for every show. Every eight weeks, music fans can download ten free tracks from up-and-coming artists, some of whom will be showcased in the monthly TV magazine.

This extension into online TV is an interesting move for Mercedes, whose original Mixed Tape site is claimed to be the most successful legal free music download site in the world.

2008-03-17T20:40:00.006-04:00

Latin Lessons From Wisin & Yandel
Reggaeton's Hottest Act Builds Business From Brands

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.04.08 @ 11:42 AM

Wisin & Yandel, the multi-award-winning Puerto Rican reggaeton act, recently announced an innovative deal with Motorola and Latin American carrier SunCom to launch a W&Y-branded mobile phone that comes loaded with the new album "Los Extraterrestres."

A feature in last week's Billboard highlighted some of the other brand deals that this act has put together recently, including "Wymo," a joint venture with mobile aggregator Mymobile that will give Wisin & Yandel a share of the net revenue from exclusive W&Y content, wallpaper, videos and ringtones. The duo was also the first act to be featured on a customized Zune player, which was sold exclusively in Wal-Mart, and they recently launched their own sunglass and watch lines.

These deals are interesting, not just because they offer some real added value back to their fans but because Wisin & Yandel are operating a very well-thought-out approach to building their own brand through partnerships. This has allowed them to reinvest back into creating W&Y brand experiences for their fans, such as a high-profile but subsidized concert at Radio City Music Hall in 2007 and expensive cover art on the latest album, which the duo also helped pay for.

Wisin & Yandel's manager, Edgar Andino, a former marketing consultant, formulated this strategic approach to artist development with a two-year plan that focused on treating the group and its songs "like brands," according to Billboard.

I'm sure that we are going to see more approaches like this coming from forward-thinking artists and their management who understand the value of building the artist brand and delivering added value to their fan bases.

[Via Official Heat/Billboard]

2008-03-17T20:32:00.003-04:00

Ads of Note: Ben Lee Blows Kohl's Away and More
Also: Brendan Benson Touches our Hearts and Dustin O'Halloran Scores Fashion

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap 03.03.08 @ 01:37 PM

Last week flew by with the Songs For Soap bloggers busy on a few other projects, so the posts haven't been quite as regular as they normally are, so here's a round-up of some of new spots that have recently hit our screens:

Kohl's Life In Rhythm Commercial featuring Ben Lee

While Aussie singer-songwriter Ben Lee's song "We Are All in This Together" plays, an increasingly strong wind blows around people, animals and several objects in this spring commercial for Kohl's. Lee first hit the airwaves as a teen sensation in the mid 1990s and struggled to make any impact in his early 20s, but he's now starting a nice comeback. His latest album "Ripe" features collaborations with well-known artists Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Mandy Moore and the members of the band Rooney.

Apple - iPod Touch – Featuring Brendan Benson

The latest iPod commercial hit the screens last week, and it features the music of Brendan Benson, who is a member of The Raconteurs, a collaboration with Jack White of The White Stripes. The song "What I'm Looking For" from his last solo album was also used in a Sears commercial last year.

American Express – Diane von Furstenburg

Featuring the music of acclaimed classical pianist Dustin O'Halloran, Ms. Furstenburg is shown looking at designs in nature and working. She explains what she does in fashion, which is to make women feel confident. She then explains that is why she is a card member, as the beautiful soundtrack "Opus 28," by Dustin O'Halloran, plays in the background. O'Halloran's music has also been featured in the soundtrack for the 2006 Sofia Coppola film "Marie Antoinette."

2008-03-17T20:24:00.003-04:00

Are Mobile Platforms a Life Raft for the Music Industry?
Mobile World Congress Shows Music Initiatives from LG, Tim McGraw

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.19.08 @ 02:20 PM

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona last week played host to a number of music-related initiatives, including the introduction of a pre-loaded, music-focused device from LG and Omnifone, The Music Station Max. According to a report in Business Week, it's "the latest entrant into what amounts to a (music) gold rush for the mobile platform."

LG and Omnifone's Music Station Max

The service, which will be offered through Europe and Asia, will enable consumers who buy the pre-licensed handsets to download an unlimited amount of music that can be organized into playlists and shared with other users.

Artists have been out in force at the MWC too, with Tim McGraw unveiling a new mobile website that can be accessed by any mobile phone, regardless of model or carrier, and will enable fans to receive SMS and e-mail alerts, view breaking news, tour dates, photos or videos and purchase electronic media. Users can also access The Neighbor's Keeper Foundation, the charity he established with Faith Hill.

The seemingly ubiquitous Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am presented the conference keynote, where he said: "The mobile industry, not the record business, will create the next wave of music superstars." Will.i.am, who is fast becoming acknowledged as a visionary in new music development and has been involved in the revolutionary use of mobile technology to interact with fans, also called on all artists to embrace the creative and marketing possibilities offered by the mobile industry.

All of this coming hot on the heels of the exclusive Timbaland/Verizon album release that we reported on last week makes phones a hot space indeed at the moment and perhaps marks the coming of age of mobile as one of the saviors of the future music business.

2008-03-17T19:51:00.005-04:00

'Sultry' Joss Stone to Be the New Cadbury Flake Girl
R&B Singer Latest in Long Line of Chocoholic Females

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.13.08 @ 11:58 AM

Cadbury's Flake brand, which has developed some of the most memorable and long-lasting British advertising campaigns through its iconic "Flake Girl," has linked up with Soul Diva Joss Stone to give it a fresh approach this spring.

The chocolate brand has had one of the most memorable strap lines "only the crumbliest flakiest chocolate," which was often sung in the commercials and is a slogan that any baby boomer from the UK will remember from his or her childhood.

''Fold upon fold of creamy milk chocolate."

As far back as the 1969 black-and-white commercial featuring the "Flake Girls" biting suggestively on the stick of crumbly chocolate, the flake ads have tended toward the risqué. For example the "bath" ad from the 1970s featuring a Demi Moore lookalike, and the "phone" from the same period became famous for the sex/chocolate connection. Famous Flake girls have included the 1969 Miss World, Eva Rueber-Staier, who also starred in the James Bond films "Octopussy," "For Your Eyes Only" and "The Spy Who Loved Me."

In the adverts -- which will be available on Cadbury's site -- Stone will be in a recording studio singing to herself the chocolate bar's iconic strap line.

"The idea was to reference the old adverts but bring a new feel to them. Joss was chosen because she is sexy but in a young, fresh way," a Cadbury's source told British newspaper The Sunday Mirror. "Joss is funky and spontaneous rather than sultry."

2008-03-17T19:12:00.014-04:00

EMI Partners With 'Google for Music Licensing'
World's Largest Online Music Marketplace to Gain One Million Tracks

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.13.08 @ 10:45 AM

EMI Music has struck a global agreement with Ricall that will enable the reputed world's largest online business-to-business music database to license the music major's works for third-party synchronization.

Ricall claims to be the world's largest online music marketplace.

Ricall will also source and license premium licensing deals by linking-up EMI tracks with consumer brands and by acting as a conduit for brands to build broader brand-music partnerships with EMI's roster of artists (which include The Beatles, Lily Allen and Hot Chip among others). Sony BMG struck a similar licensing pact with Ricall in early 2007.

EMI will upload its entire global catalog of over 1 million recordings onto the Ricall database, which currently includes more than three million tracks from 25,000 copyright owners. The basic service is free to users, who can select and license the tracks online. The search technology which enables users to search for songs against multiple variables and criteria is such that industry users in London, where the company started, refer to it as "Google for music licensing."

Whilst being a major part of the UK sync licensing community for some time, Ricall has recently branched out into all major global markets. At this year's international music conference MIDEM, the music marketplace announced a joint venture with leading Chinese music company Ocean Butterflies and a partnership with copyright and licensing company Diamond Time for North America, where Ricall has recently launched a new site.

2008-03-17T19:08:00.005-04:00

Jay-Z Moves Into Madison Avenue
Rapper, Club Owner, Fashion Designer, Icon and Now Adman

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.11.08

Jay-Z -- real name Shawn Carter -- is partnering with Interpublic Group to open Translation Advertising in New York, an agency that will help marketers reach multicultural consumers.

Jay-Z will be using using 'his eye, his taste, his understanding of the culture' at Translation Advertising.

The former head of Def Jam records is one of the most successful hip-hop entrepreneurs, who, as well as being a recording artist, owner of New Jersey Nets and creator of the Roc-A-Wear clothing line, has increasingly been called on as a marketer; he's partnered with Budweiser, Elizabeth Arden and others as a marketing and brand advisor.

The new agency will be part of Translation Consultation and Brand Imaging, the leading urban marketing and branding agency created by African-American entrepreneur Steve Stoute, which Interpublic (full disclosure: I used to work there) acquired last year for an estimated $10-15 million. Interpublic will own 49 percent of Translation Advertising, with 51% owned by Mr. Stoute, 37, and Jay-Z, 38, who will be the co-chairmen.

Jay-Z said in an interview in the New York Times that his role at Translation Advertising would be "to offer his creative and entrepreneurial ideas." Mr. Stoute described it as not "day-to-day operations," but rather "using his eye, his taste, his understanding of the culture."

This is undoubtedly an interesting move for Interpublic, as it enables them to further focus in on the growing African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American populations, which now account for an estimated $2 trillion in consumer buying power. But it's also an interesting move as it is yet another new business model coming to market in the world of artists and brand marketing.

2008-03-17T19:03:00.003-04:00

From Ring Tones To Bling Tones
Modu, Universal Music Group Announce Customizable Phone

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.08.08 @ 03:05 PM

Start-up mobile company Modu unveiled a new phone today that will allow people to personalize it by sliding a "Jacket" over the body. Simultaneously, the handset maker confirmed a partnership with Universal Music Group to create artist-specific jackets, which will be designed/inspired by the musicians and include pre-loaded content and even music subscription offerings.

This could be a very smart move, as it takes the record label right into the heart of iPhone territory and also gives fans a way of getting an added value service and product that creates greater affinity with the artists.

The Modu phone is the brainchild of Dov Moran, who made his name as a pioneer of USB flash drive technology through his company M-Systems, which was sold to SanDisk in 2006 for $1.6 billion. SanDisk are backing this new company, which is promising to deliver big revenues and an innovation that allows consumers to cheaply transform phones into anything from a messaging device, a music player or a hand-held gaming console.

2008-03-17T18:55:00.004-04:00

'Stand Up' and Support Bon Jovi and Friends
Stars Come Out to Support Inaugural Charity Event

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.07.08 @ 02:03 PM

On Feb. 12, Bon Jovi will launch the inaugural Stand Up For a Cure performance series in support of lung cancer research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The band's concert, due to take place at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, will be dedicated to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora's father, Adam Sambora, who passed away last year from lung cancer.

According to Billboard.biz, the upcoming benefit concert has already raised $1 million and will be sponsored by CityView Racquet Club, with AEG Live donating production help. That money will be used to fund three mobile hospice units -- named after Sambora's father -- that will service low-income neighborhoods in New York.

Jerry Seinfeld, ex-Beach Boy Brian Wilson, acclaimed Italian "Operatic-Pop" singer Andrea Bocelli and others will also perform in various New York City venues throughout 2008 for Stand Up for a Cure. These will include a stand-up performance from Seinfeld on June 2 at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, a concert with Wilson and special guests at the Hammerstein Ballroom on July 11 and a Bocelli performance later in the year. The organizers are still looking for other artists to support the initiative.

Over the years, Jon Bon Jovi, owner of Arena Football League team the Philadelphia Soul, has been a visible supporter of charitable groups like Habitat for Humanity, where he is the first Founding Ambassador of the Habitat for Humanity Ambassador program. On several occasions, he's even drawn from his own deep pockets to pay for homes in his adopted home of Philadelphia.

2008-03-17T18:50:00.003-04:00

Yes We Can' Reach a Million Views
Obama Gets Support From Star-Studded Cast of Musicians in Big Viral Hit

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.04.08 @ 01:36 PM

In what is fast becoming a viral smash hit, a new music video for Barack Obama called "Yes We Can" hit YouTube this Saturday, with one copy racking up 700,000 views by the time the Super Bowl was over.

The video was conceived by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and director Jesse Dylan and features a star-studded cast, including John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Common, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, Nick Cannon and many many more. The song's lyrics are adapted from Obama's post-New-Hampshire "Yes We Can" speech, which was based on Cesar Chavez's motto during a United Farm Workers hunger strike in 1972.

According to Dylan and will.i.am in an interview on ABC News, the video and song were put together out of their own volition and not in concert with the Obama campaign. According to ABC "the filmmakers said that they weren't even sure if Obama [was] aware of the video," though by Sunday lunchtime the Obama Website featured the video on its official blog, where dozens of his supporters were urging people to pass the video on and make sure that "the entire world sees this video."

At lunchtime yesterday, 85,000 people had seen the video on YouTube, by 5 p.m. more than 153,000 had seen it, and by the time the Super Bowl had finished, it was at 700,000 views. Between two uploaded copies of the video, more than a million people have seen it so far.

This has all the signs of becoming a massive viral hit and a piece of communication that shows the increasing power that musicians have to influence the public, particularly through social networks where musicians and celebrities are the most popular subjects of interest.

2008-03-17T18:41:00.003-04:00

Tim McGraw Cooks Up a Deal for the Summer
Kingsford, KC Masterpiece Support Country Star's Live Your Voice Tour

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.01.08 @ 11:45 AM

Barbecue sauce KC Masterpiece and leading charcoal manufacturer Kingsford are sponsoring country superstar Tim McGraw's 2008 Live Your Voice tour this spring.

McGraw's return to the road as a solo act comes after two years on the road with his superstar wife Faith Hill on their Soul2Soul II tour, in which they had a very impressive deal with Jeep. The partnership was the winner of Billboard's inaugural Billboard Concert Marketing & Promotion awards in 2007 and featured in our year-end review of best brand-music tie-in's for 2007.

This new partnership seems to be designed with a similar principle of giving plenty of opportunities and unique interactions to the fans. According to Billboard Magazine, "The two brands will present the VIP Pre-Show Party where McGraw performs a private acoustic set prior to each show. Fan/brand site EchoMusic, a division of Ticketmaster, will integrate the sponsorships through online fan and brand initiatives."

Additionally, Fritos will be the "Official Snack" of the tour and the presenter of the StyleSonic Stage, which will feature artists chosen by McGraw who will perform prior to the start of each concert and have their music made available for free download via the McGraw website for fans that purchase tickets.

All sounds rather tasty!

2008-03-17T18:27:00.007-04:00

Peter Gabriel Takes 'Sledgehammer' to Old Music Models
'Personality of the Year' Shows Hope for Marketers, Artists

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 01.31.08 @ 12:20 PM

Music veteran Peter Gabriel was lauded as a visionary this week when he was named "Personality of the Year" during the annual MIDEM international music conference in Cannes.

Gabriel has invested significant sums of money and energy into various forward-thinking new ventures and business models, including a joint venture with leading UK VC Ingenious Media, who will finance his future albums and receive a share of revenue from his back catalogue.

His latest venture is the recently launched the We7 internet service, which allows consumers to access free, legal music downloads by inserting ads ad into the start of each song. Whilst ad-supported download models have sailed into stormy waters in Cannes this week, Gabriel's We7 has been received favorably by the advertising community. Gabriel also acknowledged that art and commerce will be inextricably linked in the future.

From the LA Times:
"It's climbing in bed with the devil," he said shortly before the award dinner at the Carlton Hotel. But the day of keeping the two-segregated may well be over.

"I'm a big fan of Neil Young," Gabriel said, "but the artist who has complete control of his music and keeps his music completely apart from advertising is probably a thing of the last century."

2008-03-17T18:20:00.007-04:00

Toyota Helps Self-Made Musician Break Through
Pete Droge's Career Blurs the Lines Between Ads and Popular Music

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 01.31.08 @ 10:54 AM

Artist: Pete Droge
Song: "Going Whichever Way the Wind Blows"
Marketer: Toyota

Sometimes a song in a TV commercial sounds so familiar that you stop what you are doing and find out more, which is what happened when I saw the new Toyota Sequoia spot featuring "Going Whichever Way the Wind Blows" by Pete Droge.

The independent producer and singer-songwriter has been cleverly getting a number of songs from his self-released album "Under the Waves" into all sorts of TV shows and movies lately. In the last six months, the song that Toyota used has appeared in "Grey's Anatomy," "Men in Trees" and the movie "Feast of Love." Other tracks off the album have appeared in movies including "A Lot Like You," "Solstice" (directed by Daniel Myrick of "Blair Witch" fame) and the title track will be featured later this month in "Bonneville," starring Jessica Lange, Joan Allen and Kathy Bates.

When he's not writing and recording songs in his Puzzle Tree Studios on a remote island outside of Seattle, Droge is playing shows and producing for other people, including Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's 2001 solo debut "Bayleaf."

While Droge's career is not totally unique, it nicely illustrates how commerce and art can come together to benefit one another and how the lines are becoming increasingly blurred between advertising and pop music. It's safe to say that he has achieved more fame and income by licensing his songs than by selling his records, but that ratio may soon change as Droge continues to work his way into America's pop consciousness.

2008-03-17T17:57:00.003-04:00

Panic! at the Auto Show
Pop-Punk Band Headlines the Greenest Honda Civic Tour Yet

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 01.24.08 @ 04:48 PM

Honda has announced a tie-up with platinum-selling -- and now punctuation-less -- pop-punk band Panic At The Disco in the automaker's eighth consecutive year of music patronage through the Honda Civic Tour. Starting April 10, the show will make over 40 stops before it finishes this summer.

In the early years of the tour, Honda linked up with headline acts that were breaking through at the time, such as Incubus and Good Charlotte back in 2002 and 2003, but lately they've been pulling in big-name acts such as The Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5 and last year's headliners, Fall Out Boy. This has allowed the organizers to be able to afford to take multiple up-and-coming or under-the-radar acts out on the road with them, such as Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound and Phantom Planet in this year's tour.

As well as providing funding, Honda will also be providing a Panic At The Disco-designed Honda Civic Hybrid that will be featured at each show and then put up as the main prize for a lucky fan to win. The Panic At The Disco design features an outdoor theme that helps to push a green message from the band and Honda. This Green message will be further reinforced on the tour with every ticket purchased being matched with a donation to non-profit tour partners Reverb and Global Inheritance, who are partnering to bring "interactive, fun and fan friendly exhibits" at each stop on the tour.

All in all an excellent example of a brand-music partnership that benefits the brand, the band and the fans, but also the environment to boot.

2008-02-14T22:26:00.007-05:00

Target Begs to Be Heard in John Legend Subway Promotion

Retailer Offers Exclusive Album in Physical and -- Wait for It -- Digital Form

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe and Charlie Moran in Ad Age Songs for Soap on 01.23.08 @ 10:35 AM

Target is finally pushing its presence in the digital music space with a promotion around a new album from John Legend, "Live From Philadelphia." The disc was launched exclusively in Target stores last week and is also available in DRM-free MP3 format through Sony BMG on Target.com. The album download -- a la carte purchases are not available -- contains 19 tracks and retails for $9.99.

The launch is featured on interactive subway billboards in the NYC subway that have fully functional headphone jacks embedded into them; plug in your earbuds, and you can hear samples of various tracks on the disc as well as a short message from the artist himself. Songs for Soap found one of the Peterson Milla Hooks-designed displays at the Third Ave. L-line stop, where it was flanked by more enormous (non-functional) John Legend posters. Pepsi has used similar technology in Canada, and Target had a nearly identical display last year for an exclusive dance compilation.

Target has maintained a steady presence in the physical album market but has thus far stayed away from digital downloads, an arena in which other giant retailers like Amazon and Borders are now stepping into. According to a story in Digital Music News, a Target representative said the initiative may serve as a template for the future and that the retailer has been "a sleeping giant in the digital space up until now."

2008-02-14T20:45:00.004-05:00

Pepsi Lures Timberlake Back to the Super Bowl Music Promotions by Burger King, Cola Co. Gird Gridiron Contest

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs for Soap 01.16.08 @ 10:42 AM

Four years after Nipplegate, Justin Timberlake is slipping back into the Super Bowl.

Pepsi and Amazon are launching a $1 billion Pepsi Stuff "collect-and-get program" promotion, and the multi-talented performer has been tapped to promote it in a Super Bowl ad this February. It's the first time Timberlake has appeared in the big game since a record-breaking $550,000 fine was imposed upon CBS for his and Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime show in 2004.

For the Pepsi Stuff promotion this year, four billion specially marked Pepsi products will offer points that can be redeemed for music from the Amazon MP3 store. The songs -- sans DRM -- can be played on virtually any digital portable device, including Apple's iPod, organized in any music management application or burned to CD. Five points will earn consumers one MP3 from the libraries of EMI Music, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and "tens of thousands of other music labels," though the list unmistakably omitted Universal, who are not part of this promotion thanks to stalled negotiations. Additionally, points can also be applied towards bigger-ticket items.

Separately, Burger King is running an online contest that combines the Super Bowl, gospel singing and user-generated content as part of a "My Song, My Way" campaign. Until January 28, participants can upload an acapella video performance, and winning contestants will receive an all-expenses-paid vacation to Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix, Arizona. The winners will also be invited to perform alongside NFL players at the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, which takes place at Phoenix Symphony Hall.

2008-02-13T11:45:00.002-05:00

... And Now for the Best Brand-Music Tie-Ins of 2007
Artist-Brand Models Came of Age This Year

Originally posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs for Soap on 12.19.07 @ 11:15 AM

It wouldn't be a complete end-of-year blog fest if we didn't also cover the top artist brand tie-ins, where musicians and marketers developed integrated and mutually beneficial campaigns. From smart, well-executed ideas to the start of some interesting new business models, here's my selection of favorites, in no particular order:

Prince and The Mail On Sunday
His royal purpleness' tie-in with British Newspaper The Mail on Sunday was an impressive foray into the world of new business models. Prince allowed the paper to give away a copy of his latest CD, creating a massive uplift in sales and enough publicity to sell out 21 consecutive nights at top British rock venue the O2 Centre.

Prince and Verizon
Meanwhile, back home, Prince used the same imagery in his promotion with Verizon for V Cast, where the first single from the album was made available exclusively to owners of the handset, promoting the new phone/service and giving artists a new marketing feature whereby they can link their song to a website.

Rihanna and Cover Girl
A nice tie-in between Cover Girl and Rihanna worked well for both parties, as the singer became the new face of the P&G brand and received huge exposure on billboards, in print and in a TV Commercial featuring her mega-smash-hit "Umbrella."

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill with Jeep
Jeep's sponsorship of husband/wife country superstars Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill's "Soul 2 Soul " tour was the winner of Billboard's inaugural Billboard Concert Marketing & Promotion awards in 2007. The deal built upon the long-standing personal relationship the couple had with Jeep and, amongst other things, featured VIP performances for dealers and contest winners and an ad campaign featuring "My favorite Jeep story."

Missy Elliot and Doritos
As Charlie noted in September, this Doritos "Collisions" campaign was "executed beautifully on the web through the site at Snack Strong Productions where fans can mix disco, reggae, mariachi and a number of other genres into Missy's beat to make something sorta-new out of it."

This year is just the beginning. In 2008, we'll see a spate of deals with artists who no longer need to use traditional label structures, and many of them will become marketers and business partners with brands like Diddy did with Ciroc and Drinks America did with Interscope.

Happy Holidays...

Beer Brands Under Pressure Over Music Sponsorship

2007-12-12T21:35:00.002-05:00

So Long Carling Weekender

Originally Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in AdAge.com "Songs for Soap" blog on 12.12.07 @ 05:49 PM

Over on the other side of the pond, there has been increasing speculation that UK brewers are buckling to the anti-alcohol advertising lobby. Prime example: Coors Brewers' number-one-selling UK Brand Carling has pulled out of two of its major sponsorships, the Leeds and Reading Rock festivals, which they've been involved in for 10 years.

Coors/Carling denies it's ditching music as a core part of its strategy and that it would instead be focusing its involvement on live venue sponsorship -- the brand has a series of Carling Academy venues across the country, where there is arguably more control over underage drinking than at festivals.

However, the pressure on brewers is increasing; some government advisers are calling for a total ban on alcohol advertising at music events. As part of a major crackdown on binge drinking among young people, The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has lodged a series of proposals which aim to outlaw alcohol promotion on TV, the internet and in most cinemas. The body also wants to slap a ban on brewers' sponsorship of music festivals and concerts.

All over the world, from New Zealand to Thailand, there are similar calls to ban alcohol advertising and sponsorships, with critics citing the influence that these partnerships have on youth and underage binge drinking. But at the same time an increasing number of big events are drawing in big money from beer company sponsors. Carling aside, in Scotland Tennent's sponsors T in the Park, Heineken backs Benicassim in Spain and Oxegen in Ireland and Miller sponsors South by South West in Texas.

Hard to say where the suds will settle, but stay tuned, because, along with the big music fest trend, the big alcohol sponsorship backlash may be poised to land on American shores soon. What happens in Europe hardly ever stays there.

Led Zeppelin Paints a Marketer's Dream

2007-12-12T16:46:00.002-05:00

Writing on the Wall: Band Is Back, Fans Have Followed

Originally Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age.com "Songs For Soap" on 12.11.07 @ 10:49 AM

"It's been a long time since we rock and rolled."

But rock n' roll they did, as Led Zeppelin hit the stage for the first time in 27 years last night in a tribute concert to Ahmet Ertegun, the late founder of Atlantic Records. The media and fan frenzy has been phenomenal, with tickets available by ballot only via the Ahmet Ertegun Foundation tribute website, where over one million fans vied for 18,000 tickets.

Rumors of a world tour to follow have been circling for weeks, and, while as a Led Zeppelin Fan (and attendee of their last full concert as a schoolboy back in 1979) this is exciting enough in itself, the phenomenal staying power of a great rock band is exciting from a marketing perspective too. With the war in Iraq still raging and the reluctant acknowledgment of baby boomers' spending power, marketers have been evoking the 1960's again to sell products, and Zep is a major touchstone of the era.

Linking a brand to a Led Zeppelin tour could be a global marketer's dream; the legendary group's appeal transcends age, class, nationality and evokes emotion that any band or brand would die for. Check out this piece from BBC News and witness the cross-section of the audience and the sheer emotion of being there.

Led Zeppelin have always been very protective of their repertoire and have seldom allowed their works to be licensed, though in recent years their position has softened on the issue. Cadillac used the song "Rock and Roll" in their "breakthrough" commercial, and the songs of Led Zeppelin can be heard in movies such as "One Day in September," "School of Rock" and even "Shrek the Third" -- it was "Immigrant Song" in all three.

Whether the band would allow a brand to be associated with them in a broader way is a big question, but if a marketer were lucky enough to get the opportunity, they'd certainly be generating a "Whole Lotta Love" with consumers.