Re: Using PT music for adverts

[jeff <jdworks@execpc.com>]

>Subject: Using PT music for adverts
>
>Have you seen this on Pete's site?  It's a response to the question on
>everyone's lips: why have the Who 'sold out' and allowed their music to
>appear on so many adverts:
>Pete Townshend wrote:
>
>Dear Patrick,
>
>I have let this music go. Letting go in this way was not done entirely for
>money, although it was useful to Roger and John when Who masters were used,
>it was done because there was incredible pressure on me to license Who
>material from people who felt that The Who's music would get a better airing
>in this way than it was. Rock radio is dead. Who music has stopped being
>played. It's time to move on.
>
>In fact, letting go of the songs, meant I could let go of my old notions of
>what The Who was meant to be, and has ironically resulted in me being able
>to perform again with Roger without feeling I'm 'going back'. I'm just
>playing music.
>
>I know there are a lot of people who don't like their favourite songs being
>associated with products. But for years I have hated my songs being used by
>radio stations to help them sell advertising for products over which I have
>no control whatsoever.
>
>It's another level of prostitution except in this case I get to choose who
>uses me!
>
>It won't last much longer. This has been a phase, and all radio will soon be
>supplanted by web-radio and a whole new rash of prostitution will emerge.
>Pixelon paid The Who $2 mil to launch its web compression system last year.
>That money allowed us to get together and play 4 other shows which raised $2
>mil for charity. I'm certain we could not have done any of the shows without
>the first big sponsorship money - and we each made a fairly small profit I'm
>glad to say. But we did not make much. What happened was we played together
>live, and suddenly decided we liked it. Well I did.)
>
>This may lead to a new life for us old gits, who knows.
>
>Thanks for your question. I know many others ask it. Can I post your
>question and my reply on my website? I will understand if you wish to keep
>this correspondence private though.
>
>Pete Townshend


   Thanks, MB, for posting this! 
   i have always been on the other side of this issue, i.e., the Who and
Pete should NOT be used in ads, and it was nice to finally hear a lengthy
discussion of it from Mr. Townshend. Not that he owes us an explanation,
but it was nice.
   That being said, i still find it an incredible rationalization. And i
want to be clear here: the Pixelon gig was cool, the charity shows they did
even cooler. What i have a problem with is the ads. What Pete is missing is
that the radio stations that play the Who pay a fee to do so, and play the
songs in their entirety (usually) with minimal talking over the music, and
without the song being directly linked to a product. i, for one, can't hear
the Stones' great song "Start Me Up" without thinking of those stupid
Windows 95 ads, just as an example. No matter what Pete says, i really wish
they wouldn't do that sort of thing.
  i understand Pete's argument that radio stations use music to sell
advertising, etc., but i respectfully disagree with him on this issue.
Which i suppose means bullocks, as it's his songs and his pocketbook. So
i'll shut up now that i've voiced my point of view.

              peace&anarchy,  jeffree