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Re: editorial on the Who in ads



> Here's another complaint about The Who's music in commercial ads, though not 
> thought out in much depth.  This guy seems to think it's a matter of 
> whether 
> one is an artist or not.
> 
This guy starts off by taking shots at the Who, mainly Pete, for selling out 
by licensing songs for commercials, but then seems to turn around and agree 
with Tom Stevens that it's ok for music to be used in commercials as long as 
commercials are good.  I don't get it.  He spends all this space describing 
all the misuses of music in commercials then ends by telling jeans 
manufacturers and insurance companies to listen to Stevens.  Poorly executed 
article.  

He is dead wrong in his initial thesis, IMHO, because the recording industry 
is a commercial enterprise already.  Is it such a huge leap to attach songs 
to commercials?  Music is used in movie soundtracks all the time.  Is THAT 
selling out?  Maybe it can be said that the music enhances the art of film 
and therefore is not selling out, but what if the music is used in bad 
movies?  According to Stevens' theory, it's ok to use "the seeker" in Am 
Beauty, but not ok for some other song to be used in a Pauly Shore flick.  In 
my view, as long as the artist(s) themselves don't change the words of the 
song to fit a product nor write songs specifically for a product, there is no 
loss of artistic integrity whatsoever. Garth Brooks sitting on his porch with 
friends singing about Dr. Pepper is the essence of "selling out."  Britney 
Spears singing about Pepsi is selling out (though she better get all she can 
now before the phenomenon ends when another hot young chick with a decent 
voice and some dance moves comes along).  I suppose Britney is a bad example, 
because her entire personna has been a "sellout" since she made her splash.  

The Who has never gone the Garth Brooks route, so therefore no selling out.  
He left out "bargain" being used for nissan, and I think someone on this list 
mentioned that the Tommy music used by Clarinex wasn't by the Who, but of 
some instrumental band that covered Tommy in the early 70s.

mc


"Can't we all just get along?"       -Rodney King