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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:

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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

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Hmmmmmmmmmmmm,

-MB