How have advertising and independent music intersected in the past decade?
I look back at ‘98 and ‘99, when Volvo used the Minutemen and Volkswagen licensed “Pink Moon” by Nick Drake. Those were big turning points. There have always been clever uses of music, but that really started a trend. Ten years later, brands at least think they want to use “indie” music. Some brands say they want that but they end up going the safe route. But a lot of bands are very interested in independent music. There’s been so much that’s happened in the last couple of years that’s interesting. For example, Bacardi signed Groove Armada. They actually signed a band, and they’re not even a label. When you look at the music industry and the declining revenues from consumer sales, there’s very little avenues for revenue except licensing. I’m sure you know about The Frey and how much ABC and Gray’s Anatomy were responsible for launching that band. I think a week after that song appeared on Gray’s in 2005, digital sales shot up by almost 300 percent. EM: What do you think of music fans w
