Small Screen
Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Aatish Patel
Learn how to get massive exposure from music licensing in advertising campaigns
Looks like cuffs and collar don't match for Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell (center, next to Creighton Barrett, left, and Rob Hampton).
Credit: David Belisle
While I studied business with a focus in economics in college, music has always been an influential part of my life. Upon finishing school and considering my career options, I thought about getting into the music business on the label side. However, due to fairly recent technological advances, the music industry as a whole has been forced to reinvent itself. Branded entertainment has been at the forefront of this reinvention, and I decided to find a way to wedge myself right into the middle of things and work my way up the ranks at as Director of Music/Talent at Creative License (www.creativelicense.com). As of late, we've been working with Ford, Geico, Frito Lay and several other clients.
What does a band have to do to get your attention?
Relationships are everything in this industry. While labels and managers might have existing networks to champion a band's cause, there are other ways. Bands/artists who are looking for exposure through advertising should observe a brand's trends and actively pursue the right opportunities. You have to have an accurate perception of yourself and aggressively go after the right projects without crossing the fine line of alienating your band. An immediate way to alienate yourself is to constantly solicit music supervisors with phone calls and e-mails. You have to get your music in front of the right people without becoming a telemarketer. Aggressively pursuing opportunities is much different than desperately pursuing them. Another way to find yourself in the same place is to be difficult by not appreciating what's in front of you and exploiting the situation. Recently, I was working with a baby band from the UK on a project for Ford. I had expressed interest in one of their songs and offered to place it in an online campaign. There was no money involved, but the trade-off on Ford's media buy should have made up for it. The band asked for a measly $5,000. Without having a name or any equity Ford could benefit from, it felt exploitive. I gave the opportunity to a hungrier band that was eager and understood the benefits of having their music placed in the commercial.
What's the process, from finding the right song to locking down placement in an ad campaign?
Finding the perfect song for a campaign can be a lengthy and frustrating process — partly because the nature of this work is so subjective. Many times, decisions are made because of a client's personal preferences, and others times, decisions are based on market research. You can't put all of your eggs in one basket; it's diligent to have viable backup alternatives. Sometimes a song is simply too perfect to work. Sounds like an oxymoron, but trust me, a song can be so perfect that the objective of the campaign gets lost in the music.
What kind of compensation can a band/artist expect from the range of advertising out there?
The value for a small band participating in an advertising campaign doesn't come from the compensation they are given but rather the exposure. Advertising is quickly becoming the new radio. For example, a small band without a label doesn't have a huge financial backing to market their band. Say they have an opportunity to place their music in a Ford commercial. They now have Ford's $50 million media buy promoting their music to an audience they could have never reached on their own. It's especially not about the compensation with brands like Geico, Apple and Ford, who bands/artists want to be associated with. If a band can get $10,000 to $30,000 for a campaign using its music, great, but there is enough value in doing it for free to make it a no-brainer. That said, in most cases, a company will offer a fee to a band for its participation in an ad campaign.
What are a couple of success stories of small bands that get placed in big campaigns?
There are plenty of success stories of small bands getting placed in big campaigns. Two that we have recently been a part of that are worth mentioning are Röyksopp's placement of “Remind Me” for a Geico caveman spot and Band of Horses placements of “Is There a Ghost” and “The Funeral” for a pair of Ford spots. In the case of Band of Horses, the opportunity could not have come at a more perfect time. They were just getting ready to release their new album, Cease to Begin (Sub Pop, 2007), and we used the first single off of the album. We have also done some recent work with the Red House Painters and White Buffalo.
When a band masters its record, is it important to also get mastered instrumentals?
Having full splits available is always helpful after the fact when putting together the final audio mix for a spot. It doesn't play any part in the decision-making process. Choosing the right songs is always about the content of the music. With that said, there are opportunities where instrumental tracks work best for a campaign and opportunities where full lyrical versions work best. Having mastered instrumentals makes your music more versatile and can double your opportunities.
What are some mistakes you've seen bands/artists make that have affected their chances at getting in the music-licensing game?
It is extremely important for a band/artist to surround itself with like-minded people. There have been instances where we have approached a band's manager with under-the-gun opportunities, and because of the manager's lack of knowledge or fear of the band's reaction — we've had to pass. Anyone representing a “small” band/artist should know his or her clients well enough to give the green light or say no almost immediately.
The worst approach by a band would be to send a CD without having a conversation about the contents of the CD. Music supervisors are solicited with music for hundreds of hopefuls everyday. A band has to set itself apart from the rest to get noticed. Get creative, and think up unconventional methods to build a rapport with the right people.
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