What WON’T you do to make it?
A while back I was talking to a representative from a major music publisher and he told me he had contacted a company client (a classic rock artist) to tell him about a request for one of his well-known songs. “A TV ad agency is offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to use it,” he informed the artist. “And there’s no downside to the deal. It’s at least as good as the deals you’ve had before.”
The artist said no. Turned it down flat.
Imagine that. Leaving money, tons of it, on the table. What’s HIS problem anyway? (Not lack of cash, that’s for sure.)
But in an age when there are way more outlets for exposure than ever before, he understands that there is a real danger of OVER-exposure –– of the public getting burnt out on a song. Okay, sure, he’s a fat cat who can afford to turn down easy money, but that hasn’t stopped others in his tax bracket from latching on to the TV ad loot, has it?
Let’s forget the geezers for a moment, though, and talk about up-and-coming artists. The conventional wisdom on emerging performers these days is that ANY TIME you can get your music out there it’s a good move. But is that really so? What about TV commercials? Yes, airing in a TV commercial always results in an impressive sales spike for the song. But, if you’re an up-and-coming artist who aspires to a career, you might want to give some thought to the fact that music fans today –– not trendoids but fans who look for real artists and stick with them for years –– want to DISCOVER artists on their own (or at least hear about them from a trusted friend). Loyal fans are an artist’s lifeblood and they don’t want some TV commercial for cheeseburgers to drop the music into their laps.
Cynics say this debate is long over. Maybe not, though. Maybe what it still comes down to is establishing the limit of your INTEGRITY and then guarding it tenaciously. If your career goes well, you will have to face these issues at some point, so it’s a good idea to think it over and decide where you stand NOW.
I’m curious to hear from MC’s readers:
What are YOUR standards? What WON’T you do to make it? Is it all about the CA$H? Have you asked yourself whether you’re a Happy Meal or a five-course feast?
