Always thought Lou Reed was an odd choice for an American Express commercial.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Always thought Lou Reed was an odd choice for an American Express commercial.
The one where I went, 'Hunh?' was Iggy Pop's Lust for Life for some cruise ship line.
But they stuck with it for years (might still be using it) so I guess it worked!
:)
Don
If people see the commercial and then go download SRV songs on iTunes, or buy his CDs, then it's a good thing.
I see that as a postive. I've been writing down the song and band names from the moto razor and ipod ads. I'm sick of the recent ipod nano ad though. I really could care less what junk is being advertised overall. The advertisments these days are more insulting to intelligence then ever before.
"If I had a time machine, I'd go back and tell me to practise that bloody guitar!" -Vic Lewis
Everything is 42..... again.
I guess one big issue I have is that he is dead. Artists have the right and freedom to do what they choose with their work. When I heard Dylan's "The times they are achangin'" in a commercial I almost puked, but he is still alive and he can do what he wants. ON the other hand, Stevie (most likely) didn't have a say in whether his songs should be used in this manner.
What I am trying to say is that I am a songwriter myself. My art is precious to me and every work I accomplish has a special place in my heart. I would roll over in my grave if I found out the caretakers of my estate had sold my precious art to some auto (or any) commercial. I don't want to be remembered that way.
Back in the 90's the GAP put this commercial on TV. This resulted in a revival of swing music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knW1hGwmEXQ
This helped Brian Seltzer with a big comeback 8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMlc6Vw2tg8
not a bad thing at all :D
My first thought when I saw he commercial was.."Man, they are targeting my age group." Now, I could not tell you what car was being sold..mind you. The TV is simply background white noise for me. But, when I did hear the music, it put me in a good mood. I've reached that..."Hey, they are using music from MY generation on TV to sell things now..age". If that is indeed a plateau. (should I be happy about that? :?: :roll:
Nope, the next step is to have the music you know played in big band/orchestral form as background music at the grocery store. Anybody ready for the big band version of "Holidays In The Sun" or "Blitzkrieg Bop"?
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
Like how much those kids making the tires in Taiwan get payed, for example. I'm pretty sure those people starving in 80% of the world can only dream of being a sell-out.
Taiwan isn't such a good example for this. They have and enforce child labour laws. They are a country with a pretty decent standard of living comparable to South Korea and health care levels on average better than in the US (e.g. far lower infant mortality). They are at the upper end of the emerging market countries or just at the bottom of the "western" modern industrialized countries.
A far better example of child labour problems (and other bad labour practices) would be the U.S. protectorate of Saipan. Lots of goods made there by children (and others) who are paid a pittance under appalling labour conditions. To make it even worse they are able to mark the goods "Made in USA" as they are a US protectorate and so convince both the nationalistic sort and those concernced about buying child labour made goods to buy those products.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
I remember reading an interview with Stephen Stills a few years back when they questioned him about "selling out" so to speak, and letting his music be used for commercials. He said that it was a compliment to him that they thought his music was so well liked it would have the appeal they were looking for in a commercial. He also mentioned that he had to put his kids through college like everyone else.
Above all else, I think that it gets the music heard by a whole new grup of people as well. I also would be deliriously happy to have someone pay to use one of my songs on a commercial.
And Nick, rest easy, big cars are cool again it seems. My son and his friends all drive big ol Lincolns and Caddies; and didn't you listen to the commercial " This is not your fathers Cadillac!" (but you'll turn into your father eventually anyway.... :shock: )
Falling in love is like learning to play the guitar; first you learn to follow the rules, then you learn to play with your heart.
What I am trying to say is that I am a songwriter myself. My art is precious to me and every work I accomplish has a special place in my heart. I would roll over in my grave if I found out the caretakers of my estate had sold my precious art to some auto (or any) commercial. I don't want to be remembered that way.
Then fix it so that can't happen. Retain the copyrights and write it into your will. Get a lawyer to make sure it's right.
But I doubt SRV's upset about it, wherever he is.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
personally, i can't hardly wait to hear the pixies "bone machine" in an elevator :wink:
#4491....
I bought the German "Guitar" magazine, today, and it, coincidentally, features SRV. Reading about his life and career, I think he would have been royally chuffed to have his music played in commercials - he was never afraid to expand his public. In fact, he would probably have offered to play a special live version for them - he wanted his music heard.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
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I don't really like hearing music in commercials by artists that are dead, because you know it's just their family cashing in. For awhile, I really thought Jimi Hendrix's sister and family was doing a good job of managing his legacy after fighting so hard to get the rights to it. Then, I saw this... http://www.hendrixliquidexperience.com/
If I ever make it big, in whatever way or shape, then I hope my family will manage to prosper of it for generations to come. If I can put my future grandkids through college sixty years after my demise then that would make me a happy corpse.
So I can drive a caddy? Do I have to wear the black socks and sandals or are they optional?