Adverts. Those little groups of annoying interludes that serve no other purpose but to make us part with our money. Yet it now seems that the music industry is becoming an advert, used to push numerous products onto an unsuspecting audience.
The most recent proof of this trend is the video for the new Lady Gaga single Telephone. During its nine minute running time, the video promotes ten different products. These products range from a phone network (fuelling suspicion that the song was written for them as a commission), to bread. However, this is not the first time Lady Gaga has done this. Her last video Bad Romance contained eight different sponsored products. But with the economic crisis squeezing the industry, we have to ask whether this is actually the way forward?
Music has always been sponsored by businesses. The most obvious way companies get involved is by hosting concerts; most of the festivals covered in this issue will have some sponsorship. Indeed, up until this year the Reading and Leeds festivals were sponsored by a beer company. This sponsoring can also work in other ways. Sometimes a company may pay for exclusive rights to sell their brand at an event, making it so that only their brand is available on the site. A top sponsor will often also have their logo on the side of the stage, as well as having the ability to run promotions and adverts linked to the event. Yet this is often accepted by fans. It is subtle and does not interfere with the music; most people are willing to deal with the banners in exchange for being able to see musicians perform live.
The other way businesses can sponsor music is by branding. Branding can come in many forms, from the logical to the quite frankly ridiculous. Many instrument companies pay for endorsements from musicians and in return the musician will appear in their adverts and they will promote the brand. In its top form this will lead to a signature instrument or equipment. Walking into a music store you can buy anything from a replica of Jimmy Page’s guitar to Dave Grohl’s drum sticks. This is often seen as fair by fans as people often want to play with the equipment that has been used by their heroes. Of course, sometimes endorsements can go into strange areas. Jimi Hendrix now endorses more products than he did when he was alive, with everything from the expected guitars to an energy drink called “liquid experience” with his name on. This has angered fans as most of the products have no link to Hendrix and it can be seen as cheapening his image.
Overall, with the economic crisis music will inevitably have to find new ways to be funded, and if like Lady Gaga someone wants to make a $30,000 video, then the money will have to be found from a new source. It is up to us as consumers to draw the line on where it stops being about the music, and instead becomes a glorified advert for the sponsor.
Jonathon Greenall
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