My, oh my, how music has changed!
It wasn't too long ago when any musician that allowed their music to be featured in a commercial was branded as a sell out. For many, the idea of including a single in a commercial meant certain death. However, over the past 5 years or so, that thought process has completely evaporated.
With the rise of music downloads, the iPod, and satellite radio, bands aren't just facing a battle on Friday nights in the High School Gym anymore. Everyday is a battle to get your music heard and garner enough popularity that warrants main stream radio play. What better way to get your name out there than hitching your bands new single to a hot consumer item... like an iPod.
The release of the next gen iPod's has unearthed a new artist that is getting some major attention online. Fiest's "1-2-3-4" is the song featured in the commercial. Here are some stats for Feist's, a solo artist from Ontario, Canada:
- 749,335 plays of "1234" on her MySpace Page
- 171,384 friends on MySpace
- Appeared on Letterman 8/28/08
- Appeared on VH1 "Behind The Music"
- 2,316,947 YouTube views of the "1234" video
Although this is her second US release, I (for one) had never heard of her prior to the iPod commercial. After finding the song a bit catchy, I searched for it online and found multiple sites dedicated to informing consumers of songs featured in commercials. I found it here (love the name of this blog), but a simple search can lead you to any song featured in a commercial... like the Old Navy commercial or the Target Commercials.
After speaking with a few musician friends of mine, the change in perception is incredible. Now, they are constantly asking if there is an online video shoot we are doing that could potentially feature their music. If the video hits it big, so too will their song.
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