Apple reaching out to the indies again: Chairlift’s “Bruises”for the new iPod ad

A couple of days ago I was watching TV and during a commercial break saw this new iPod ad:

The tune struck me right away as I was sure to have heard somewhere. I couldn’t quite put my finger on where and when – then it hit me. That song “Bruises” was written by Chairlift, a band I saw in Montreal back in July playing a small venue called the ZooBizarre, opening for the experimental alternative pop artist Ariel Pink.

More importantly, the lead singer and keyboard guru of Chairlift is Caroline Polacheck (!) a friend I met back a couple of years ago when I was living in Brussels. A very talented artist she is, well versed in many creative domains. I made her acquaintance as she came to record some vocals during a session with some of my good Belgium friends. Anyways, needless to say I was set aback hearing that song play for an iPod commercial airing at least 5 times per hour on the biggest national french television channel.

I wrote to her asking a couple of questions concerning the experience:

GD: How did all of this happen?
C: Apple found us! someone at apple bought our Evident Utensil 7″ single, and contacted Kanine requesting more from us. They sent them our yet-unreleased album, and then later Apple made an offer.

GD: Are you happy with the licensing terms?
C: Yes, but the promotion is the biggest payoff.

GD: How did Apple approach you?
C: Through Kanine Records.

GD: Are you rich??? (hehehe)
C: No, but very busy. Getting the exposure allows us to take on more ambitious tours with confidence, and gives us the opportunity to work with artists, filmmakers, designers, photographers, stylists, sound engineers, booking, press and publishing agents, etc. to really build a creative team. That’s really my favorite aspect of what the ipod ad changed for us: having a team of great people whose work we love and who we love working with. Many of these people are friends of ours, and we’re excited to use these new opportunities for collaborations.

GD: Was this unexpected actually? did you guys flip when you heard the good news?
C: YES, and YES.

GD: Are you now working on chairlift full-time?
C: No, still working a few jobs on the side

GD: Has this new opportunity made that possible in the short/middle term future?
C: Only temporarily. We could live off the money we’re making, but it’ll run out once the album cycle is over, so it’s better to save it and keep working so that we can spend it on the next album and our living expenses during that time. When we’re on the road we live entirely off Chairlift. It’s important to save for the breaks between tours.

Apple sure is taking an interesting approach to advertise their products, and I must say it’s a very welcome one. It’s not the first time they license songs from underground indie artists catapulting them on TV screens with big-budget commercials.

Naim Yael witnessed her overnight success in July with her song “New Soul” launching the MacBook Air. The former Broken Social Scene singer Feist saw her sales skyrocket when her single “1,2,3,4″ was featured for another iPod nano commercial last year. For the iPod Touch ad, Apple executives spotted a home-made commercial on youtube with the song “Music is My Hot, Hot Sex” by a Brazilian band CSS and used it. And now Chairlift with “Bruises”.

So who’s next? Maybe you are.

Howl.

(ChairLift has just released their album “Does You Inspire You”. You can purchase it on Amazone, eMusic, iTunes, and a number of other music outlets)

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Why bands could consider sponsorships with brands

Branding of the Bands

We previously posted a topic on why bands should consider music licensing as an alternative revenue model – here’s taking it a step further. Brands are starting to open up their doors to independent acts. We already had top shot mega stars in bed with brands (think Michael Jackson/Pepsi venture, 50 Cent and Jay-Z in a footwear deal with Reebok and even Axl Rose’s deal with Dr. Pepper for the release of his album ‘Chinese Democracy’ that has been in development for the last 17 years). What we are now seeing are lesser known artist hopping on the band-wagon. For instance, Apple, which had previously used U2 and Feist for iPod commercials, now chose a young unconsolidated singer Yael Naim for the release of their MacBook air commercial. In the experimental dance community, Groove Armada have just settled with Bacardi. The marketing deal encompasses recordings, touring and audiovisual content. A Barcardi representative cites:

“Essentially we are taking over the role of a record label, producing the music, promoting new music, and the artist is playing at our events.”

Brands thus can represent a good alternative to traditional record labels: they got money and they’re promotion gurus. Of course the branding will have to stay subtle enough so that the band’s image stays intact. Not many bands would agree to have a big Coca Cola sticker right on the bass drum, but hopefully brands won’t head that way. Here is an interesting article on the subject where a member of an indie bands muses:

“It’s as if we’ve suddenly become aware of the truth behind the smoke and mirrors of the record deal. Most artists now understand how the business works and who their fans are. That is always going to be valuable to a brand. It’s certainly a freer, more equal relationship. Record companies have to own everything, because their whole model is based on selling records – ‘Is it a hit, will it make us our money back?’ If brands do nothing other than free musicians from the tyranny of needing a radio-friendly smash to have a career, it has to be a positive.”

Brand your band !!

Also, consider literally branding your band. All bands do this to some extent but not all see it as something crucial for their commercial success. I mean making a good quality logo, putting up decent posters, gig swapping with appropriate bands, handing out not only flyers but business cards, perfecting your personal live sound. Everything you do to make your band go a step forward should help people remember you and you only. Branding is the art of association and the more things your fans associate you with what they relate to, the better. That’s why selling merchandise is so important. A t-shirt bought at a concert doesn’t only stand for something to wear with a cool design, more importantly it represents a souvenir, an impalpable sensation of a past well being that you made possible. Merch shouldn’t only be for the money and the promotion; it should help your fans identify their everyday lives with your music (when using or wearing your merchandise that is).

Here’s what Clif, who hosts the cool critical music blog Music in 2d has to say:

“The one thing that artists who hope to make any money via the web need to realize right now is that the people who will profit in this industry are those that monetize the attention that the artist generates. Companies desperately want to reach the people you reach. And the more people you can reach consistently, whether they buy your music or not, the more valuable you become. Whether that means revenue sharing, sponsorship, etc – or perhaps it enables you to sell something else – is up to the artist to decide.”

Mruff!

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