1. The "Ad Hit" (theglobeandmail.com) →

    Charting the changing impression by independent musicians of having their music included in advertising. The result is a sort of feedback loop of mutual promotion: band advertises product advertises brand. 

  2. Beat Boutique (believermag.com) →

    In her essay in the July/August 2012 issue of The Believer, Lindsay Zoladz makes a solid connection between the diminishing meaning in pop music of the phrase “selling out” and the legacy of the “music library.” In her definition: “Library music (sometimes referred to as ‘production music’ or ‘stock music’) generally refers to music that has been composed and recorded for commercial purposes and which is licensed not through the composer but the library for which it has been recorded.” (Via andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com.)

  3. A Brief History of Library Music (bbc.co.uk) →

    The link goes to a half-hour documentary: a survey of the varieties of source music, and background music, and theme songs, and all manner of music that was recorded or archived with the intent that it serve a functional purpose: “Never commercially available to the general public, this music was pressed onto vinyl from the 1950s onwards in short, limited quantities and then sent directly to TV production houses and radio stations for use when necessary.” (Via andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com.)

  4. Is the Playlist the New Jingle?

    Details at adage.com on plan by Spotify, the music-streaming service, to aid brands in collating playlists for its reported 10 million listeners. Brings to mind not only the playlist as the new jingle (i.e., the in-flux cloud formation of associative music in place of a single sound object), as well as such classic cultural sponsorships as Texaco’s relationship with the Metropolitan Opera. It also clarifies, a little, Spotify’s position among the major music-streaming services. Will a Nike playlist on Pandora be far behind?

  5. Report on Audi’s attempts to lend sounds to electric cars. The “car does not broadcast prerecorded engine noises but instead generates sound in realtime to the millisecond, calculated based on data including the electric motor’s rotational speed, vehicle speed, loads, and other parameters.” This is a significant iteration on the sound-addition idea, the concept of noises being determined by context. It has parallels to the evolution of sound in video games, from Hollywood-style scores of fixed sounds, to collections of sounds triggered by specific mid-play action, to algorithms that influence the very sounds themselves. (Via designboom.com)

    Report on Audi’s attempts to lend sounds to electric cars. The “car does not broadcast prerecorded engine noises but instead generates sound in realtime to the millisecond, calculated based on data including the electric motor’s rotational speed, vehicle speed, loads, and other parameters.” This is a significant iteration on the sound-addition idea, the concept of noises being determined by context. It has parallels to the evolution of sound in video games, from Hollywood-style scores of fixed sounds, to collections of sounds triggered by specific mid-play action, to algorithms that influence the very sounds themselves. (Via designboom.com)

  6. The advertising firm Y&R in Brazil produced these advertisements to promote a 3-D sound system from LG. The tagline, ”Every side of the sound,” gets a smart visualization — a great example of how something non-sonic can be used to suggest the sonic. (Via adsoftheworld.com and adweek.com)

    The advertising firm Y&R in Brazil produced these advertisements to promote a 3-D sound system from LG. The tagline, ”Every side of the sound,” gets a smart visualization — a great example of how something non-sonic can be used to suggest the sonic. (Via adsoftheworld.com and adweek.com)

  7. How the Attitude About Licensing Has Changed the Landscape for Indie Artists (forbes.com) →

    Overview of the several-decade transition of audience and musician perspective on the licensing of songs for commercial use, from the Beatle’s complaints against Nike, to David Bowie’s catalog bond, the Moby’s Play, to contemporary independent artists.

  8. Gone Commercial: Older Rock Stars Appearing In TV Ad (stereoboard.com) →

    John Lydon, Slash, Motörhead, and Madness among older acts venturing into advertising. The latter two are particularly interesting, for doing new, slowed-down versions of their songs (“Ace of Spades” and “Baggy Trousers,” respectively). Worth considering that it’s a wise way to profit without adversely affecting listeners’ associations with the original. 

  9. Dr. Dre's Beats Buys Mog (adweek.com) →

    “There is considerable speculation that Beats will look to pair Mog’s streaming service up with Beats’ high end headphones, which could introduce Mog to a much larger audience.”

    Dr. Dre’s Beats headphone/audio company has purchased the music-streaming service Mog (2012.07.02). It’s interesting to think about the ramifications of a self-contained, pre-existing online streaming service becoming simply a marketing expenditure for its (new) parent company.