mountain bed Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Dude. That hot-n-spicy chicken must be hot-n-spicy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 I'm pissed that Wilco sold out.The world ain't what it used to be. Twenty years ago, I might have cried "sellout." Now, not so much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticeyeball Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 it's probably an age/responsibilities thing. anyone who has many years of working behind them or struggles to buy a house or struggles to afford a family or saves enough money to pay cash for a fine preowned vehicle is a little more sensible before automatically screaming SELLOUT! me? i think it's great and i hope they make a boatload of money each time those spots run cause real life ain't for pussies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Dude. That hot-n-spicy chicken must be hot-n-spicy! You should see this letter I'm writing to the secretary general of the U.N. about exactly what is wrong with the world and how it should be fixed immediately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ction Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Do adults actually still talk about bands "selling out"? Especially bands that have spent their entire careers in the mainstream music business... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jethro Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Do adults actually still talk about bands "selling out"? Especially bands that have spent their entire careers in the mainstream music business...Selling a song for a decent company to use in a commercial isn't that big of a deal anymore, selling five songs is a little wtf. I'm finding it hard to work up any real emotion about it either way though, it's not like these songs make any real impact for me. If it was Poor Places or Misunderstood or other songs I really liked then maybe I could scrape up some more indignation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SlowBurn68 Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 I guess it's not such a big deal - VW is a cool company to support - I want to see them bring back a "Wilco Edition" bus. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drazil Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 I just saw the commerial... that was strange. I would SO buy the Wilco V-Dub bus. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 i would never claim they "sold out"... but still, 5 songs?and the songs don't even seem to really fit the commercials all that well (well the 2 we've seen) imo. when the commercials are great and the song fits it, i totally support whoever the artist is letting their songs be used. doesn't make me feel any differently about Wilco, i just kinda wonder why at this point i guess Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NationalDust Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 1. I'm not sure I understand the definition of selling out... they seem to still write what they want to write and do what they want to do... just because they let some songs go onto a commercial means selling out why? because it's exposure? because it's worth money? I don't think it cheapens the emotion that was put into these songs when they were written... in the words of our very own Mr Tweedy "And if the whole world Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JerseyMike Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 I hope this makes the mortgage a bit easier to pay, not to mention private school. Good for him/them Don't think Tweedy has any problems footing the bills. I find this whole thing a bit disturbing. Yes, a lot of bands sell thier songs to car commercials, but the fact that Wilco hadn't was one of the things that made them special. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 In general, I don't care about licensing songs for advertising. It's a non-issue for me. In most cases, I think the whole idea of "selling out" is an artificial distinction based upon an artificial, idealized notion of artistic purity. There is no reason why music can't exist as art and product at the same time. I'm reminded of something Leonard Cohen once said: " Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NationalDust Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Did Wilco record these songs because they felt they would sell, or because they believed in them? If they made these songs for pure artistic reasons, why can't they now also reap any economic benefits they might bring? I think you nailed it there Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 You should see this letter I'm writing to the secretary general of the U.N. about exactly what is wrong with the world and how it should be fixed immediately. When they see the crayon on it they won't take it as seriously. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Does anyone even remember commercials when they have run their course? Many acts have had their stuff licensed for advertising use but honestly I cannot recall one on the products or songs. Well, I lie...I can recall two. The use of Venus In Furs for the tyre advert and the use of Phat Planet for the Guinness ad. Those were pretty good. The rest..meh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reverend8 Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Alright, since everyone else seems perfectly willing to write this off as nothing, guess I'll be one of the few to cry bullsh**t. I happen to think Wilco's music is art, and for me at least that art is cheapened when it's used for shilling a product (and don't give me any, "But an album's a product" BS, you know what I mean). And the movie comparison makes no sense. At all. A movie is also a work of art, and music in film is used to aid the storytelling; music in an ad is used to make people associate that product with said song, so that buyers will say, hey, VW is a cool company, they're associated with Wilco (or Nick Drake or Stereolab or whoever), I'll buy their product. Apparently it worked, as people here keep posting about what a cool company VW is. What? Bands used to take very strong stands against this kind of thing, for the very reason above: It takes something that has meaning, and it debases it. REM refused to license End of the World to Microsoft for Windows 95, and still won't license its songs for use in commercials. Do you really think, I dunno, Bob Mould would let the Husker Du catalog be used for selling board games? Or the Avengers would license We Are the One for a Gap campaign? And what happens when it's not a "cool" company. Think about the New Pornographers, who licensed a song to the University of Phoenix, the same for-profit college chain that's been accused of bilking students with under-qualified teachers and shoddy education. How can anyone look at that and not be a little disappointed that they'd let themselves be used to sell such a product? There's also a difference between writing music for ads, and licensing one of your songs. Yo la Tengo does the former (as does Bob Mould and many others), but steadfastly refuses to do the latter. Jeff has bills to pay, sure, but since when did becoming an "adult," as others have indicated here (likely others not quite at that same stage themselves) mean sacrificing principles for money? And, news flash, Jeff makes a very, very nice living as is. Would Thom Yorke do this? Michael Stipe? Patti Smith? I mean, how much does it suck to hear an Iggy Pop song used for Carnival Cruise Lines or to see Bob Dylan sing in praise of underwear? Why doesn't this bother more people? (I blame Moby.) Sorry, but this takes music and reduces it to nothing more than a branding tool, a lifestyle signifier. It cheapens it, and it sucks, and I for one have lost a little respect for Jeff and company for doing this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bhickman Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 jesus...why does anyone give a shit? radio don't play 'em, MTV/VH1 don't play videos...what's left? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Jay Farrar also had songs in some TV shows off the last Son Volt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Jay Farrar also had songs in some TV shows off the last Son Volt. Correct. World Waits For You was on Grey's Anatomy somewhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NationalDust Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 (and don't give me any, "But an album's a product" BS, you know what I mean) I'm sure I don't, actually. AN album is a product... they make their music and then they sell it and you and everyone else pays for it. so... explain maybe? Bands used to take very strong stands against this kind of thing, for the very reason above: It takes something that has meaning, and it debases it. REM refused to license End of the World to Microsoft for Windows 95, and still won't license its songs for use in commercials. Do you really think, I dunno, Bob Mould would let the Husker Du catalog be used for selling board games? Or the Avengers would license We Are the One for a Gap campaign? Would Thom Yorke do this? Michael Stipe? Patti Smith? Do you think Tweedy says "Hey, Michael Stipe wouldn't do this, so I'm not gunna?" err.. probably not. Two different people with two different views. how much does it suck to hear an Iggy Pop song used for Carnival Cruise Lines? It doesn't suck to hear Iggy... ever... I for one have lost a little respect for Jeff and company for doing this. Well that's really really too bad Do you still like ther music? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Why doesn't this bother more people?Perhaps because a lot of people don't share your perspective that commercial use always debases the art--to believe that, one must first subscribe to romanticized ideas about artistic purity. Don't get me wrong: I too believe that Wilco's music is art of the highest order, but hearing a few notes in a transient advert doesn't interfere with how I respond to that art, or alter what that art means to me. It's easy for me to separate those two functions. It might be different if there was a fundamental contradiction between a band's message and the commercial's message. For example, if a song was about maintaining a healthy lifestyle but was then licensed to McDonald's, then I'd agree that was selling out. But in general that is rarely the case, and certainly doesn't apply to Wilco's VW ads. In fact, you could argue that SBS is an album about coming to terms with the realities of the world--and part of that might be resigning oneself to the economic realities of a world where art and commerce often must co-exist. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NationalDust Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 God, I love your sense of humor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 God, I love your sense of humor You haven't know me long have you? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NationalDust Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 You haven't know me long have you? True Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.