Ruined Music – January 22, 2008

Everyone who is a regular here knows I love music. Unfortunately, some of my favorite artists have taken the precarious leap into the world of commercialism. Obviously, most people don’t play music for themselves, they want it to be heard. Even I have had illusions of rocking out to a stadium packed crowd.

Anyways, the point is that a lot of artists get big via one song that gets broadcasted in some way, shape, or form. Many of those forms (e.g. radio) are respectable, but I am truly annoyed by bands who sell out for a commercial, especially when it has absolutely nothing to do with the product. Here is a list of some artists who sacrificed their creativity to reach the populous.

To learn about more music in TV commercials, check out AdTunes.

Dirty Vegas “Days Go By” – Mitsubishi Eclipse

Band of Horses “Funeral” – Ford Edge








Of Montreal “Let’s Go Outback” (original made for Outback) – Outback Steakhouse








Royksopp “Remind Me” – Geico

* The Postal Service “Such Great Heights” – UPS

Digitalism “Pogo“ – Pontiac G6










** Feist “1 2 3 4” – Apple iPod Nano









Midwest Product “Swamp” – Hummer H3

* This is really the only relevant song for the UPS brand, as The Postal Service was founded by Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello who sent one another music via postal and created songs by editing tapes and sending them back and forth

** I guess this is inherently a good move for Feist, given iPod is all about music