Where art and business collides is often controversial, and the debate over when corporate interests have stepped over the line in music has been going on since the dawn of time.
But it could be about to get a lot worse.
Online music videos have become a major battleground for new revenue for both the video websites like Youtube, and the major labels. In fact, it’s become such a good money spinner that Youtube threatened to remove all indie labels from their website if they didn’t bow down to ridiculous royalty demands.
Now, it’s the major labels getting in on the action. Not satisfied with the revenue they’re currently generating from music videos through product placement, Universal Music has just signed a deal that will allow advertisers to digitally insert their products into music videos that have already been released.
Even better for Universal, once the product placement has ended, much like an ad it can be swapped out for another product or brand.
Mirriad Reel 2min from mirriad on Vimeo.
Product placement is nothing new in music videos. Beats have been a particularly conspicuous fan of placing their products in music videos, and videos for songs such as Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ featured 10 different brands alone.
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But this move will take the creative control over those brands away from artists and even the music video directors themselves, and into the hands of the label’s sales team.
One of the aspects Universal is reportedly most excited about according to NME is that it will remove the need for them to hold lengthy meetings with the directors and brands about how exactly the video should look and how their products will be shown off.
The technology is being provided by MirriAd, and they’ve already got music videos from the likes of Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Avicii, and The Rolling Stones in their sights.
Avicii is the first cab off the rank, where liquer brand Grand Marnier have signed up to be included in one of his music videos, but if successful you could see The Black Keys knocking back some Jack Daniels one week, and hawking Beats headphones the next.
It’s no surprise that the major labels are looking for new ways to generate revenue against the backdrop of ever declining revenue from traditional sales of recorded music.
And with consumers simply ignoring or often skipping pre-roll ads, brands are looking for more, subtle, ways to shove their products down your throats, and product placement is a booming industry with brands spending over $8 billion on it in 2012 alone.
But we can’t help but feel nostalgic for the humble music video, which over the years has become an art form itself. What’s next? Product placement in songs? Oh wait, that’s now happening too.
So what do the labels have to say about all of this? “Being inside content is more valuable than being outside content,” Mark Popkiewicz, Mirriad’s chief executive says, while Universal’s chief executive Lucian Grainge added that with the new system they would still “ensure that artists’ and brands’ interests are aligned”.
Forgive us if we’re somewhat sceptical.
