The hidden costs of the sound of music
Using famous tracks might mean immediate recognition, but is it always the best choice to make for your campaign? There's the sometimes astronomical cost to consider, but also creative contemplations to examine. So, listen up as Gary Hilton, Director of GAS Music, cues up a set list of situations.
Despite the enormous costs usually involved, we’re increasingly seeing ‘recognisable’ and ‘well-known’ as keywords in music briefs we receive.
There’s sound logic here because some songs have an almost universal appeal, cutting across lines of age, gender, nationality and culture to connect with vast audiences on a global scale.
The more these tracks are synced the more their financial value rises. But does this mean increased value for a campaign?
And, of course, there are the success stories of the past: BA’s iconic use of Lakmé’s Flower Duet; the memorable Cadbury’s Gorilla spot [below], soundtracked by Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight, or the enduring use of Bananarama’s cover of Shocking Blue for Venus, and Queen’s Flash Gordon theme for Flash cleaning products.
But there are problems here.
Credits
powered by- Agency Fallon/London
- Production Company Blink Productions
- Director Juan Cabral
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Credits
powered by- Agency Fallon/London
- Production Company Blink Productions
- Director Juan Cabral
- Producer Nicky Barnes
- Colorist Mark Gethin
- DP Daniel Bronks
- Editor Joe Guest
- Post MPC/London
- Sound Design Wave Studios/London
- VFX Stan Winston
- Song "In the Air Tonight" Phil Collins
![](https://d17mj1ha1c2g57.cloudfront.net/v1/-QECu-DRGKQXxTzQcD__zLkz6QM/1024x576%23/80/shotsmag/production/clips/01d814d8-109a-4782-8e1f-0d38f6f7a08f/1681208814861.jpg?v=1&quality=80&format=jpeg)
Credits
powered by- Agency Fallon/London
- Production Company Blink Productions
- Director Juan Cabral
- Producer Nicky Barnes
- Colorist Mark Gethin
- DP Daniel Bronks
- Editor Joe Guest
- Post MPC/London
- Sound Design Wave Studios/London
- VFX Stan Winston
- Song "In the Air Tonight" Phil Collins
Above: Cadbury used Phil Collins' famous 1981 track, In the Air Tonight, on its award-winning 2007 spot.
Growing costs, diminishing returns
We’ve seen the fees for what you might call ‘heritage’ tracks growing year on year. The demand for them seems to be endless, and the more these tracks are synced the more their financial value rises. But does this mean increased value for a campaign?
All [big tracks] are eclipsed by earlier memories – hearing them for the first time, dancing to them after midnight with friends.
If we look at the success stories mentioned above, each carries an air of idiosyncrasy combined, in some cases, with longevity. The problem with continually reaching for the big names is that they end up being recycled from brand to brand, campaign to campaign. So, while their fees grow, they can only provide diminishing returns in terms of brand recognition.
These songs have a life of their own
Another issue is that songs like these are much bigger than any given campaign. Sometimes this can be a good thing. The use of Harry Nilsson’s Everybody’s Talkin’ in Jonathan Glazer’s Start Living spot for Club Med [below] may not be as iconic as Midnight Cowboy, the film for which it was used, but it borrows the same naive dislocation of the small-town boy in the busy and hostile city, in a way that’s wonderfully evocative for fans of the film.
As music supervisors we’ve seen tracks like Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere or Katrina and the Waves’ Walking on Sunshine come up again and again, but all are eclipsed by earlier memories – hearing them for the first time, dancing to them after midnight with friends, or hearing them soundtrack a tender moment with a loved one.
Credits
powered by- Agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Production Company Academy
- Director Jonathan Glazer
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Credits
powered by- Agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Production Company Academy
- Director Jonathan Glazer
![](https://d17mj1ha1c2g57.cloudfront.net/v1/AWeNqdWkpwgq4oAjiR1xLBn9m9I/1024x576%23/80/shotsmag/production/clips/7cb96da3-5f0a-4ddd-bd83-de5677bfba56/1720694614940.jpg?v=1&quality=80&format=jpeg)
Credits
powered by- Agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Production Company Academy
- Director Jonathan Glazer
Above: Harry Nilsson’s Everybody’s Talkin’ was used in a Club Med spot that shared creative elements with the film in which the track originally appeared.
The artists may not have the rights
Often, the growing fees for heritage tracks no longer go to the artists or their families. When sync emerged as a profitable avenue for the music industry, a wave of sweeping acquisitions followed. Artists that have sold all or most of the rights to their music include Bob Dylan, four out of five members of Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, James Brown, Sting, the list goes on...
Creatively limiting
Finally, and most importantly, overemphasising recognisability is creatively limiting. Good sync placements lead with the creative. Every aspect of the music should serve the story the film is trying to tell. Lyrically, of course, but also the tone, texture, timbre, rhythms and the instrumentation all have something to say, and these things tend to be left behind when recognisability is the primary factor.
Overemphasising recognisability is creatively limiting.
Thankfully, this leads us to solutions.
Credits
powered by- Agency Leo Burnett/London
- Production Company Moxie Pictures/London
- Director Edgar Wright
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Credits
powered by- Agency Leo Burnett/London
- Production Company Moxie Pictures/London
- Director Edgar Wright
- Sound 750mph
- Casting ET Casting
- Media Agency OMD/London
- Production Company Moxie Pictures/London
- Editor Final Cut/London
- Post-Production Company Framestore/London
- Audio Post Production 750mph
- Photography and Motion Production Prodigious London
- Media Agency OMD/London
- Editor Final Cut/London
- Post-Production Company Framestore/London
- Audio Post Production 750mph
- Photography and Motion Production Prodigious London
- Managing Director Dawn Laren
- Producer Doochy Moult
- Art Director Andrew Long
- Creative Gareth Butters
- Executive Producer Dawn Laren
- DP Jake Polonsky
- Production Designer Marcus Rowland
- Editor David Webb
- Editor Suzy Davis
- Production Manager Carmen Griffiths
- Chief Creative Officer Chaka Sobhani
- Executive Creative Director Mark Elwood
- Creative Director James Millers
- Creative Director: Andrew Long
- Senior Creative / Copywriter Gareth Butters
- Art Director Joe Miller
- Creative Director of Design David Allen
- Designer Jakk Breedon
- Head of Planning Tom Sussman
- Head of Account Management Sam Houlston
- Head of Project Management Jamie Teale
- Head of McDonalds TV Production Graeme Light
- Flame Darran Nicholson
- Producer Alexia Paterson
- Audio Mixer Sam Ashwell
- Head of Art Production Joseph Hodges
- Photographer Tom van Schelven
- Colorist Steffan Perry
![](https://d17mj1ha1c2g57.cloudfront.net/v1/0fDg1NmuSALQrzu9gvXcUPhSLFo/1024x576%23/80/shotsmag/production/clips/c63c7ff4-2fb6-4c21-ae42-70400c05d090/1702641505370.jpg?v=1&quality=80&format=jpeg)
Credits
powered by- Agency Leo Burnett/London
- Production Company Moxie Pictures/London
- Director Edgar Wright
- Sound 750mph
- Casting ET Casting
- Media Agency OMD/London
- Production Company Moxie Pictures/London
- Editor Final Cut/London
- Post-Production Company Framestore/London
- Audio Post Production 750mph
- Photography and Motion Production Prodigious London
- Media Agency OMD/London
- Editor Final Cut/London
- Post-Production Company Framestore/London
- Audio Post Production 750mph
- Photography and Motion Production Prodigious London
- Managing Director Dawn Laren
- Producer Doochy Moult
- Art Director Andrew Long
- Creative Gareth Butters
- Executive Producer Dawn Laren
- DP Jake Polonsky
- Production Designer Marcus Rowland
- Editor David Webb
- Editor Suzy Davis
- Production Manager Carmen Griffiths
- Chief Creative Officer Chaka Sobhani
- Executive Creative Director Mark Elwood
- Creative Director James Millers
- Creative Director: Andrew Long
- Senior Creative / Copywriter Gareth Butters
- Art Director Joe Miller
- Creative Director of Design David Allen
- Designer Jakk Breedon
- Head of Planning Tom Sussman
- Head of Account Management Sam Houlston
- Head of Project Management Jamie Teale
- Head of McDonalds TV Production Graeme Light
- Flame Darran Nicholson
- Producer Alexia Paterson
- Audio Mixer Sam Ashwell
- Head of Art Production Joseph Hodges
- Photographer Tom van Schelven
- Colorist Steffan Perry
Above: Yello’s bizarre 80s hit, Oh Yeah! was a perfect fit for director Edgar Wright's McDonald's spot.
Lead with the creative
Good sync placements, like good advertising in general, are not about following where others have had success. The risk averse may seek to emulate the latest Nike, Apple, or McDonald's hit but, most often, these successes come from taking risks, going where others haven’t dared and, above all, leading with the creative.
Good sync placements, like good advertising in general, are not about following where others have had success.
This doesn’t always mean taking a punt on something obscure. McDonald’ Raise Your Arches campaign [above] turned heads last year with its use of Yello’s wonderfully bizarre 80s hit, Oh Yeah!. The track has been used a bunch of times in adverts for Twix, Honda, Dominos [below], even competitors KFC (in Australia). In this case, though, it was a perfect fit, every element of the composition working for the film, from the ‘bom bom’ synth stabs – synced up to the protagonists’ raised eyebrows – to the marching pace, and quirky tonality. It’s a brilliant example of a film built around its soundtrack, rather than the latter tacked on at the end.
Credits
powered by- Agency Crispin Porter Bogusky/Boulder
- Production Company Arts & Sciences
- Director Matt Lenski
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Credits
powered by- Agency Crispin Porter Bogusky/Boulder
- Production Company Arts & Sciences
- Director Matt Lenski
- Managing Director/Partner Mal Ward
- Executive Producer/Managing Partner Marc Marrie
- Head of Production Christa Skotland
- Editor Aaron Langley
- Producer Anne Lai
- Lead Flame Wensen Ho
- Executive Producer Robert Owens
- Producer Julia Paskert
- Animator Norris Houk
- Senior Colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld
- Producer Rhubie Jovanov
- Engineer Sam Casas
- Executive Producer Susie Boyajan
- Composer/Executive Producer Joel Simon
- Talent Alan Ruck
- Talent Joe Keery
![](https://d17mj1ha1c2g57.cloudfront.net/v1/o2Zok5ZUYYdCwp4PUQJygAZV5Yk/1024x576%23/80/shotsmag/production/clips/08f088cd-7d25-4968-9a90-e5e08f27181b/1720694684881.jpg?v=1&quality=80&format=jpeg)
Credits
powered by- Agency Crispin Porter Bogusky/Boulder
- Production Company Arts & Sciences
- Director Matt Lenski
- Managing Director/Partner Mal Ward
- Executive Producer/Managing Partner Marc Marrie
- Head of Production Christa Skotland
- Editor Aaron Langley
- Producer Anne Lai
- Lead Flame Wensen Ho
- Executive Producer Robert Owens
- Producer Julia Paskert
- Animator Norris Houk
- Senior Colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld
- Producer Rhubie Jovanov
- Engineer Sam Casas
- Executive Producer Susie Boyajan
- Composer/Executive Producer Joel Simon
- Talent Alan Ruck
- Talent Joe Keery
Above: While Edgar Wright made a great decision to use this track, he wasn't the first to do so.
Up-and-coming artists, forgotten gems
Working with independent artists or forgotten obscurities can not only help to tell the story within a spot, but the campaign can often become part of the wider story of the music, enriching the audience base on both sides.
There was a time when commercials made the careers of artists like Jet, The Dandy Warhols, and The Black Keys.
While heritage tracks often cost upwards of half a million GBP in usage fees, an £80,000 sync fee for an up-and-coming artist, though, can mean a year’s salary, equipment and studio costs, the ability to quit day jobs and work independently of labels, and a huge boost to streams overnight. In 2022, everyone was talking about the return of Kate Bush to the charts, following a perfect placement in Stranger Things. In recent years, TV and film have been more willing to take risks and try new things.
But there was a time when commercials made the careers of artists like Jet, The Dandy Warhols, and The Black Keys. Or they revitalised the careers of long-forgotten artists, like Vashti Bunyan, the British folk songstress who recorded one album in the late 60s before disappearing on a horse-drawn caravan to the Isle of Skye, only to be propelled into the limelight and back to a recording career, fifty years later, by a T-Mobile ad [below].
Credits
powered by- Agency Saatchi & Saatchi/London
- Production Company Outsider
- Director Dom&Nic
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Credits
powered by- Agency Saatchi & Saatchi/London
- Production Company Outsider
- Director Dom&Nic
- Producer John Doris
- Editor Struan Clay
- Post Ben Cronin
- Audio post Tony Rapaccioli
- DP Steven Chivers
![](https://d17mj1ha1c2g57.cloudfront.net/v1/uWQB1fdObytHCdY0LX0JyiZDqtE/1024x576%23/80/shotsmag/production/clips/709286e7-8952-45b3-87a4-88657ec8a10c/1720694726026.jpg?v=1&quality=80&format=jpeg)
Credits
powered by- Agency Saatchi & Saatchi/London
- Production Company Outsider
- Director Dom&Nic
- Producer John Doris
- Editor Struan Clay
- Post Ben Cronin
- Audio post Tony Rapaccioli
- DP Steven Chivers
- Song "Just Another Diamond Day" Vashti Bunyan
Above: TV spots can revitalised the careers of long-forgotten artists, like Vashti Bunyan.
We think these things are wonderful in and of themselves, but the important thing for brands to note is that fans remember where they discovered their favourite artists and songs. Working with music supervisors to dig deeper, to find an up-and-coming artist that resonates the brand, or that forgotten obscurity that’s just perfect for the film, can resonate far more widely and be the start of a much bigger story.
Fans remember where they discovered their favourite artists and songs.
If, after all this, recognisability remains a deal-breaker, remember brands can often have their cake and eat it too. Clearing the publishing side of an iconic track and creating a bespoke re-record can not only save on the cost of the original recording, but also retains some of the benefits of working with an independent artist. It gives a great deal of flexibility in making the song work for the film, and creates something unique, individual to the brand.