Songs in commercials.

[Guest Davenavarro10]

I was watching t.v. today and I saw a commercial for Pampers. I started cracking up when I heard the song being played (I've got the power). I never would have imagined that song being used for a diaper commercial. I remember how upset I was when I saw Lenny Kravitz in a commercial for Target. That made me lose so much respect for him. For a while I thought that he was a musical genius, even though he's pretty mainstream. I used to think that he was the closest thing that we had to a modern day Jimi Hendrix but I guess I was wrong. Jimi was an artist, I don't think he ever would have allowed his music to be used for a commercial or to sell a product while he was alive. I know everybody's got their price, but doesn't Lenny have enough money? By doing commercials for a company like target his credibility goes out the door.

[Guest guyman1966]

And when exactly did Lenny Kravitz have "credibility"? He has sucked ass from day one and I never viewed him as anything close to a Jimi Hendrix. Serious music people let bullshit magazines like Rolling Stone and People make those silly claims.

[Guest Davenavarro10]

In Rock n Roll you are considered a sell-out whenever you either endorse a product or let one of your songs be used to sell a product. In hip hop, it's totally different, it's acceptable. I guess part of it has to do with rappers placing so much importance on making money. Lenny has always been mainstream, but he is Rock n Roll. You can't say that the guy isn't talented. The guy plays every single instrument on his albums. And even though no one will ever compare to Hendrix, Lenny is an awesome guitar player.

[Guest guyman1966]

I know Rock & Roll. I am Rock & Roll. My Father and his father before him were Rock & Roll. And Lenny is not and never was Rock & Roll. At worst he is POP at best we can call him POP ROCK.

[Guest Davenavarro10]

So guyman, who would you consider Rock n Roll? Lenny plays Rock n Roll music. I do agree with you that he is very mainstream, but I don't think he's pop rock. Maroon 5 are pop rock, Matchbox 20 are pop rock, Sugar Ray are pop rock. If you're a rock band and your music gets played on a station like Y-100 you're probably pop rock.

[Guest guyman1966]

More in the case for Sugar Ray and maybe Matchbox - but they started as real rock and rollers whos music was sucked in by the main stream. They became pop rock, not so much by their own choice (at first), but the will of the masses. Lenny from day one went after the mass appeal and belived that he would be a popular star. No real hard rocker would marry a Cosby kid (even a wacky one). They would marry a rock whore like Ms. Love.

[Guest Davenavarro10]

I think Sugar Ray and the Offspring both used to be respectable rock bands. But both bands noticed that they could sell a lot more records and make much more money if they'd change their sound. Offspring totally sold out, they used to be a punk band, and now they're just terrible. It's bad enough to be a pop band, but they're a crappy pop band now.

[Guest guyman1966]

I agree w/ your last post.... but still am confused as to why you ever belived that Lenny was a real Rocker ???

[Guest Davenavarro10]

Because he plays rock n roll. I saw him in concert last year and I was impressed. I don't think I'll ever buy any of his records, but he puts on a pretty good live show.

[Guest pod]

Sell out all the way to the fucking bank. I'm sure he swims in dollar bills.

I've never understood the sell-out concept. What do you think of Murk getting bank for 3 or 4 seconds of Fired Up?

When you're further along in your career as an artist, selling out becomes a secondary concern sometimes.

[Guest slamminshaun]

"Hey Lenny, there's somebody that wants to pay you buckets of money to use your song in a commercial, what do ya say?"

"Umm...sorry, I can't sell out like that. Keep your money. I can't lose the true spirit of rock-n-roll"

Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?

[Guest JMT]

im with pod and the slammer. i dont see how its "selling out" if you're still making the music that you want to make.

[Guest Davenavarro10]

If it's a musician that's struggling then I have no problem with it whatsoever. But Kravitz is definitely not struggling, the guy is a multi-millionaire. By doing that sort of thing it damages his integrity. Once you start trying to sell something besides your music, your credibility goes out the door. I don't see anything wrong if it's a lesser known musician like the guys from Murk or a band that's never made any money from their music alone.

[CrzyC1414779017]

I don't see anything wrong if it's a lesser known musician like the guys from Murk or a band that's never made any money from their music alone.

Did he really just say this??????

[Guest Davenavarro10]

Yes I did. Do you actually think that the guys from Murk are as well known or that they make the same amount of money as Lenny Kravitz does?

[Guest pod]

Most rock stars make a fortune on residuals and royalties for commercial use. You just don't see it cause the song is altered, or is only aired in a foreign country.

[ryan2772]

Hooker with a Penis

I met a boy wearing Vans, 501s,

And a Dope Beastie T, nipple rings,

New tattoos that claimed that he

Was OGT, from '92, the first EP

And in between sips of coke, he told me that

He thought we were sellin' out,

Layin' down, suckin' up to the man

Well now I've got some

A-dvice for you, little buddy

Before you point the finger

You should know that I'm the man,

And if I'm the man,

Then you're the man,

And he's the man as well

So you can point that fuckin' finger up your ass

All you know about me is what I've sold you, dumb fuck

I sold out long before you ever heard my name

I sold my soul to make a record, dip shit

And you bought one

So I've got some

Ad-vice for you, little buddy

Before you point your finger

You should know that I'm the man,

If I'm the fuckin' man

Then you're the fuckin' man as well

So you can point that fuckin' finger up your ass

All you know about me is what I've sold you, dumb fuck

I sold out long before you'd ever even heard my name

I sold my soul to make a record, dip shit

And you bought one

All you read and

Wear or see and

Hear on TV is a product

Begging for your

Fatass dirty Dollar

Shut up and

Buy my new record

Send more money(x4)

Fuck you, buddy(x4)

[Guest saintjohn]

Although several interesting points have already been raised in this thread, I think it's also worth considering the advertisers' perspective. Target, Mitsubishi, or whoever wants you to buy their products, and they're betting a lot of money that certain songs will help them do so.

Once upon a time, ad campaigns were designed to sell individual products. Today, they sell lifestyles. Products are sold by association, not on their respective merits.

Artists, meanwhile, pretend to be naive pawns in this process, when in reality they're often more image-savvy than the Madison Avenue executives that rent their songs. If a media whore like Lenny Kravitz (or his management team) sells a tune to Target, there's probably more to the deal than "I need a new Bentley." He's not being "used" by some corporation, he's a willing partner. Somehow, he sees his association with Target as a positive one. It's not just a financial arrangement.

In other words, the "artists" have become advertisers, too. Instead of selling toasters, though, they're using their associations with certain corporate entities to sell their songs, their merchandise, and their images. The Target lifestyle is now the Lenny Kravitz lifestyle, and vice versa.

Sorry for rambling. I need coffee.

[Guest Diabolique]

Because he plays rock n roll. I saw him in concert last year and I was impressed. I don't think I'll ever buy any of his records, but he puts on a pretty good live show.

Led Zepplin is rock n' roll. The Cult is rock n' roll. Lenny has an edge, but he is def pop rock..and his music is also electronic and at times a ballad, so no, I don't think lenny is rock n roll. He does rock out at times, but concentrates on less rock and more other things. Please play them next to each other and maybe you will see the difference. I've seen Lenny Kravitz three times, and even if he is a lesser rock, he still rawks on the stage. Go Lenny! ;D

also, uh, sports stars do it, singers do it, actors do it, so why do music artists have to be held up to a 'holier than thou' standard of not selling out? Did you ever consider some of the older artists may have gotton scewed out of deals, or squandered away money, and now they have a chance to cash in on their talents? Maybe they have kids/grandkids to put through school, etc.. nothigng wrong with a little residual income...

[Guest saintjohn]

why do music artists have to be held up to a 'holier than thou' standard of not selling out?

For me, it depends on the artist. Countless rockstars have made millions of dollars pretending to be "one of the guys." Bruce Springsteen, for example, is careful to maintain the New Jersey working class image that brought him success in the 70s. He's either hopelessly attached to to his humble bar band origins, or he knows that reminding his fans of how rich he's become since "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle" might diminish future album sales (and, perhaps more importantly, licensing opportunities).

I distinctly remember reading an interview where Springsteen was complaining about Reaganomics (yes, I'm that old), and he cited the minimum wage as evidence of the president's mean-spirited policies. Surprisingly (or not), Springsteen himself didn't know what the minimum wage actually was at the time. For a guy who constantly claims to be in touch with his "average Joe" fans, that's sad.

Of course, Springsteen became popular before "selling out" was considered a cultural crime in certain circles. If he were starting out today, he wouldn't feel the need to hide his financial success from potential customers.

Ultimately, I prefer honest music and honest musicians. I don't resent commercial success, but please don't pretend to be a starving artist just to win my sympathy. The great themes of rock and roll - love, loss, and lust - transcend socioeconomic lines. If the music's worthy, I'll gladly buy your CDs even if you don't need the money.

[Guest Electric Eel]

I was watching t.v. today and I saw a commercial for Pampers. I started cracking up when I heard the song being played (I've got the power). I never would have imagined that song being used for a diaper commercial. I remember how upset I was when I saw Lenny Kravitz in a commercial for Target. That made me lose so much respect for him. For a while I thought that he was a musical genius, even though he's pretty mainstream. I used to think that he was the closest thing that we had to a modern day Jimi Hendrix but I guess I was wrong. Jimi was an artist, I don't think he ever would have allowed his music to be used for a commercial or to sell a product while he was alive. I know everybody's got their price, but doesn't Lenny have enough money? By doing commercials for a company like target his credibility goes out the door.

I dont get why you think this is wrong. I am a huge Lenny Kravitz fan and i dont thing there's anything wrong with his music being in a commercial. He was in a gap ad as well and I loved that commercial, probably one of the very few times I would listen or pay attention to a commercial. Its more exposure for him, bringing in more fans, isn't that what any musician wants?

As far as if he's rock and roll or not, you can't classify Lenny as just one genre. If you actually listened to his music other then what is played on the radio you would understand this.

[Guest guyman1966]

I've never like Lenny and probably never will. Not that he sucks ass - he is just not for me.

No another example of a group sell out for money - U2. I loved it when they were young, poor and angry. Now they are just another sellout rock band gone pop.

However, I think that the Rolling Stones have done a great job of walking the highwire between POP and ROCK stars. Their music is mainstream, but rocks. They are commerical and bring in the bucks, but still have an edge. I like that!

[BobbyTrendy]

Everyone said GreenDay sold out too - i think thats gheyyyyyyy... they are amazing.

I respect Lenny Kravitz mainly because he plays all his own instruments when making an album. He writes the music (all though he has done a few cover songs) and he plays the drums, guitars and whatever else. He doesn't go in the studio and have a song written for him and a band playing.. he does it all on his own. "Are you gonna go my way" was my fave album so far.

[Guest saintjohn]

No another example of a group sell out for money - U2. I loved it when they were young, poor and angry. Now they are just another sellout rock band gone pop.

U2's "young, poor, and angry" period ended with the American release of "Boy," which benifited from play in certain stateside nightclubs where the patrons mis-interpreted the album's name and record sleeve photo (think Bronski Beat, "Age of Consent," but go further). After narrowly avoiding that potential public relations disaster, the band's lucky they have anything to "sell out."

[Guest Diabolique]

Everyone said GreenDay sold out too - i think thats gheyyyyyyy... they are amazing.

I respect Lenny Kravitz mainly because he plays all his own instruments when making an album. He writes the music (all though he has done a few cover songs) and he plays the drums, guitars and whatever else. He doesn't go in the studio and have a song written for him and a band playing.. he does it all on his own. "Are you gonna go my way" was my fave album so far.

Yup. Few artists can claim that. Some can't even sing! '5" is my personal fave, I love "if you can't say no" , but the whole album is just fantastic-IMO