And the B(r)and played on.....

From the FT this morning:

Once strange bedfellows, corporations and rock stars are increasingly acting as co-conspirators, cementing what used to be loose partnerships with lasting tie-ups that help maximise visibility and profit.

The trend has been boosted by the proliferation of television channels, independent film houses and internet "rich media" (with streaming graphics and sound), all of which are constantly on the hunt for unique music.

Not to mention market failure of the traditional ways for musicians to get paid!

Anyways, we put our analytical hats on and realised there wer a number of business models that can be applied here:

Firstly, direct sponsorship - why sponsor a concert when you can tie your brand to a band - Wrigley's Pink Floyd say, or the Colgate White Stripes. I mean, Queen's already done it.....

Secondly, branded song titles - imagine how much better the world could have been with such classics as "I can't get no Satisfaction (without a Camel), or maybe Welcome to the Hotel Hilton

And of course there is in song placement - one can imagine such immortal lyrics as:

- "Walk on the Tuff-Flo Carpet side"
- "Hello Nestle my old friend"

or even

- "Never going to give (insert your product here) up"

...and the opportunities for Rap are boundless

The joy of this latter model is that you can leave little spaces so whichever channel is playing the song can insert the brand of their choice into lyric - the Google Adwords model of Music advertising.