Bright Eyes selling Flickr; Conor in Santa Monica; new Conduits video..
“Can I get a goddamn crescent roll?”
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
Flickr, that old-fashioned online digital photo service that competes with Instagram, recently got bought by Yahoo!, that old-fashioned search engine that competes with Google. Apparently Flickr’s “cool” factor was a major selling point. Well, looks like Flickr is amping up that cool factor by enlisting Bright Eyes to sell its services, as all of you who were watching Game 3 of the NBA Finals last night can attest.
The song, again, was “First Day of My Life,” the same Bright Eyes song used in that Zillow ad last year. Someone at the ad agency scoured the song’s lyrics and pulled out only two lines: “Yours is the first face that I saw / Think I was blind before I met you,” sings Conor while a pug flips through its photo archive on its iPad. Needless to say, the connection between song and product isn’t quite as seamless as in that Zillow ad, but I guess it doesn’t matter as long as the check clears.
Publishing rights deals continue to be an important source of artist income along with performance fees, followed by merch sales, album sales and finally those lowly music streaming checks. Artists can earn millions not only here but overseas where their music can be attached to any ol’ product without anyone stateside knowing about it.
It’s the way of the music world these days, even if it scars a special place in some fans’ adolescent memories. The personal nature of Bright Eyes songs make them emotional crutches for an army of teens dealing with life-changing heartbreak. The fact that they’re also used to sell smartphone apps and real estate brokering services shouldn’t impact those memories at all, right?
I’m still waiting for some savvy Mad Man to use “False Advertising” from Lifted…
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Speaking of Conor, Mr. Oberst has been named as the headliner at the inaugural “Newport Folk Presents Way Over Yonder” Festival Oct. 5-6 on the Santa Monica Pier. The rest of the lineup, including Neko Case and First Aid Kit, is impressive. More info here.
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Pip-squeak musical genius Sara Bertuldo (Millions of Boys, See Through Dresses) can now view her (simulated) dead body (and resurrection) over and over again as it’s the central image in the new Conduits’ video for “Misery Train,” which premiered on the Team Love website yesterday. The dreamy masterpiece was directed by Josh Foo and Conduits frontwoman Jenna Morrison. Check it out below. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen these folks on stage. But something tells me you’ll be hearing from a couple of the band’s members very very soon…
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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
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