We would never accuse you of being unaware that musicians and big brands enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. We live in the 21st century, you know how to operate the internet, some musicians live in big brands’ pockets.
But the formal announcement of a new partnership between ad giant Havas and that rather large musical studio, Universal, has greatly angered our friends at Gawker. Rant begins:
Congratulations, American music fans—this is what you wanted! Total synergy between art and advertising! Musicians and corporate behemoths melding into one! The complete subsumption of art by the capitalist machine! The destruction of any end whatsoever except “to sell”!
The formal announcement from Lucian Grainge, chairman of Universal Music Group, makes it pretty clear that it’s all about the Benjamins:
We want to continue to find new revenue and marketing opportunities for all of our artists by …supercharging our efforts to realize previously untapped revenues from consumer brands and other new business partners.
Loosely translated that means we want to make you spend more money, therefore making us richer…’nuff said.
