Artists Should Not Be Used In Advertising

Music is a powerful tool that can instantly make an impression upon first hearing. However, artists of their music should have total control over the way their music is used. Artists should not allow their music to be used in advertising, due to the possibility of altering their image, lack of authenticity, and the unjust treatment by corporate sponsors that follows. To start, artists strive to create a unique persona, something that separates them and their work from the rest of the pack: an image. The total control that comes with creation of music is lessened when that very art is used in advertising. Music used in improper ways, that do not align with the artists intended purpose, can anger artists and fans alike. For instance, Neil Young,

In all facets of life, humans crave connection. Relationships are reliant upon understanding the true personality of the other member. In a fan-artist relationship, fans appreciate a seemingly “real” celebrity. Akin to a common man approach in politics, fans want to follow artists they could imagine hanging out with on the weekend. However, when artist authenticity is compromised, relationships become harder to form. In Source 2, an incident involving the band U2 and their corporate sponsor, Apple, left some fans feeling betrayed. Without fans permission, U2’s new album was downloaded onto over 500 million ITunes libraries across the world. And as the downloads swept through the world, so did a nearly omnipresent sense of betrayal followed. Fans saw U2 as a group that “sold out”, and this idea of corporate greed still causes resentment towards the band. Similar to the idea of overexposure, mentioned in Article 3, any time a group is seen as treating their fans as money tools, rather than fans of the art, their authenticity is called into

This notion of becoming the face of a brand can be harmful to young artists who haven’t established their own personality, as mentioned in Article 2. How can an artist be credible as a salesperson if they themselves have no experience? Large corporations see these up and coming artists as nothing more than pawns and ways to relay their brand, an idea that is counter-intuitive to the necessary growth that young artists must undergo. Dissenters argue that a signed record deal increases the exposure of the artist, as seen in Source 1. While an established corporation provides a launching pad for a career, there is no guarantee that the artist is on a sure fire path to stardom. In fact, there are many other ways to build your brand, including the advent of online streaming services. Artists might be tempted by this forbidden fruit that lies in these corporations, but should be wary of the true nature of the music