Today, bands all over the world vie to have their music used in TV commercials, a development that has paralleled a more sophisticated, creative and daring outlook by the advertising industry in general. But it was not always thus.

I don’t know if Kilkenny Remoulds are still on the market, but few who heard their chirpy ‘Fit Kilkenny Remoulds, Rule The Road’ TV commercial will ever forget it.
From the same era came ‘The Esso Sign Means Happy Motoring’, ‘Keep Going Well, Keep Going Shell’ and ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)’. The first example inspired the Irish rock band Fit Kilkenny and The Remoulds, while the last, from a Coca-Cola ad, became a hit single for The New Seekers in 1971.
These examples come from an era when all “proper” artists were unwilling to have their “real” music debased by use in TV commercials, so the advertising industry had to create its own cheery choons.
But that was to change.
In the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, a series of high-profile ads spawned hit re-releases for Free’s ‘All Right Now’, The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’, and Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’, selling shedloads of jeans in the process.
The fact that they introduced great music to vast new audiences was a bonus, although not everybody views it that way. Indeed, we’ve seen a string of rumpuses over music in commercials, including Nike’s use of The Beatles’ ‘Revolution’ and John Lennon’s ‘Instant Karma’.
But such controversies are less common these days. In more recent times in Ireland, the use of the late Mic Christopher’s ‘Heyday’ in a beer commercial introduced his work to people who otherwise might never have appreciated his talents.
The same is true of The Walls’ ‘To The Bright And Shining Sun’, used by AIB, Leslie Dowdall’s ‘Wonderful Thing’, borrowed by the National Lottery and Jerry Fish’s ‘True Friends’, used by Vodafone.
Meanwhile, Moby’s multi-million selling 1999 album Play is believed to be the first album whose tracks were all used in TV commercials.
In the Irish context, it’s not unheard of for advertisers to pay €15,000 for the rights to a song. This can go as high as €50,000 if the record’s a really big hit and is essential to the commercial.
But at the lower end of the scale, fees of €5,000 can go to the holders of the rights to the recording and to whoever owns the rights to the song.
While those figures are more likely to apply to acts who’ve already broken through to some degree, this year saw a Ballygowan TV campaign feature the previously unknown Irish artist Paula Flynn singing a reworking of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, a breakthrough that saw her profile soar overnight.
“Brian Durnin and Steve Lynch from Red Rage Films knew me from singing with Jinx Lennon,” Paula explains. “They were putting together the next Ballygowan ad and wanted to use a different version of ‘Let’s Dance’ to Bowie’s. Steve asked me to just record 30 seconds of it, which we did. Then there was talk of them not using it, so we recorded the whole song. When Ballygowan changed their mind, EMI released the full version and it got to number 5 in the Irish charts.”
Sadly, EMI didn’t opt to make a follow-up, but Flynn is currently talking to companies abroad and, with eight or nine tracks recorded, will release an album herself if none move on it.
Nor has she made a packet from the commercial. Her fee was €1,000, although, she admits, “the exposure was priceless.” When I asked her if it mattered what product her music was associated with, she was adamant that she wouldn’t want it soundtracking ads for ones that might be deemed “uncool” like Tampons.
Dave Murphy is head of television at McConnell’s Advertising, the people behind the Ballygowan campaign.
“The campaign concept was ‘Bodies Never Lie’. We wanted to use a track that was about dance, rather than a track from the dance genre. We’d already run a successful campaign using a T. Rex track ‘Cosmic Dancer’ from the album Electric Warrior, and thought that following it with a Bowie track would be good. So ‘Let’s Dance’ was an obvious choice. The music was key to making that ad work. We had several available options so we kept them open right up to the final edit. Ballygowan appeals to a younger, hipper audience, and we had considered a version by M Ward, but in the end we went for Paula Flynn’s low-key version. The reaction was terrific and it led to a hit record for her and huge publicity.”
Murphy has 25 years experience in the field and readily admits that money is a factor when choosing the music.
“Some artists won’t allow their music to be used for any product at any price. There are two clearances you have to get for an existing recording – one from the record company, who may have to get the OK from the artist, and the other from the people who own the rights to the song. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club turned down lots of money for the use of one of their tracks in a commercial. A lot of negotiation has to take place.”
The McConnell’s man also reckons that music can be used to save an ad that otherwise isn’t working, but ideally the music and the visuals should be complementary.
“It’s a fine balance. You have to use your experience and your best instincts. The commercial for Bord na Mona using ‘The Marino Waltz’ really worked. It left you with a really memorable tune in your head and created the right atmosphere for the product. But sometimes the music can stick in the viewer’s head but the product can be totally forgotten. That’s a risk you always have to be aware of.”

But it’s not just TV commercials that are being targeted by rock’s cutting-edge talents, as soundtracks for TV programmes present another attractive outlet and, we suspect, a sizeable money-spinner. And we’re not talking about ‘My Beautiful Horse’ by Neil Hannon in Father Ted either!
The Belfast electronic duo Oppenheimer have had their music used in a Fuji TV commercial, as well as in big American shows like How I Met Your Mother and Ugly Betty. According to Rocky Oppenheimer, the Fuji link-up came about after the advertising agency saw them play in Whelan’s. The Ugly Betty office was sent a copy of their album by their publishing company, Shapiro Bernstein in New York, and the programme’s director liked what he heard.
What has the reaction been like so far?
“For us, both these placements, and a few others, came at a perfect time. The biggest benefit is millions of people hearing your music. As soon as Ugly Betty went out in the USA, people all over the world started contacting us. As a means of reaching a wider audience, it’s been incredible.”
And there were financial gains.
“It’s been a lifeline for us. Without placements in television, most likely, Oppenheimer wouldn’t be full time musicians. We wouldn’t be touring, we couldn’t have recorded our new album. Everyone I met assumed Nike paid us a lot to use the Skibunny Remix of ‘Breakfast In NYC.’ Truth be told, they didn’t. We were extremely grateful to get the song out there. But placements in television shows in the USA can bring in anything up to $25,000 per song. With commercials, it varies – it can be a lot more than that.”
He’s conscious that some bands are precious about using their art in this way.
“I guess you need to decide if it’s something you’re comfortable with, if it benefits you and those around you, and if it hurts anyone. Personally I’m more than happy to have my songs used for cameras I own or shoes I wear, especially if more people hear the music we’re making.”
Steve Lindsey of Elevate Music is another Irish-based figure at the frontline of the placement of Irish music. Two Revs songs have been included in the movie version of the Cecelia Ahern book PS I Love You. They also provided the signature tune for the Anonymous TV show. The Array have a selection of tracks in the RTÉ drama Damage, a Mocrac song appeared in the Andie MacDowell movie Tara Road, while Autamata tunes have featured in TV commercials for Bird’s Eye and Yoplait, as well as hit dramas Dirt and CSI:Miami.
“I can’t take all the credit,” Steve says. “A lot was achieved with the help of other people around the world. But over the years I’ve established a network of contacts with strong links to film, TV and ad agencies.”
He too believes this development is good for rock music.
“It’s often difficult for musicians to find a platform for their music, so these placements help to increase the stature of an artist. Generally, the artist/composer has right of approval over any potential usage, and this tends to prevent potentially negative associations. The benefits are also financial, with fees paid upfront. Further royalties trickle through later via IMRO and PPI.”
He also points out that there are two ‘rights’ with every usage – the recording right and the composition right. The owner of the recording will get a fee, as will the owner of the composition (generally equal amounts). Advertising is an even bigger earner, but the size of the fee depends on several factors: how famous the piece of music is, how much of the world is to be licensed, and the length of the term of the license.
Can he explain why some recordings work and others don’t? “Generally, something novel, fresh, even quirky, will go far. ‘In yer face’ vocals can be a hindrance, but if a lyric suits the vibe of the project it can be very powerful. I always ask my bands to give me instrumental mixes because they work well. I’m constantly mailing out selections of music to contacts, in the hope that potential users will be inspired. It boils down to having a good network of contacts, being associated with decent music and keeping an eye out for opportunities.”