Converse STEPPED IT UP (punstyles) with this year’s installment of their commercial/song experiment, bringing a live show component to the campaign. I’m still not entirely clear on how people got in and ticketed to the invite/RSVP free show, but folks were there, drinking free drinks, unsure of what to make of it all. If you didn’t make it, you missed a performance by Best Coast, another by Cudi, a DJ set from Rostam, and the ultimate and slightly awkward moment where the three strangers got up on stage to create their moment in commercial appeal. However Jessica Amaya‘s beautiful photos bring some life to the affair, and there’s video here of “All Summer,” MHOW version.
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I hate everybody on that stage except Rostam. I’m also kind of disgusted they’re all prancing about in their converse while singing a mediocre song they were payed to barf out. This whole corporate marriage in indie rock thing has got to go. Somebody needs to give all these artists a kick in the ass and make them realize the fault in marrying good music with a shitty piece of art like twilight. I’m tired of it.
I agree. I love Vampire Weekend, but there track on the new Twilight soundtrack didn’t sound at all like them.
Also, I would not consider twilight art at all. lol
Why isn’t this show listed under the Commercial Appeal section? And seriously, what the fuck happened to dignity in independent music? These people are just whores to the dollar. Neon Indian, Wavves, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Best Coast, every new indie band that we’re supposed to care about has no problem selling their perceived value to an advertiser for a dollar amount. When we live in a world where Coldplay has a more coherent and worthwhile anti-advertising point of view than the most “cutting edge” bands in the indiesphere, that’s a cry for help. Or the death rattle of a once meaningful, distinctive counterculture!!! WWFD????
Re: Dignity in Indie Music
How about indie bands making a living? Unfortunately, the reality of making money from making music doesn’t come easy. Are people buying records? No, not very much anymore. How much do bands make for every mp3 download? pennies! those are from legit downloads, how about the not so legit downloads? Touring cross country takes boatloads of money.
So can you blame indie bands for licensing their music so they ACTUALLY get paid for their music?
And this commercial v.s. indie thing is so overdone. Mass appeal does not automatically equal shit. Good music is good music. Is it really bad when these indie bands get some commercial success and some recognition? No. No it isn’t.
And this is funny because how many kids out there are wearing Chucks at your fave indie show? Are you wearing Chucks? Do you own a pair of Chucks?
Don’t have a “holier than thou” attitude about this because your beloved indie bands who you once saw in some garbage venue with 5 other people are now getting some success and you can’t drop their names in conversations so you can keep your indie/hipster status. And trust, it is a status thing.
Now for this video. Wow. This sounds like shit and it falls apart in the end.
You seem to be arguing against points I never made. This is different from bands just putting their music in commercials – it’s up to bands to decide who they are comfortable aligning themselves with, and how much money it’s worth to them to be in bed with a given corporation who wants to leverage the band’s cachet to help sell their widgets. Some bands are quite comfortable with this money/credibility trade, and some aren’t. People will have opinions about it. Mine is negative, simply because I think bands disgrace themselves and devalue their music by ostensibly becoming jingle-writers.
That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about this trend of things like Green Label Sound, this Converse campaign, the Levi’s cover song campaign, and the Bacardi thing. These are insidious, cynical initiatives that assume people are stupid enough to ignore that they’re just pawns in a marketing gimmick, and that bands think so little of what they do that it can be sold to the highest bidder.
It’s a who-gives-a-fuck attitude that I think is new to the subculture. “The new song by Fugazi, brought to you by Kahlua!” doesn’t bring a bell. Our subculture is rudderless and lacks any kind of unique or admirable ethos. Get the money while you can. I say sub culture instead of counterculture because counter implies against, when this current crop of acts (that are supposed to be the “coolest new thing”) have no problem conforming to the destructive American status quo of lusting after money and giving corporations control of our lives.
Makes me wonder what the real cool kids are listening to..
Here’s the deal. Listen to the music you like. Artists have been getting paid to make music forever. Composers would name pieces after the kings and queens that paid them. I’m sure they even changed what they wore to fit the needs of where the money was. Hell, they would even relocate and live with the people they composed for. Ever since there has been music, there has been “selling out.” If a band is good, people will start to like them, and then people with money will try to prophet off of them. They’re not “whore’s to money.” How would you feel if somebody came into your job, where you work to make a living, and gave you shit for getting paid to do it. It isn’t an American ideal, it isn’t even a Western ideal. People just like to be able to live and live comfortably.
Also, every band you listen to would kill for an opportunity like this, and if they say they wouldn’t, they’re lying. I’m sure there isn’t much that they feel they need, but they’d all be down for a proper house.
and this was truly awful. The sound was just off or something.
The problem is you’re thinking in terms of cultures and philosophies. You really think these bands, many of which only recently were able to quit their day jobs, are making business decisions based on being part of a certain kind of culture? These are guys and girls, enjoying what they do and making a living. These personal ideas and labels (sub-culture? really? im sure the guys in grizzly bear wake up in the morning, ready to get out in the world and fly the flag of a sub-culture) are only cared about and discussed by internet message board kids.
Your example is Fugazi? You really don’t see the difference between the ‘fuck the man’ dudes in Fugazi selling a song and Best Coast making a few bucks off Converse. It’s not being a “pawn” when you are mutually using each other. But if you wanna get worked up over your thesis, no worries. I won’t be losing any sleep from hearing Kid Cudi on a Vitamin Water commercial.
Kid Cudi sounds like he’s congested and Best Coast sings flat throughout. Rostam is the only saving grace of this shoe shill.
bravo.
Bravo @allsenses, that is. This sucked.