Below,
Tom Waits responding to a 2002 article in The Nation by John Densmore of The
Doors regarding musicians and artists “allowing their songs to be used in
commercials.”
09.08.2014
09:39
Woodland
Hills, Calif.
Thank you
for your eloquent “rant” by John Densmore of The Doors on the subject of
artists allowing their songs to be used in commercials [“Riders on the Storm,”
July 8]. I spoke out whenever possible on the topic even before the Frito Lay
case (Waits v. Frito Lay), where they used a sound-alike version of my song “Step
Right Up” so convincingly that I thought it was me. Ultimately, after much
trial and tribulation, we prevailed and the court determined that my voice is
my property.
Songs
carry emotional information and some transport us back to a poignant time, place
or event in our lives. It’s no wonder a corporation would want to hitch a ride
on the spell these songs cast and encourage you to buy soft drinks, underwear
or automobiles while you’re in the trance. Artists who take money for ads
poison and pervert their songs. It reduces them to the level of a jingle, a
word that describes the sound of change in your pocket, which is what your
songs become. Remember, when you sell your songs for commercials, you are
selling your audience as well.
When I was
a kid, if I saw an artist I admired doing a commercial, I’d think, “Too bad, he
must really need the money.” But now it’s so pervasive. It’s a virus. Artists
are lining up to do ads. The money and exposure are too tantalizing for most
artists to decline. Corporations are hoping to hijack a culture’s memories for
their product. They want an artist’s audience, credibility, good will and all
the energy the songs have gathered as well as given over the years. They suck
the life and meaning from the songs and impregnate them with promises of a
better life with their product.
Eventually,
artists will be going onstage like race-car drivers covered in hundreds of
logos. John, stay pure. Your credibility, your integrity and your honor are
things no company should be able to buy.
TOM WAITS
Tom Waits
successfully sued Frito-Lay, Inc. in 1992 and was awarded $2.6 million in
compensatory damages.
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