Essay: Music Artists Should NOT Be Used In Advertising

In the past, singers made money through CDs and cassettes. These forms of media have been replaced with digital copies of albums and songs. Even this method of accessing music has begun to fade away with the replacement of streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, or Soundcloud. Artists’ music has also been used in advertisements. This can negatively affect the artist’s career. Music artists shouldn’t have their songs in advertising.

For a start, sponsorships can be risky. For example, overexposure can take a negative effect on the artist and his or her song. Many people are tired of hearing the same song on the radio, television, and at the movies after a countless amount of times. According to paragraph 8 of “Selling Out Not Worth the Risk,” Moby, an electronic artist, released his album called Play in 1999. He licensed each one of his 18 tracks. Fans then lost interest because they heard this everywhere on the radio, on commercials and movies. In many other cases, a record label who owns the rights to the artist’s music licenses the song to another company. Once this happens, the artist would not have any control over how the music can be used. According to paragraph 9

of “Selling Out Not Worth the Risk,” Neil Young, an artist, was disappointed when his music was used by a presidential candidate without his permission.

According to the article called, “The New Necessity in the Music Business,” many people may think that when having a music career, it is necessary for artists to license their music for advertisements in order to promote their song to sustain their careers.

According to “The Changing Landscape of the Music Business,” Artists have to develop an image that appeals to the supporters in order to be unique. This can be achieved through the promotion of their music, but if the artist makes the wrong move, this can result in the artist struggling to sustain their career. There are many ways that licensing music can go wrong, with it either going into the wrong hands, or is abused with promotion so that the song isn’t enjoyed anymore, resulting in less sales or profit for the

artist.

Additionally, the fans can be let down by the artist which can take a huge effect on his or her career. “If an artist or a band has created an image as being somewhat rebellious, selling its music to a corporation can leave fans feeling betrayed.” (Selling Out Not Worth the Risk, Paragraph 9) The fanbase of an artist is one of their main sources of profit. When fans feel betrayed they might not support the artist as much as they used to, resulting in less money being made for artists discouraging them to keep working creating new music.

To sum it all up, the licensing of an artist’s music can negatively affect the artist in many ways. The artist can lose support from fans, the corporation can use the song too many times so that the common people will not want it on the radio or television anymore, it can fall into the wrong hands, and much more. Licensing music is a big risk that should not be taken. Artists should not use their music in advertisements.