What's your favorite song at the moment?

As much as I enjoy Camera Obscura at times, the fact they sold Country Mile to a television advert, three albums in, has to make them cunts.

They did? Which advert? Well, what if it was their record company and they had nothing to do with it? In that sense 99.9% of musicians out there are cunts.

Surely the band/songwriter has a final say on the matter though? It was a Tesco clothing ad...




Now this may sound hypocritical but Joanna Newsom gave a song to Orange (the New York blackout ad) which I have no qualms with, the difference for me being that it was around the time her first album was released and was one of the first songs she'd recorded. Camera Obscura had already released their third album and were pretty established in terms coverage/success, at least outside the mainstream tripe, plus were selling out decent sized venues in the process.

Tbf, it's a pretty good advert, if adverts can be good, but they could easily have risen above the bait.

Who gives a fuck? Musicians need to make money, it isn't as if Camera Obscura are raking in the cash, they do small modest tours, they aren't making money on records because people like me steal them for free so good luck to them if they can pay part of their mortgage of by having one of their songs on an advert.

You say raking in the cash as though every musician should naturally want to. How about making a modest living from the touring and putting music ahead of being a millionaire, and not selling out in the process?

Won't pay Glazer,
Or work for Sky

Oh sorry, anybody who wants to make money off creating art must be a cunt.

Paul Scholes is a cunt, why does he he have to take 50,000 a week? he could live off 400 pounds & week & have a modest living.

This.

I can't seriously see anything wrong with it as long as they aren't in the advert spreading butter on the bread. They have nothing to justify if they're not an anti-state band...

How is selling a song to an advert for extra cash being creative? Making the song in the first place is being creative, selling the record to fans and being recognised for it is making the living.

Where would be the equality in the rest of his team mates earning 100k a week and Scholes being offered £400 a week, because he thinks he can survive off it? That way he'd just be drawing attention to himself which he clearly dislikes. He doesn't do any promotional campaigns, football adverts, boot sponsorship deals, in fact I heard he's the only player in the top flight without an agent. It's his job and passion and the rate for being at his club happens to pay very well. You're basically saying anybody who earns a lot can't be modest. Wrong. If you make less than somebody you can still be a sell out cunt.

I won't blame them for selling their song for an ad. I don't know them but I'm sure they are no U2 or The Rolling Stones. I don't see it as selling out, they'll probably buy gas for their tour van with those "dirty capitalism money". Please be real, we don't live in a socialist paradise where everything is based on a merit system. These bands need the money to buy fuel and pay taxes. Sure they won't build their house in Vegas with it.

You know what selling out is? Release shit music packaged as gold (with a proto-porn addendum in pictures) like Joanna Newsom does. That is making dirty money! A mediocre (if not terrible) artist who is allowed to release a TRIPLE CD that sells for 25 euro because she is cool and she does the provoking photo shots, and everybody find her music deep and she defines a generation of DEAF listeners who can't decide with their head if what they are listening is good or bad. A triple cd! Who is allowed to release a triple cd nowdays? Not even people who have been doing this job for 40 years.

artists earn every penny they get, they get it received as a gift by their fans - and if their famous they need more money because they cant just move free in the world anymore.

Maybe they actually shop at Tesco and said fuck it, let's let them use our song? Hey, maybe Tracyanne got a shitload of new clothes! I'd sell my soul for a shitload of new clothes, TBH.

I dunno, maybe a few years ago it would've shocked me, or even insulted me, but as Carlos says, nowadays I doubt they'd make much money off the actual selling of records, so they have to compensate in some other way.

But he could survive off it, just how Camera Obscura probably could 'survive' off of releasing an album every two years & doing a modest tour but they decided to make a couple of extra quid by letting a song of theirs be used on an advert which not only would help them financially but let's their music be heard by potentially millions of people.

Why is it such a big deal?

I dunno Some good arguments (apart from the slating of Newsom, ffs), I just prefer it when musicians keep it real and lots do. It doesn't mean I like the music of Camera Obscura any less.

camera obscura id like to draw attention to the fact have actually released 4 studio albums lolz but um i agree with karl, its maybe not the best move in history, but its a long long way from selling out and the fact is were not dealing with a u2 or rolling stones here, theyre an incredible, fantastic band and ive shaken careys hand and she is lovely but theyre not making money hand over fist by any stretch of the imagination, so while its not ideal- given the state of the way music and the 'industry' is these days, im not gonna begrudge good people making a buck off what they do as their trade.

and my favourite song is still 'scream walk' by street chant i saw them live for the first time tonight. the world is not ready for this band. too good, too powerful, too weird, too one off, too tight. emily billie and alex for the win.

Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill