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Ok so its a pre-game ad (I once worked on a SB pre-game ad!)… but the Smashing Pumpkins new single “FOL” will be making its premiere as the soundtrack for a Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe commercial. I love the Smashing Pumpkins. I thought their latest tour through NY was awesome. In 2000, they asked Virgin to put out their latest album, Machina II, for free on the Internet. When Virgin declined they released the material independently. They ditched their major label before it was the cool thing to do. They sell high-quality DRM-free MP3’s of thier live shows and the release singles under their own name. Furthermore I think the community they have built around smashingpumpkins.com rivals the Internet efforts of any band.

So what do I think of this of this “crass commercialization” of someone with the artistic integrity of Billy Corgan? It’s a new day in the music world and you need to work hard to promote yourself. It’s time to apply innovative business models and marketing techniques. Apple has certainly proven the power of music in advertising, propelling the sales of everyone they have featured in an iphone commercial (think Feist).

Here’s one post on Sterogum and another on AdAge about it.