Music and Technology part 2: the technology to the soundtrack

Yesterday, I wrote about the beautiful and passionate music of Yael Naim, the newest artist to achieve fame and success in the U.S. almost....solely.....by being featured in Apple commercials.

Originally, when Apple started using hip and popular music in their advertising campaigns, they picked artists that had already been well-established: Jet, the Gorillaz, Eminem, U2, Mary J. Blige. Nowadays, they seem to have been moving towards lesser-known indie artists that immediately attain huge exposure and exponential sales increases after being featured - the Prototypes, Feist, and most recently Yael Naim.

Yes, you're right, these artists already had fans before being selected by Apple and the company's endorsement is not a determining factor of their success. However, the majority of people I've talked to had never heard of them before seeing a commercial. They liked the song, look up the artist, and BAM! They've got one more follower.

I know a lot of people are bothered by the idea that a frickin' Apple ad can have so much effect on an artist's sales. Apple has amazingly cool technology but is also the conglomerate stealer of souls. It's like the Antichrist: it has such a shiny package and a great message, a catchy soundtrack, and everybody loves it....then it takes over the world.

Seriously though, what's wrong with a little more exposure? You all just wish YOU had that much influence. If Apple helps indie artists with fantastic music to get noticed, that's great. The artists aren't "selling out"...they're just trying to survive in a rough-and-tumble, 15 minutes of fame business. No one can blame them for accepting a guaranteed several million dollars from Apple recognizing their talent.

I have to admit that I am a little wee bit bothered by Apple's influence. But look: the Antichrist is going to take over the world sooner or later. It might as well be sooner.