“Brand managers head to the 02 to study music marketing and see Beyonce.” This headline from a Brand Republic article pretty much summarizes the stupidity of today's thought leaders in music marketing.

The article goes on to explain, “Events start with a seminar and workshop, giving brand managers an insight into the rules and best practice for brands seeking to use music as a medium to engage with consumers. They will examine areas such as content, sponsorship, experience and activation. This will be followed by an informal evening of entertainment, including access to a VIP suite to watch Beyonce perform.”

There are a number of problems related to this article, but two in particular stand out. It appears failing record companies are dictating how brand managers should employ music. And it appears the only reason these brand managers are attending is to watch Beyonce perform. In fact this is pretty much admitted, “Brands managers who are not yet on board with music marketing are to get the benefit of entertainment giant AEG's expertise…”

AEG’s self-serving, “Rules and best practices,” apply, of course, to “Content, sponsorship, experience and activation” and have nothing whatsoever to do with the brands being managed, other than the typical shallow and generic link to putting your logo up at an “immersive media” event (read, concert).

I’d wager that most record companies are merely looking at brand involvement as being nothing more than a new revenue stream to bolster their flagging sales in traditional revenue streams.

Furthermore and most importantly, according to a major annual study conducted by Entertainment Media Research, titled Brands & Music:

A better approach was put forward recently at Billboard and Adweek’s inagural Music & Advertising conference:

Music can be an extremely effective tool in a brand’s toolbox. It should be given the same careful consideration as all the visual cues and aids in telling the brand’s story.

Music as part of brand communications should be developed from the brand up, rather than the entertainment and celebrity down. Music must connect with the target audience and be authentic to the brand.

Oh, and you don’t need the expense and hype of Beyonce, or the record companies producing your music - as much as you don’t need Hollywood studios and Brad Pitt producing your commercials.

If you want the cross-platform engagement that only music can provide, a great original song from unknown talent will do just fine. In fact, probably even better. But I'll get into that in a later post.

Peter Holmes, Flatacre

Flatacre is a music branding agency. Its purpose is to help build client brands as well as promote its own music content. Apart from its own writers, producers and existing content, Flatacre also sources original music for cooperative promotion. The music is made available for a fraction of the price of typical original music creation, production and leasing arrangements. The potential is that the music can help make the client’s brand famous and through media exposure, the brand makes the music famous. This partnership creates further opportunities such as branded music videos, entertainment based promotions, virals and live performance. The client’s brand benefits by engaging with the audience through channels which typically have not been available. There are few things more potentially viral, engaging, or voluntarily repetitive than a good song.