iPod commercials stealing the soul from songs

So you're watching TV and the newest iPod ad comes on the screen.

Now, when you see these ads for the first time, the marriage between sights and song seems perfect, right? The tune is upbeat and peppy, just like the people on screen. I mean, they really couldn't have picked a better tune for the new nano.



But when Apple updates its iPods--like it did on Sept. 9--so too comes a slew of new ads, most of which involve bright colors, cool people having way too much fun and a song that's unreasonably catchy.

But then you see the ad again. And again. And again.

Little less catchy, isn't it?

These 30-second spots are known for taking a potentially good song and making it intolerable. The songs have all the hope in the world and then Apple ruins them by stuffing them down our throats.

And it's a shame. Each of these songs gets thrown into ever-increasing group of it-was-on-the-iPod-commercial-songs. You could make the same argument for other overplayed commercials and their respective songs, but the iPod commercials are different. These songs soar to ridiculous heights on the iTunes charts, and they’re songs in commercials for music players. More often than not, they’re turning the bands into one-hit wonders.

But it's not the song's fault. The good people at Apple choose the songs for the ads, and the TV folks determine how often these ads grace the airwaves. Sure, you can change the channel, but these ads are everywhere.

Now, these songs, which most people wouldn't hear if not for the ad, typically enjoy a brief period of success—i.e. an increase in downloads. But at what cost, people? At what cost?

Think about that Feist song. One, two, three, four let's see if the commercial can be overplayed some more. And how many of you bought that entire album because of it? If you did, good for you. But if you just bought the song by itself, well, I'm guessing it was because of the ad.



There have been more than 30 songs featured in iPod ads, including cuts from household names like U2 and Coldplay to virtual unknowns like Orba Squara and Chairlift.



But this exposure is more hurtful than helpful. Instead of finding a strong following on their own accord, the songs are shoved into the mainstream and are as overplayed as the songs on the radio.

Unfortunately, it’s the reason I’m more likely to skip these tracks rather than put ‘em on repeat.

Diversions at the USOC media summit

Last week I worked with other DePaul journalism students at the USOC Media Summit for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games at the Palmer House downtown.

I spoke to dozens of Olympic athletes and attended many press conferences and roundtable interviews. We produced a newsletter for the USOC and wrote lots of and lots of stories in a very short amount of time. These were 12+ hour workdays.

Around 7 p.m. Friday night, some of us were getting a little loopy, having been up for 12 hours and working non-stop. Unsurprisingly, we got a little sidetracked on YouTube. I played the Olympic Fanfare theme a few times to get us in the Olympic spirit. Then, a guy in our our group introduced me to one of the greatest YouTube videos I've seen in a long time.

Remember the NBA on NBC theme song? Well, you've never seen it like this.