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07/03/2007: "So Much For Artistic Integrity ..."
Music has always been a way to communicate to the masses. Whether singing for protest, or patriotism, or social change, pop music in particular has been an effective tool for spreading a message. Now, alongside the protest song and the rally song, we can now place - wait for it ... the advertising song.
Stacy Ferguson - AKA "Fergie" of the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, is another in the long line of "I can't sing but I have implants and that's enough to get a record contract" female singers that blight the charts today. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she has principles - she won't sing advertising jingles. She will, however, turn some of her songs in to commercials for product - if the price is right.
The Black Eyed Peas singer will write and perform songs about clothing firm Candie's, which are expected to appear on her second solo album.
An executive at Fergie's record label Interscope says, "With record sales in decline, you must find novel ways to make money out of the music. The trick is to make the brand part of the song so that it slips down easily rather than chokes the fan.
That is so pathetic I don't know if I should comment or vomit - I have a strong desire to do both.
There was a time when artists fought to maintain creative control of their product so that it could not be cheapened by using it for advertising. Hell, John Fogarty of Creedence Clearwater Revival sacrificed nearly two decades of his career just to make a point. Fergie, apparently, has no such problems.
It's worth remembering that there's a term for someone who sells themselves for money in this fashion - "whore" ... 
