• by September 19, 2005

FINALLY, A COLUMN BEFITTING OUR NAME: 'REAL MEDIA RIFFS' -- It was probably only a matter of time before Madison Avenue's insatiable hunger for branded entertainment found its way into the recording business, so we were not surprised to see an announcement today that an independent record company now specializes in turning big brands into big music labels. But could the next big path for rock 'n roll hopefuls be signing a record deal with Volkswagen, Tommy Bahama or the Gap? Actually, San Francisco-based studio Rock River Communications recently cut a record for GapKids featuring an anthology of songs from Smash Mouth, FatBoy and Lil Romeo. Other Rock River recordings featuring Alana Davis, Keith Urban, Madonna, Missy Elliott, and Alanis Morissette are set to grace the grooves of recent branded record releases for Jose Cuervo, W Hotels, Jaguar, Pottery Barn, Skyy Vodka, and Verizon Fios.

While other marketers have self-produced CDs, Rock River is positioning itself as something of a music industry go-between, representing recording artists looking to partner with marketers. Is it just us or does it seem like either the music business or Madison Avenue - or maybe both - have reached some really desperate times. Nah, says Jeff Daniel, president of Rock River, it's just good business: "Our clients need to connect with their customers, and we've proven that music provides the perfect vehicle."

"It's an incredibly rewarding process," added Daniel, who nonetheless declined to specify precisely how rewarding such branded music deals are.

"The artists earn ancillary income while reaching a new pool of eager listeners and the consumer gets a song mix that matches her like a well-worn pair of jeans," is all he would elaborate, adding, "The brand builds profits while earning the elusive and most coveted of assets: a cache of cool."

Gee, in the old days they might've referred to that as payola.