• Advertising Age, Thursday, October 30, 2008 9:30 AM

CBS is taking advantage of the fact that TV soundtracks can be a good way to promote emerging artists. The network has been using the theme song on its comedy "The Ex List" to get the word out about Karmina, a recording artist on the CBS Records label.

Although the show was put on hiatus, the experiment does speak to the integral role played by theme songs in TV shows. "It makes a lot of sense for networks to want to start their own labels, just so they have total control. They can go out and shop for artists that fit their message," says Julianne Hintz, music marketing executive.

Using its media assets to promote its artists was one of the attractions when CBS revived CBS Records in 2006. Expect the net to increasingly look to its TV shows to spark awareness of its artists' songs.

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