A 28-year-old singer/songwriter hailing from Eureka, California, Bareilles found her musical niche earlier this year when her debut piano-pop album, "Little Voice", shot to the top of the Billboard charts -- propelled largely by the success of lead single "Love Song."So, how'd she do it? How did she transition from years of playing the local UCLA scene of coffeeshops and bars, to suddenly playing Saturday Night Live, and sharing a nationwide tour with Maroon 5?
Two words: song licensing.
Bareilles is the poster-child for internet endorsements. She's become a main spokesperson (songsperson?) for companies including Itunes and Rhapsody.
It all started back in June 2007, when Itunes featured "Love Song" as their Free Single of the Week. The following month, her debut album shot to #1 on the Itunes charts.
Then in October, Bareilles recorded an exclusive Itunes-only Live EP. That topped the charts, too.
In December, Bareilles signed on to appear in a series of commercials for Rhapsody, giving her even more mainstream exposure. Cue the album breaking into the Top 10 Billboard Charts, Bareilles doing the TV talk show rounds, and Rhapsody quickly booking her second single, "Bottle It Up", as the centerpiece of their next commercial -- which just hit airwaves last month.
These are exposure deals that virtually guarantee immense album sales and buzz for the artist. (Case studies: The Ipod commercial that launched Feist's "1,2,3,4" into American pop-culture; Grey's Anatomy -- largely responsible for The Fray's "How to Save a Live" climbing the charts.)
On the flip side, there's also a stigma attached to it. Licensing your songs to appear in DirecTV and Samsung commercials doesn't exactly scream musical credibility. (I'm talking to you, Beyonce.)
But good for Bareilles. She's talented, and deserves to be heard. It's often difficult to get your head above water in the current music industry, and Bareilles rode the endorsement wave until she did.
(Although it's too bad I can't get tickets to her sold-out shows anymore, where I'm willing to bet that 80% of the audience only knows "Love Song.")
2 comments:
Melissa, it's Abby!
Did you write this post??? If you did, you are a fantastic writer and I want to read your work in Mojo or Q one day [or Rolling Stone, but Q's got that wicked edge :) ]
ABBY! <3 Aw, thanks so much! Magazines are the goal. Hopefully I get there one day, haha.
When have you been?! I miss getting the updates on your life! :)
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