Fuse Wants You To Want It (Or At Least Know That It Exists)

Avis to MTV’s music-related-television Hertz Fuse is trying to move beyond the emo demo–and into the exciting world inhabited by people between the ages of 18 and 34–and it’s trying to do so by putting music back in the spotlight, pitching itself as a “curator” of sorts for people on the lookout for new sounds. Why the channel would decide to use this particular moment in time to use music pedantry as a way to attract audiences is something of a mystery, but then again, this statement of purpose represents something of a step forward for a channel whose music content very recently consisted largely of a ton of top ten countdowns that had arbitrary lines drawn between them (I still will never figure out what constitutes a “guilty pleasure” in the mind of the channel), a relative lack of bleeps compared to its main competitor, and a rock-oriented show that tried to play up its lack of a title as a selling point.

Programming-wise, Fuse will move on from the “independent rock” like, um, Panic At The Disco and the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus that it’s been playing into more mainstream music. (Genre typcasting the Times‘, not mine. Who else misses Jeff Leeds?) Or, at least, the top-40-radio-idealized version of “mainstream” music, since I bet you that the country artists who one could argue are truly in the mainstream if you go by sales will be far away from any 18-34-eyeball-grabbing playlists, save for maybe Miranda Lambert’s edgier fare.

Part of the plan, of course, is to cross-promote its brand with that of its brother arena Madison Square Garden, and pick up where MTV left off as far as covering festivals as they happen. And of course, no big rebranding campaign would be complete without advertisements!

One of the TV spots, “Music is adrenaline,” was made by a New York director, David Lobser, and shows a space-age scene of dancing girls on spinning tops moving faster and faster to a beat. Another one, “Music is joy,” features a surfer riding a wave in a sea of hands, meant to convey the exhilaration of a mosh pit.

One of the print ads, “Music is rebellion,” shows a bright red cartoon fist clenching a microphone and was made by the artist Shepard Fairey, who is known for his “Obama Progress” poster. Another ad in the series, “Music is aphrodisiac,” is done in the style of the painter Marc Chagall and shows a floating man admiring a woman whose body forms the shape of a guitar.

Fuse has tried to push the envelope with its advertising in the past. A controversial 2004 campaign featured a silhouette of a pole dancer (as well as far more risqué images) that parodied Apple’s iPod campaign.

Guy Barnett, co-founder of the Brooklyn Brothers, said that the new campaign was meant to turn Fuse into a brand that everyone could relate to.

“We wanted to create a lot of work, so that if rebellion wasn’t your thing, therapy might be,” he said. “We wanted something that would strike a chord with everyone, that’s why there is such a diversity of art.”

Trying to turn anything music-related that’s more complex than, say, middle C into something “everyone could relate to” seems to me like a fool’s game at this point, although at least it’s a fool’s game that results in one player laughing while en route to the bank.

Parody and Innuendo Are Out, Artistry Is in for a Music Channel [NYT]