<![CDATA[Idolator: don't forget the product placement]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/idolator.com.png <![CDATA[Idolator: don't forget the product placement]]> http://idolator.com/tag/don't forget the product placement http://idolator.com/tag/don't forget the product placement <![CDATA[A Commenter Call To Action: Let's All Try Out For That Show Where You Have To Write A Jingle]]> howtogetahead-775927.jpgYou may remember our previous coverage of the CBS show Jingles, in which ordinary Americans will have the chance to write little ditties about some of America's most beloved consumer products and win $100 grand, thus depriving many indie musicians of a potential revenue source and giving the Tiffany Network a little budgetary wiggle room for some wild Early Show wrap parties. Last night the casting director of the show dropped me a line with news of auditions, and reading it over made me think, "Hey, I could do that." But then I realized that being on TV and blogging would probably kill me, so my next thought was, "Hey, our readers should totally do that!" No, really. All of you reading this are smart, and music-savvy, and you can all put a sentence together. So c'mon guys! Let's get a bunch of teams together and show the people how music is made! (I'm 100% serious about this.)

We are looking for teams of two to three people to write and perform product jingles. A team could be anything from an improv troupe to a singing comedy duo or a hip-hop trio. We are looking for fun, high-energy performances mixed with a competitive spirit. Teams will compete weekly for a chance to win $100,000 and a contract with one of the companies!

We're still locking down audition dates and locations - we will be in New York, Austin, Chicago, Nashville, and LA in late May/early June. However, we're currently accepting submissions, so if you live in/near one of these cities and would like to apply, send an e-mail to Adam for an application and information on how to submit.

Let's do this. You can organize in teams in comments! It could be our lasting contribution to the world, for better or for worse. And at the very least, you all should come up with something as good as this:

(That has to be "Weird Al," right?)

One last bit of inspiration:

Free Credit Report Commercial: Dream Girl [YouTube]
IO Optimum Cable Reggaeton Commercial [YouTube]
Earlier: Jingles coverage

]]> http://idolator.com/387873/a-commenter-call-to-action-lets-all-try-out-for-that-show-where-you-have-to-write-a-jingle http://idolator.com/387873/a-commenter-call-to-action-lets-all-try-out-for-that-show-where-you-have-to-write-a-jingle Wed, 07 May 2008 09:00:00 EDT Maura Johnston http://idolator.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=387873&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Jingle Writing Goes The "American Idol" Route]]> howtogetahead-775927.jpgCBS has decided to pick up the Mark Burnett game show Jingles, during which contestants will be required to write songs showcasing the various sponsors of the program in a positive light, then have those tunes judged by an "expert panel" and Americans. Winning songs will get used in the featured products' commercials, a fact that should make any indie musician hoping to pay his rent by selling his track to a soap company quiver in his boots. The designed-for-evading-TiVoers show will likely appear on the network's schedule come summertime, and casting is apparently going on right now! Here's a suggestion for CBS: How about cueing up a "marginal indie celebrity" version of the show to bring down your network's average viewing age—perhaps Feist vs. Wilco vs. Stephin Merritt? A preview of that potential throwdown is after the jump.



It's "Jingles" all the way for CBS, Burnett [Reuters]

]]> http://idolator.com/379353/jingle-writing-goes-the-american-idol-route http://idolator.com/379353/jingle-writing-goes-the-american-idol-route Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EDT Maura Johnston http://idolator.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=379353&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[New Game Show To Test Americans' Capacity To Write Catchy Tunes That Will Then Be Shown Endlessly In Ads]]> Indie musicians whose livelihoods are semi-dependent on repurposing their songs as ads may want to think about alternate revenue streams—and it's all because of a threatened TV writers' strike. The possible walkout is resulting in a lot of game shows being ordered by networks; one of the shows on CBS' plate for summer '08 is Jingles, where—you guessed it—contestants jockey with one another to see who can write the best songs honoring actual products that will, no doubt, be thrilled to be included on the show:

[Producer Roy] Bank, who heads development for Mark Burnett Prods., said casting will be key, with the producers aiming for diversity within the teams.

"A team could be anything from a sole singer-songwriter to a brother/sister team to a hip-hop group or a barbershop quartet," Bank said. "Their performance onstage will really determine the vote."

The show, he added, will combine "a lot of things that are currently working on television: fun, high-energy performances mixed with competition and a more pointed purpose."

There's a lot more marketingspeak in the rest of the story (including a quote from an excited Sara Lee rep and an indication that some jingles may also be written for people—just in time for Election '08), but in case you're one of those worried musicians out there, take heart: The grand prize is a lump sum of cash and a job at an ad agency! Wait, how is a job a prize again?

CBS rings Burnett's 'Jingles' [Variety]

]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/don.t-forget-the-product-placement/new-game-show-to-test-americans-capacity-to-write-catchy-tunes-that-will-then-be-shown-endlessly-in-ads-306293.php http://idolator.com/tunes/don.t-forget-the-product-placement/new-game-show-to-test-americans-capacity-to-write-catchy-tunes-that-will-then-be-shown-endlessly-in-ads-306293.php Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:35:19 EDT mjohnston http://idolator.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=306293&view=rss&microfeed=true