From Saga’s Steve Goldstein (thanks, Steve!):
Have you ever heard of recording artist Ingrid Michaelson? Probably not. Have you ever heard her music? You probably have, if you watch the top rated female TV show Grey’s Anatomy. Every week “Greys” uses lyric-based music to accompany the weekly topic of the show. Right now Michaelson has one of the top downloads on Itunes, a new album and was recently signed for an Old Navy Commercial. Two years ago she was working in a coffee bar.
Michaelson’s story illustrates how music originates in different places these days. You only need to look at VOLUME III of the music CD from “Grey’s Anatomy” to understand how significant alternate music sources are becoming. And it is not limited to “Greys.” If you have ever picked up a Madden 2008 or any EA video game, you know that music plays a critical role and is carefully selected by manufacturer EA. The neighborhood Starbucks has become a music vendor as well. The list goes on.
Bottom line – as a programmer you should know about alternative music distribution. It is likely there are songs that your audience is connecting with and yet are not reflected on any music chart.
If you run an AC or Hot AC station, feature the selected song from “Grey’s” the next morning. If you run an active rock, know the titles on the top selling video games and don’t be afraid to take a shot and make a connection with the audience. “Coming up, the song you heard last night on Grey’s anatomy.” Now that is distinctive content and direct eye contact.