Once more, I think I have to give the argument to Atrios on the subject of using rock music for marketing purposes, though I have to admit that I, too, find those new Lexus commercials to be immensely annoying. It can hardly be said to be "selling out" to sell a company the right to use your music to help hock its product, when, after all, rock music is a commercial product in the first place.
Now, I know that there are plenty of people who buy into the myth that rock and roll is about authenticity and rebellion and "fighting the man" and all of that. But the truth is that hasn't been about that at least since Sid Vicious died, and it was never really about that in the first place. Rock music has always been a commodity, though at its best it has moved us away from crass commercialism and toward something approaching real art.
But real artists have to eat like the rest of us, and it seems rather ridiculous to claim that musicians should have to starve for your vision of musical integrity.
That doesn't mean, of course, that you need to like or approve of the way they choose to use your favoriate songs. Or the way your artists choose to display themselves (Elvis Costello selling Lexus? Please!). I suppose the issue is whether the way you choose to license your music is consistent with the "message" your music is supposed to convey. But you can't sell out, when your whole business is sales in the first place!
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