Nike: North American Scum
Musicians who sell their work to corporations are like . . . HDTV.
High-definition is great if you’re watching a good movie. But if the movie sucks, then it sucks in double linear resolution. It sucks vividly.
In the same way, good musicians, like Feist, can enhance their standing with a corporate tie-in, whereas mediocre artists such as Moby only serve to clarify how much of a grave-robbing bible-bashing slaphead they actually are.
Although, Feist is now trying to have her cake and eat it. She’s saying she didn’t realize how much “exposure” her 1234 video would receive when she sold her music to that little known Mon’n’Pop store, Apple, Inc.
At least Moby’s excuse was honest. He admitted that he licensed every song from his gospel-sampling Play album to advertisers in an effort to break into the mainstream. The fact that he couldn’t please crowds with his own compositions before, or since, alas suggests that he’s an overambitious huckster whose real talent is for making money.
Just Do It, Or Else
Which brings me to Phil Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Nike, Inc. By pure chance I caught a CNBC documentary this week about the company. In interview, Knight wore creepy wraparound shades to hide his goggle-eyes. The fat billionaire guffawed loudly after relaying how he paid a measly 30 bucks to a female graphic designer to come up with the Swoosh logo. Later, he spoke at his regret that Nike (not Knight himself, of course) had become synonymous with exploiting workers. Hey, it was right there right at the company’s inception, you stalk-eyed shyster.
Of course, as an ageing hipster, it’s my solemn duty to detest Knight and his company with every breath in my slowly deteriorating body. Until, that is, they release a product that helps me to improve said body. So far they’ve done it twice. The first time was a pedometer that allows me to time the distance of my running, which I placed under of the laces of my wonderful Asics running shoes.
The second is LCD Soundsystem’s exercise mix for Nike, 45:33. An ageing hipster himself -- perhaps the king of ‘em -- James Murphy seems an odd choice for this enterprise. If I had to choose an artist to partner up with Nike, I’d pick R. Kelly. One, both Nike and Kelly are perennially being accused of doing disgusting things to children. Two, Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” is a perfect fit for the marketing of Nike Air range, which convinces millions of concave-chested idiots that they’re walking on air rather than some plastic shoe padding.
Phil Knight: Goggle-eyed CEO.
Happily, as one might expect from dance music’s funniest writer, Murphy doesn’t totally toe the company line. The first words on the mix are "Shame On You". A sly dig at Nike’s appalling worker rights record in Asia? I certainly hope so. That’s during the slinky funky piece of business that I call Part II, where he stretches himself a little further with his version of 70s soul singer vocals.
Indeed, Murphy treated the project as a chance to experiment. He credits the mix as the beginning of a creative purple patch which led to his 2007 masterpiece Sound of Silver. Proof of which is the appearance in Part III of the pre-lyric version of the storming Someone Great, a beautiful piece of music even divorced from Murphy’s bittersweet lines.
45:33 finishes with a organ-led ambient piece meant for warming down to; that is, if you actually listen while jogging. Personally, I’ve jogged to it twice. However I’ve listened to it dozens more times doing all manner of other activities, including sitting at my desk, taking the train, walking in the park, and playing the X-Box. I have a sneaking suspicion too that this euphoric music would be great to do the nasty to. Sadly, in my case, the 45 minute plus timeframe renders the point moot.
Of course, music lovers don’t need an exercise mix made by a corporation. We use mixes made by ourselves or fellow musos. Plus, we don’t need a Nike mix to get our blood pumping. All we have to do is open the Nike page on knowmore.org [link].
If we play a mix, will they work faster?
If after reading knowmore.org, you might feel that Murphy is an irresponsible sellout - a reasonable assumption given the nature of the evidence against Nike.
Consider, though, how another electronic artist deals with The Man. Techno "activist" Alex Empire likes to tell the tale of how he took Phonogram Records for a ride during the dance music explostion in Britain in the early 90s. His band Atari Teenage Riot signed for a large unrecoupable advance, then sabotaged the recording process. They started their own label with the money. On hearing this, I remember thinking, yes, Alex, the world would be a much better place with dishonorable people like you at helm.
I prefer Murphy’s healthier attitude towards corporate work. Treat it as your own, don’t compromise the music itself, pay some bills, and everyone’s happy. Well, almost everyone. Nike’s workout audience, Murphy reports, found the music “horrible”!
In fact, LCD Soundsystem seem to have done a lot better out of the deal than Nike. Creatively and in a business sense. Murphy demanded that the rights of 45:33 transferred back to his label DFA after one year. So, the Devil doesn’t have all the best tunes.
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NOTE: For some reason my post cuts off three-quarters of the way through. You can read the entire article on my Mog Page....
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The Art Of Selling Out - The Washington Post's wonderful 'Moby Quotient' graphic [link]
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Great post. I would agree with everything you said about Nike, and Phil Knight. Vile people. Michael Moore's "The Big One" deals with them too.
It's a sad because from a design perspective, Nike's always pretty cutting edge, though I'll never understand the appeal of their shoes, which to me are as humorous as wearing neon marshmallows on your feet. Their slick in the marketing, but sick in their practices.
I kinda waffle on my feeling of selling out. In the case of Feist, it seems like Apple's customers are perfect Feist fans, in the case of any artist with a conscious working for a company like Nike, is just a pure shame.
I mostly just hate anyone using a song I like in a commercial, and getting me sick of it. But I don't necessarily blame an artist for letting their songs be used either.
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Wow, interesting to hear the background info. Thanks for the details. I like the album...and not only to jog to like you say.
I also found it interesting to hear not only have Nike collaborated with LCD but also...
There's an article on it too... here
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Badass post, Flux! Good on ya!
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Fluxy, although i love practically every post you make, this one makes it in top 5.
"Treat it as your own, don’t compromise the music itself, pay some bills, and everyone’s happy." - well, as someone who prostitutes myself in a similar way everyday, i certainly relate and agree. i have no delusions about my work - if i must write about a damn insurance policy, then i will communicate that it isn't for everybody but if you're one of the people who it's for then this is what you're getting, and walk out of that job with my dignity intact. not only will it pay bills but keep on buying me the choice to enjoy music (and other such) that at the end of the day restores my faith in the universe (despite said work). (;
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Another great post from an all seeing prophet and true gentleman. I have never paid much attention to Nike. I have maybe owned their products once or twice in my life. I have always been more of a New Balance guy. I guess New Balance shoots the first born of all of their employees. ::shrugs:: ..at least their shoes are comfy. :)
In regard to the track. Towards the end of the track their are some definite Sound of Silver sounds going on. Very cool track. Thanks for sharing. Great tunes for pumping 12oz beers.
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Now this is what I'd call a slam dunk! Great post C., and thanks for the link to the Moby Quotient too, that's good stuff (Wayne Coyne must be mortified).
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I personally think any sell-out is a death sentence for the artist in question, Moby Quotient or not. There's no subversion possible even though people would love to think so. These people get on board thinking they'll hijack the plane only to realise that they've become the pilot.
I saddens every time I see an advert using a tune from an artist I thought to be beyond mercenariness.
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Then that Gene Simmons sex tape must have brought you to tears.
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@ Contra - I was confused too until I wrote this post and figured that there are artists who shake hands with the devil (as we all must at some point in our lives) and emerged relatively unscathed at the other end. You have to be smart and tough-minded...and not do it too often, I think.
@ Sunny - Perfect. A toy company perfectly suits the selling of shoes to the juvenile (or juvenile-minded).
@ Tyler - Thanks. The CNBC doc also focused on “sneaker heads”, lonely dumbasses who wasted thousands upon thousands of dollars -- that could be otherwise (and more usefully) spent on more comic books or pornography -- on "limited addition" shoes. :Later, as an exercise in damage limitation, Nike roped in a dirty-haired dead-eyed Vietnamese factory worker for the cameras. This poor wretch of a woman, who looked 20 going on 50, told CNBC how great the Nike sweatshops were. I thought to myself, this was the healithiest looking employee they could find? Probably.
@ Mike the Knife - Badass? Nah, I've just presented the facts as I see them. But I suppose a writer (even one attempting to review music) needs a chip of ice in his heart, right?
@ Poe - Really insightful thing to say. It's made me think about the ways I dishonour any gifts I've been given by doing work that I don't enjoy and which doesn't add to the greater good...and the way I'm trying to escape that. Perhaps that's for a future post. Thank you.
@ Mike - "Great tunes for pumping 12oz beers." Rock and roll! Unlike me, whose writing about exercise mixes. Am I a man or a mouse, eh? ... Pass the cheese... ;)
@ Erin - A "slam dunk"? Man, you're wearing Air Jordans, aren't you? Sellout!
@ Michael - "I personally think any sell-out is a death sentence for the artist in question" Fair enough, and I agree it can be, but life is not all black and white. The facts of this case are that Murphy made an excellent album, got a creative boost from working outside his normal comfort zone, made money, got exposed to a new audience, and then got the rights to the music in the end. I agree he didn't subvert anything (my "shame on you" comment was tongue in cheek), but I think he got out alive. I hope Feist does too, but telling hipster journals that she was a 'naïve lickle girly' when she signed the deal with Apple tells me she more conflicted, less toughminded than Murphy.
@ Mark - I'm proud to admit I had to look that reference up - ha! It seems Gene had the choice between having sex with a loving partner or an escort who (by the looks of things) had nothing but contempt for him and who refused to KISS him. Clever guy.
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Thanks for the comments.
Good news for you lucky people:
I'll be away from Mog for the next 2-3 weeks due to work commitments.
Seeya then!
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Sorry to hear that you'll be away from MOG. Who's going to the official MOG-hipster then? -- Just kidding.
RE my intransigence, you know me I'm just a dopey romantic with the musicians that are dear to my heart.
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I nominate...somebody who is actually hip.
I feel the exact same way as you as a music fan, fervently so in fact - yet as a writer I wanted to understand what makes musicians partner with corps...and whether they can get away with it with their reputation and creativity in tact. And I realized in some cases they can. My thoughts, I think, were shaped by the outstanding Canadian book Rebel Sell and the work of Douglas Rushkoff (the 21C's Marshall McLuhan).
Okay, I'm really out of here now...
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I'm torn on the selling-out thing. Plus, it should be noted that 1) licensing music makes WAY more money than standard record sales, and 2) it's not always the artist themselves that has whored out their song for a commercial; it just depends on who holds the rights. Remember when Nike used the Beatles back in the late 80's? Also, the plus side is that at least commercials actually have some decent music these days, so they're not as annoying.
A good song is a good song, no?
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Being fascinated by good marketing, I've always liked Nike - impressive and inventive.
Further to the lady who got $30 for the Nike logo swoosh - At the time Knight could barely pay any bills. She was amazed the cheque didn't bounce. Later on, he gave her a reasonable amount of equity in the company, which is a pretty good thank you.
On the other hand, every time Peter Blake has gone to The Beatles to ask for some royalty on all the merchandising they've done of the Sgt Pepper cover over 40 years, he's been shown the door. He was paid a flat fee of £200. Reasonable in the day, but Blake's contention is all the money that's been made by other exploitation.
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@ River - Yep, a song is a song but the context in which you hear it has meaning, a thinking person has a duty to make up their minds about what that meaning is, stand on one side or the other...I believe so, anyway. Nike have no values, they trample over human beings, art, anything, to get to the dollar. How you feel about that, the true business end of their existence, might have you feeling less torn. Anyway, I pity the artists who get involved with them - but it's not my place to say whether they should or shouldn't license music. Worked for Murphy but not for others. It takes a superhuman effort to avoid them, I'd say. Super Furry Animals turned down a million quid to do a Coke ad because of their human rights record. "Remember when Nike used the Beatles back in the late 80's?" I dunno....some people think the way they tried to use John Lennon's Revolution to hock runners to Baby Boomer yuppies was..."impressive and inventive"!
@ Jonh - Are you winding me up? Yeah, Knight is Jesus! Bigger than the Beatles! I also adore their marketing - here's my fave 6 sheet:
The perfect Nike outfit for your good self:
Ha! Ha! Ha!
(Bring it on, buddy!)
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I wasn't using the Beatles Nike commercial to defend Nike. I was using it as an example of marketing that happened because the Beatles didn't have their own copyrights at the time (if I remember correctly); ie. that was someone else's decision.
I won't ever defend the corporations; I assumed we all agreed that the soulless suits had no real clue about art other than as commerce. I was torn more about the artists' point of view as to how to use their work. I don't necessarily think it's a bad way for bands to get their music heard, but like you said, they better think about it!
When I hear a cool song on an iPod commercial, am I more likely to go buy an iPod, or music from the artist? If an artist is smart, they'll set themselves up for this kind of exposure. On the flipside, should Cash's estate sell "Ring of Fire" to a hemmorhoid company? Hell no!
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And on this topic, last night I heard Saul Williams' "List of Demands" coming from the living room. When I went in to check out what it was for, guess who? Nike! I'm really not sure how to feel about it. I love Saul Williams, so I can only hope it was his decision to license his song and that he's being paid and receiving a boost in album/song sales from it.