Syncs have a major success story to tell

Latest research published by www.adbreakanthems.com reveals that the big four record labels supplied the soundtracks to almost half the commercials screened over the last 11 months.

Similarly, major publishing houses dominated the TV and cinema screens, claiming a part share or full stake in over two thirds of the 402 commercials tracked by thesyncsurvey between January 1 and November 31 2012.

Between them Universal, EMI, Sony Music and Warner provided the artists and recordings for 184 ads screened over the 11 months. Meanwhile publishers EMI Music, Universal Music Publishing, Sony/ATV, Warner/Chappell and BMG Chrysalis enjoyed a full or part cut in 281 of the copyrights licensed for TV campaigns over the period.

Not surprisingly, the biggest major label Universal, which acquired EMI as part of a £1.2bn deal during the Summer, claimed ownership of the largest number of songs with 79 of its tracks synced to spots for everything from Greene King IPA (Jake Bugg’s Country Song) to Walkers Crisps (Queen’s Who Wants To Live Forever).

That was nearly double the 42 songs owned by Sony Music, whose classic catalogue acts such as The Clash and John Denver provided songs for British Airways and Talk Talk.

EMI and Warner provided songs for nearly 9% and 7% respectively of the ads registered by thesyncsurvey. Notable tracks supplied by EMI included The Skids‘ Into The Valley for Halfords and Blondie’s Rapture for Bailey’s while Warner acts such as The Black Keys and Paulo Nutini had songs placed in ads for Cobra Beer and DFS.

EMI Music Publishing led the major publishing groups. It boasted a presence in 86 ads screened over the 11 months, 29 more than its nearest rival Universal. This was no great surprise since EMI - which owns the copyrights to Queen titles like Who Wants To Live Forever and Motown classics such as Smokey Robinson’s Shop Around, already had the biggest presence in TV and cinema campaigns at the half way stage of this year, racking up full ownership or a part share in 38 of the songs used to soundtrack adverts from January to June (see last month’s analysis).

The publishing group, whose £1.4bn buyout by a consortium led by Sony/ATV was also announced in June, boasted a full share in 59 ad campaigns and a part share in another 27.

By comparison its nearest publishing group rival Universal commanded a full stake in 33 ads, including the British Airways ad supporting the GB Olympic team featuring The Clash’s 1979 cut London Calling. But it also claimed a part share in another 24 slots.

Sony/ATV controlled copyrights used in a total of 54 ads while Warner/Chappell fully or partly controlled another 52 songs used in ad campaigns for the year to date.

However, the 2012 sync story was not simply about majors. The health of the indie sector, typified by the global sales success of artists such as Adele (XL) and the critical plaudits handed out to Mercury Award winners Alt-J (Infectious), has translated into a significant sync presence - albeit one that is shared out around the sector.

Indie record labels held rights to 218 of the masters used in British ad campaigns surveyed and archived by adbreakanthems. However, these rights were spread around the sector with no single imprint gaining more than 1% exposure - equivalent to supplying music tracks to four spots during the period.

Thus Because Music and Nettwerk enjoyed the biggest haul of songs (four each) thanks to acts such as Metronomy, Hanni El Khatib, Aaron Espe and Ash Koley, who licensed recordings in support of TV campaigns for brands like Barclays, Nissan, Sainsburys and Tombola respectively.

Domino, Rough Trade, Warp, XL and movie soundtrack specialists Silva Screen each supplied three songs (equivalent to a 0.75% share of the total market).

Silva Screen’s executive director Keith Ferreira said his group’s library of classic TV themes and movie soundtracks has meant it has been able “to keep its end up”. The company supplied the Magnum P.I. cover for Money Supermarket and its version of The A-Team theme was used for the British Gas Team Home Services ad.

Ferreira, whose company recently created the So What? record label as a vehicle for signing and launching Matt Cardle’s album The Fire, said the beauty of being a specialist is that brands know exactly what they are getting when they approach the company whereas it might take a good music supervisor to point an ad agency in the right direction with a major publisher.

“We’re all about soundtracks like The A Team so people know what they are looking for,” said Ferreira.

Music supervisors were called in to research and recommend the tracks used in over half the commercials identified by thesyncsurvey during its first year as an online service. Market leader Platinum Rye worked on 30 ads, for brands ranging from Thomson Holidays to William Hill. Leland Music, which was responsible for headline-grabbing Christmas campaigns for John Lewis and Tesco, was involved in the music decision making process on 26 spots.

AMV BBDO was the most music friendly ad agency, placing music in 31 of the ads surveyed for brands such as Sainsbury’s, Walkers Crisps, BT and Heinz. Second-placed entity BBH produced 24 ads featuring music over the period, including the BA ad featuring The Clash’s 1979 hit London Calling.