Underlining the continuing success of British artists and labels, much of the great music behind some of 2015’s most memorable TV and online ads came from home-grown talent. Music recordings or ‘syncs’ from British acts accounted for the best part of half (41.2 per cent) of the tracks used by brands and their advertising and media agencies to promote their products and services to the general public, reveals independent research by adbreakanthems published today by the UK record labels’ association, the BPI, and the MPA – the Music Publishers’ Association.
Leading the way were a string of British female artists, with material by Paloma Faith proving particularly popular as no fewer than four major brands (Calvin Klein, Dixons, Simply Be, and Eastern Western) turned to the BRIT Award-winning singer for their TV adverts. Paloma also claimed the title of “most-synced” song of 2015 with a track she co-wrote, Ready for the Good Life – a distinction she shared with the Motown classic, Sunny, which was also widely used last year.
The survey, which monitored nearly 800 TV and online ads first aired in the UK during 2015, is the most comprehensive snapshot of the sync market available to industry. Synchronisation or ‘sync’ is the industry term used for the placement of music into audio-visual content such as advertisements, trailers, video games, films and TV programmes.
Relative newcomers Jess Glynne, Ella Eyre, Charli XCX and Foxes were also among the leading British female artists whose sounds were selected to accompany adverts for well-known brands, such as Emporio Armani, Coca-Cola, O2 and H&M as well as campaigns by Oxfam, National Citizen Service and the United Nations.
Commenting on the appeal of Paloma Faith’s music to advertisers, Ian Neil, Sony Music UK, Director of Synchronisation, said:
“I have had the pleasure of working with Paloma’s songs since I joined Sony six years ago. “Upside Down” has proved a popular track with brands for a number of years, but the big breakthrough came with Paloma’s astonishing take on the INXS’s classic “Never Tear Us Apart” for John Lewis, which was subsequently also licensed for a worldwide Calvin Klein campaign. More recently "Ready for the Good Life" has also proved massively successful as a sync track that conveys the perfect message for advertisers.”
“All this does not happen without great communication between the sync team here at Sony Music UK, Paloma’s label RCA, her music publisher and, of course, Paloma and her management. However, the popularity of Paloma’s music among advertisers is, most principally, a testament to her incredible talent as an artist.”
As brands increasingly recognise the value of music in dramatising their adverts to connect with consumers and boost brand awareness and appeal, the number of commercial sectors using music in their broadcast advertising continues to grow. The top three industries making the most of music in adverts in 2015 were Motoring (Ford, Honda and Volkswagen), Food (Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Tesco) and Fashion (H&M, JD Williams and House of Fraser), while the brands that turned to music most often for their ads were Apple, who topped the chart with 23 tracks synced to adverts, followed by Tesco with 17 and McDonald’s with 10.
The data, supplied by specialist agency adbreakanthems and analysed by the BPI, also reveals that pop music is the genre of choice for brands, with pop tunes accounting for nearly a quarter (24.2 per cent) of music used in ads. Brands also appear to favour more recent chart success as they reach out to younger consumers in particular, with songs released less than five years ago preferred to heritage recordings that are 20 years or older. Contemporary tracks accounted for almost a third (30.4 percent) of the music used whilst deep catalogue tracks represented just one in five (22.6 per cent) of songs used in adverts.
Chas de Whalley, Editor-In-Chief of online sync sector information service www.adbreakanthems.com, explaining the importance of sync to the record industry, said:
“Our study of the sector in 2015 suggests that the major record companies are no longer regarding syncs primarily as a means of extracting additional revenues out of existing catalogues by proven artists. There is definite evidence of a growing trend towards using syncs strategically, in conjunction with Shazam and other social media, both as building blocks in long term artist development plans for new signings and as identifiable pre-release mechanics as exemplified by Years & Years’ “King”, Grace’s “You Don’t Own Me” and others.”
UK music industry embarks on a mission to meet music-hungry Hollywood executives
This encouraging news for British music comes as a 45-strong UK music delegation – led by the BPI, the Music Publishers Association (MPA) and UK Trade & Investment – prepares to embark on its annual trade mission to the US entertainment capital, Hollywood, to meet with TV and film studios, video games companies, trailer houses and advertising agencies.
Between 13th and 17th June, the group of independent record labels, publishers, artists, and composers will meet those working on Hollywood productions such as Faking It, Ray Donovan, Roadies,Unforgettable, The Night Shift, True Blood, and Wayward Pines. Delegates will also meet music professionals working on video games at Microsoft and will visit renowned studios including Lionsgate and NBC Universal to hear first-hand what music is needed for forthcoming TV and movie releases.
The mission will see a number of emerging English and Northern Irish artists, including Spotify-smash Ciaran Lavery and Birmingham-based soul act, Stealth, perform to Hollywood execs at private industry showcases.
Commenting on the annual mission led by the BPI, MPA and UK Trade & Investment, Geoff Taylor, BPI & BRIT Awards Chief Executive, said:
“Music can play a vital role in reinforcing the appeal of a TV show or broadcast ad, helping to make it memorable and stand out, and often creating an aspiration that can forge emotional engagement between the viewer and the content.
“While it may still represent a relatively small portion of UK record label income, sync’s importance as a revenue stream is growing, so securing a deal should not be underestimated. Ipsos research shows that one in four people discover artists through music that appears in films, TV shows and video games, so the exposure gained can help propel artists, particularly unsigned or unknown, towards new heights of success.
“The annual mission to Los Angeles enables independent labels and artists to fully immerse themselves in the world’s biggest sync market, providing a priceless opportunity to meet with key Hollywood players and contacts. The success of the trip speaks for itself, with previous delegates securing music placements in hit shows such as Royal Pains, MTV’s Teen Wolf, and The Blacklist to name but a few. And with British music riding on such a high in the US just now, it’s the perfect time to be doing more business across the Atlantic.”
The sync mission, now in its 12th year, is held at iconic Capitol Studios, located in the historic Capitol Records Tower. While Frank Sinatra was Capitol Studios’ first client, over the past six decades everyone from Dean Martin, The Beach Boys, Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand and Paul McCartney, as well as Sam Smith, Michael Bublé, Daft Punk, Green Day, John Mayer, and Mary J Blige- to name a few- have made music in the renowned Studios.
Also commenting on the LA Sync Mission organised by the MPA and BPI with UKTI support, Claire McAuley, General Manager of the Music Publishers Association, added:
“The synchronisation side to our business has become an increasingly important staple of music publishing. With music publishers continuing to grow and expand their sync teams, it is important that the MPA continues to provide a mission dedicated to this area of growth in such a vital market.
“Our trade missions aim to introduce delegates to the nuances of international markets, help them navigate local landscapes and develop their networks, and we’re excited to be partnering once again with the BPI and UKTI to offer this opportunity with the 12th annual LA Sync Mission.”
Sync remains an important revenue stream for the UK music business
UK record company income from music synchronisation to adverts, video games, TV programmes, films and trailers totalled £22.68 million in 2015, growing 13.5 per cent year on year and accounting for 2 per cent of overall revenues.
Income from film, TV and advertising rose by 13.7 per cent whilst revenues from video games rose by 5.7 per cent – reversing the decline experienced during the decline of the Singstar and Guitar Hero series.
At a global level, sync income for record companies remains a major component of revenue, increasing by 6.6 per cent in 2015 to total $335 million. The UK is a heavy-hitter in the market accounting for one tenth (9 per cent) of sync revenues and taking second place in the IFPI’s league table for sync revenues – however, it is still behind the US which dominates the sector, accounting for 57 per cent of all sync revenues generated.
