“Converse Rubber Tracks”;  the audio-visual and commercial content made by a brand in London
Channel: Cande Sánchez Olmos
Date: 05/12/2017

Paper presented at 19th IASPM 2017 conference in Kassel, Germany.

The aim of this presentation is to explore the relationship between music and advertising, and more specifically, to analyse  the music produce by Converse trough its project Converser Rubber Tracks. 

Brands are going a step further in their relationship with popular music. Not only are brands synchronising music into audio-visual commercials but also are creating cultural content such as music videos, music festival and TV programs. Indeed, this is a new advertising trend emerged in last decade which has been named by advertiser “branded content”. Therefore, this composition explores this new relationship between music and advertising and specifically the music videos produced by the brand Converse. 

Through two specific projects: “Rubber Tracks Recording Studios” and “Rubber Tracks Live”, Converse is recording music, making music videos and promoting concerts around the world with unknown musicians. Then, all this audio-visual content is uploaded to YouTube, where users spread the music via social media: YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. In order for the campaign to be success, Converse integrates, via brand placement, the “All Star” sneakers into these music videos promoting its particular lifestyle based on underground music. 

What Converse does is the purposeful incorporation of a brand into an entertainment. However, surprisingly the viewer is not being aware of the persuasive intent. If brands are producing music videos the line between music and ad gets blurred, so that it is necessary to analyse this phenomenon from a critical perspective. This is more than music, this is advertising: so musicvertising.

Why do groups need brands to make music videos? The old business model based on record sales probably is not enough. Surprisingly, music has changed in its production, promotion and distribution and nowadays advertising, streaming, and digital music all emerge as new sources of revenue. Nevertheless, we must not forget that in the end the most important thing is music, brands are secondary. We could live without brands but not without music.

Paper presented at 19th IASPM 2017 conference in Kassel, Germany