Unusually, the band allow their song to be featured on a soundtrack
10 Dec 2004
Will Champion
It’s a bit of a conundrum, licensing your music to films and commercials. On the one hand, it’s hugely lucrative and can put your music in front of many people who might not otherwise hear it. The trouble is, though, if someone’s favourite song becomes the soundtrack to a car advert, or the love theme in a film they aren’t keen on, it can rob the music of its magic. It forever evokes something very different to what the band and the fan first imagined.
Coldplay have always stepped aside from this. Doubtless they could have made insane amounts of money over the years by employing a slightly more relaxed policy, but they’ve not pursued it.
That’s not to say there’s a hard line on it. This being a case in point where they were enthused by the project and were happy to be part of it. Similarly, on the VIVA campaign, they were featured in an iTunes ad. Like many things in the Coldplay world, it’s a case of careful choices.