There is no business more maligned right now than the music business so it’s always a surprise to me to find that brands and their agencies haven’t been following the story. Where once every college students dream was to graduate and land that much-sought-after job in the mail room at Warner Bros Records, I would argue today that they are far more interested in joining Google or one of the myriad of new media start-ups rather than getting a job at, or being signed to, the now unsexy music business. In fact one of them is no doubt creating a new, new, new media company as I write.

And then along comes Macys’ American Rag brand campaign - from AdWeek under news, non-traditional - a series of documentary Webisodes will follow the lives of five young people who want to break into the music business. The series, “Ragged Road,” launches in the fall. WPP Group-owned MEC Entertainment developed the show, which will play on YouTube. Nancy Slavin, svp of marketing at Macy’s merchandising group, said this marks a first for the brand in “doing something wholly dedicated to a communications strategy on the Web.”

So Macys’ merchandising group has plunged head first into a web-only strategy. Brave. The clothing brand targets 18-24 year-old males and females and they have deduced that music is one of the passions of this demos primary targets - true, but - music is just one of the passions not the primary passion.

“There’s a lot of people who want to get into the music industry, but don’t know how to go about it. So, we said, let’s find five people who have a passion for the business and want to see what the career opportunities are and what different paths there are to get into the music industry,” said Chet Fenster, managing partner at MEC. - I believe that statement is rather insulting to kids today, it sounds like a justification for making the webisodes rather than reinforcing a need that came out of a focus group session with young people.

All five cast members will be wearing American Rag clothing. They will also be given the opportunity to shop for the brand as they travel across the country. For YouTube users interested in buying the clothes, the Macy’s site will serve as a shopping portal.

Cast members huh? I don’t understand why the agency didn’t find a cool young band that are actually working hard on the road but are struggling to make it. That would have been the truly authentic route to go. Driving a bunch of “cast members” around the country on a bus and giving them “the opportunity to shop for the brand” as they go doesn’t sound so compelling to me. A more authentic way into the music market was showcased recently by Dennys, the restaurant chain, with their Adopt-A-Band campaign where they picked up touring bands and gave them a helping hand in the way Kids like their fashion to be unique. of free meals and other opportunities. Bands and music fans are very nocturnal and always hungry at after hours so this made sense in many ways. Dressing up a “band” in American Rag outfits and giving them a bus to travel on is so fake. It doesn’t take into account the harsh reality for thousands of young touring bands in the USA (gas at $4 bucks a gallon anyone?) nor does it take into account young kids’ propensity for mashing up their fashion sense into something unique, their own style.

Well it seemed like a no-brainer, right? Wrong according to Urb Magazine’s blog.

“We didn’t do it together so it ends up being just this weird long song with sort of everybody with lots of their own personalities separate,” Santogold told Gigwise when revealing the track.

Urb says - Maybe it’s the lack of interaction between artists that keeps them from ever even talking about important issues, let alone record songs in an attempt (however vain) to make the world a better place. Or maybe it’s just that with the record industry on it’s ass, musicians have to learn to make due with the money they can earn when they can earn it, leaving less time for charity. Maybe it’s just easier to sellout when facing a ProTools file, rather than your actual peers in a recording studio.
Listen—we love Pharrell, Santogold, The Strokes AND Converse.But if Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Hall & Oats and two dozen other A-listers could get into an actual recording studio together to make “We Are the World,” couldn’t today’s rockers try just a little bit harder?

A sad day for the folks at Nau. A message on their website today says that they have run out of capitalization and under the current credit climate can not raise any more investment.

Portland, Oregon’s Sameunderneath clothing company appears to fit the bill for a company that markets itself as sustainable and environmentally-friendly. In their own words from the ‘about’ section of their website:

Sameunderneath + Cashmere
Sameunderneath is proud to present its new line of cashmere garments. This luxurious, natural fiber is noted as providing light weight insulation without bulk. Appropriate for all climates, a high moisture climate allows insulation properties to change with the relative humidity in the air. The finest fibers are gathered from the underbelly, shoulder or neck of the Cashmere goat. Our cashmere is sourced from China where the hair is removed by hand with a comb. This aids in the goat’s natural shedding process.

Sameunderneath + Bamboo
Sameunderneath’s collection is produced with one of nature’s most sustainable resources, BAMBOO. This 100% biodegradable plant has the capacity to acclimate to the environment and continue to grow at a rate of 2 inches every hour! Bamboo’s innate antibacterial functions naturally wick moisture and prevent odor. Unlike other antibacterial additives, bamboo is also hypoallergenic. In addition to being plentiful, finished bamboo fabric is extremely soft so using bamboo fiber in all of our garments gives our clothing a comfortable, luxurious feel. This type of versatility cannot be found with cotton, making bamboo considerably more resourceful. Bamboo fiber is mankind’s contribution to the protection of natural resources, rare minerals and the consideration of global balance.

Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay aka Justice the French ‘band,’ if you can call two electronic DJ/Musicians a band, have hooked up with Surface to Air to create a clothing line. Justice are now the biggest band on Ed Banger Records and it appears that they are extending the brand…now you too can dress like a French DJ.

Surface to Air was born out of a beat up old loft in Union Square, NY in 1996. Its initial members began to work together as artists, and the space quickly transformed itself into a cultural breeding ground for other new and emerging artists to come and create and exhibit their work in an environment that supported them. This was the birthplace for a new underground movement. With the recognition of the talent that was being displayed by the various members, the interest of the public was piqued, and various characters began coming to the space as a place to witness the new avant-garde in its formation. From Harmony Korine to Donald Baechler to Alfredo Martinez, you never knew who was going to stop by and what would happen when they did. [From their website.]

Daft Punk - Human After All [Justice Remix] [MP3]

The Nike ad.

The man himself - Saul Williams