The Postal Service is mad at Apple
Jan 21st, 2006 | Comments (0)
No, not that Postal Service, this one. If you had never heard of the band until this past week, you're not alone. The band has a current video out that was directed by the guy who just did the new Apple ad. It appears that band member, Ben Gibbard, is angry at Apple for "copying" their music video for "Such Great Heights."
I hate when artists get irrationally indignant. I doubt he's even seen the Apple commercial, because if he had, he would realize that it's not a "shot-for-shot" recreation. They're similar at best. Which is to be expected because the director was the same for both. It's like saying The Life Aquatic is the same as The Royal Tenenbaums.
If Ben just stepped back and saw the situation for what it really was, he'd realize that many thousands of new people have potentially discovered his music in the past week due to all this hype. And their first impression of him is going to be of a whiner. If he was smart, he would have made sure that his next music video was a parody of an Apple ad. Just to fire one back across Apple's bow. Turn a negative into a positive, and get more free press.
So next time, Ben, leave the intellectual property indignation to the RIAA, and just keep rockin'. Your fans will love you more for it.
UPDATE: Do you think Ben is unhappy about his video shooting up to #1 on iTMS? I doubt it.
It has recently come to our attention that Apple Computers' new television commercial for the Intel chip features a shot-for-shot recreation of our video for 'Such Great Heights' made by the same filmmakers responsible for the original. We did not approve this commercialization and are extremely disappointed with both parties that this was executed without our consultation or consent. -Ben Gibbard, The Postal Service
I hate when artists get irrationally indignant. I doubt he's even seen the Apple commercial, because if he had, he would realize that it's not a "shot-for-shot" recreation. They're similar at best. Which is to be expected because the director was the same for both. It's like saying The Life Aquatic is the same as The Royal Tenenbaums.
If Ben just stepped back and saw the situation for what it really was, he'd realize that many thousands of new people have potentially discovered his music in the past week due to all this hype. And their first impression of him is going to be of a whiner. If he was smart, he would have made sure that his next music video was a parody of an Apple ad. Just to fire one back across Apple's bow. Turn a negative into a positive, and get more free press.
So next time, Ben, leave the intellectual property indignation to the RIAA, and just keep rockin'. Your fans will love you more for it.
UPDATE: Do you think Ben is unhappy about his video shooting up to #1 on iTMS? I doubt it.
