Chevy, Apple champion veteran, new acts in 2005 By Michael Paoletta NEW YORK (Billboard) - Chevrolet's two-year-old musically charged "An American Revolution" campaign took on added urgency in 2005, thanks to savvy music licenses and partnerships. The automaker embraced a wide variety of sounds in its TV spots, encompassing veteran artists and under-the-radar acts. Surprisingly, it replaced Bob Seger's "Like a Rock," which was the soundtrack for the Silverado campaign for 14 years, with "Now More Than Ever," a 14-year-old track from John Mellencamp. Elsewhere, Chevy championed dance/electronic (the Scumfrog's "Music Revolution") and R&B/hip-hop ("EZ Up" by Slum Village), among other beats and rhythms. The company's longstanding love affair with country music intensified this year when it signed on as the primary sponsor/partner for the 39th annual Country Music Assn. Awards, which were held in New York for the first time. Country acts like Gretchen Wilson, Blue County, Big & Rich, Cowboy Troy, Chris Cagle and Julie Roberts appeared to revel in the Chevy-enhanced exposure. "Chevy realizes the importance and power of music in today's world," says Ryan Schinman, president of Platinum Rye Entertainment, a New York-based company that specializes in band/brand partnerships and music licensing. "Some of their car models are aspirational, while others are more guy-next-door, but Chevy always picks the right piece of music for each model." Ultimately, though, it is impossible to pin the hopes of ailing parent company General Motors on Chevy's campaign -- no matter how revolutionary it is. Apple Computer continued its musical revolution, too. Deft use of music in TV ads opened the public's eyes and ears to such acts as Gorillaz and Caesars. By year's end, Gorillaz -- a British quartet made up of cartoon characters -- had earned four Grammy Award nominations, including record of the year and best pop collaboration with vocals for "Feel Good Inc" (featuring hip-hop pioneers De La Soul). Indeed, "Feel Good Inc" -- the lead single from the act's sophomore album, "Demon Days" -- was the song heard 'round the world in an iPod TV spot. Madonna also benefited from her Apple partnership, appearing with several other artists in a worldwide spot for Motorola's iTunes-compatible ROKR mobile phone. The ad featured the sounds of "Hung Up," the lead single from her new album"Confessions On A Dance Floor." The chameleon-like Madonna knows that the music industry has changed -- and knows what is needed to get the job of promotion done. "There's a lot of competition, and the market is glutted with new releases -- and new 'thises and thats,"' she told Billboard in November. "You must join forces with other brands and corporations. You're an idiot if you don't." In its first week of release, "Confessions" debuted at No. 1 in nearly 30 countries, including the United States. Reuters/Billboard

The ONLY song Chevrolet should use is 'Frankenstein' by Edgar Winter Group. And the original, none of that cover crap.

The ONLY song Chevrolet should use is 'Frankenstein' by Edgar Winter Group.  And the original, none of that cover crap.

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oh heck yes. that would be AWESOME.