Mainstream music can make a huge difference in media, whether in the form of iconic needle drops in cinema, YouTube Shorts content, or television advertisements. The value of something recognizable across these forms of media is massive, and music from one artist arguably has been seen in more places than others. We are, of course, talking about the massive back catalogue of Moby songs that have been used as licensed music for years now.
The Moby album, Play, was a landmark in electronic music, released at the turn of the millennium in 1999 to rave reviews and (eventual) massive success. One of the reasons it became so ubiquitous in this era was because its songs were heard in countless films, TV commercials, and video games. But how?
This article will explore how and why Moby licensed this album, illustrating how this move became the blueprint for modern digital licensing, essential for anyone wondering how to get monetized on YouTube or online with mainstream music to understand.
How Moby became THE music for ads
Play was actually Moby’s fifth album, and while he had seen some critical and commercial success in the past, he was still waiting on his biggest score. In the first few months after release, it seemed as if Play, had missed the mark commercially, selling just 6,000 copies worldwide on the week of its release. Along with this, it wasn’t getting airplay on major radio stations or MTV, and supporting tours weren’t drawing crowds.
That’s why, staring down the barrel of a failed career, Moby and his management team of Marci Weber and Barry Taylor made a drastic decision. Licensing every single track on the 18-song album to advertisers, filmmakers, TV showrunners, and more.
The goal? For people to simply hear the music. Most of the licensing deals that Moby and his team took on weren’t particularly lucrative. Still, they put the album's emotional, atmospheric music into the ears of millions who otherwise wouldn’t have heard it. Soon enough, Moby songs were being used as a backdrop for brands like Volkswagen, Nordstrom, and American Express.
The impact on Moby’s career
Almost a year after these tracks had made their debut in ads and film, Play started to pick up steam, eventually selling over 12 million copies worldwide. For context, that’s the highest-selling electronica album of all time.
How Moby changed the nature of licensed music
Moby songs being used in this context might have been viewed as “selling out” in the past, but the way he parlayed this licensing into a stronger career truly shifted the paradigm of licensing. Rather than being seen as a quick cash grab, licensing music could be seen as a method for independent artists to build their audience. Commercials are an attractive fate for plenty of smaller artists.
How this shift has affected modern music licensing
Sync departments, the people responsible for licensing music to potential users, have become core facets of modern record labels. Label revenue can come in large part due to good sync contracts, with albums ready to be licensed upon release, allowing for use in much broader contexts.
For example, certain platforms allow for massive catalogues of mainstream music to be licensed instantly and affordably, whether in TV ads or as music in the background of YouTube videos. This has allowed songs from various genres to become sleeper hits, even if not getting consistent radio play.
By virtue of Moby’s Play becoming the music FROM advertising, the music industry’s approach to licensing changed, both from a creative and business standpoint.