Wilco released a written statement on their website saying that the songs used in VW running ads are licensed.
- Jun 6, 2007
AceShowbiz - Wilco finally gave their explanation on why more than four of their new songs are used in the Volkswagen ads. The band defends the car company by writing on their site that the VW ads claimed the songs licensed off their latest album "Sky Blue Sky".
The statement on the site read: "With the commercial radio airplay route getting more difficult for many bands (including Wilco); we see this as another way to get the music out there. As with most of the above (with the debatable exception of radio) the band gets paid for this. And we feel okay about VWs. Several of us even drive them."
The Volkswagen ads are run as a TV series featuring a song from Wilco's new album per set. So far "You Are My Face" and bonus track "The Thanks I Get" have been used in the first two commercials. According to the band three or four additional songs will follow as the soundtrack of the upcoming ads.
The band also released a statement that allowing their songs to be used for commercial purpose has been going on for sometime. "Wilco have licensed hundreds of songs to television shows and films worldwide," the band said, adding that frontman Jeff Tweedy has also appeared in an Apple Computer campaign and that a song was previously used in a TV ad for Spain's Telefonica Mobile.
