In the face of waning commercial licensing opportunities across the music industry, the National Football League (NFL) has become an important stage for artists to get heard. Barry Wilner looks at the league’s tie-up with GMR\'s Banshee Music, and sees how the Wisconsin-based ‘sonic branding’ agency is taking US sport’s affiliation with rock, pop, hip-hop, soul and country music in a different direction. Read on....

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specific to Green Bay and their Lambeau Field “Once the music is created, Sparks, Hinder, Chickenfoot and James Durbin
home, and the Packers have control of its use. – in addition to dozens of local bands, singers
The Packers even teamed with one of their we want it to be used in-game, and musicians who have submitted material to
licensees, Johnsonville Sausage, for a promotion heard in team broadcasts and NFL teams or to Canaday’s agency.
in which fans were able to get a free download of The artists are just as eager as the NFL to
the song by going to a local store and purchasing marketed through digital and collaborate, which is a big nod to the dynamic
specially-marked packages of their product. power of the league’s audience; the NFL is
Banshee followed its partnership with the social media and online elements.” becoming an increasingly important platform
Packers by collaborating with three more NFL for musicians to get heard - and this gives these
teams: the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys and artists a new method of reaching the masses
Carolina Panthers. introductions to Mile High, a song originated that they’re missing elsewhere.
Because of the business model Banshee through Banshee. The team produces video “Any opportunity you get to take your brand
Music has put into place, restrictions on the use content that plays on the stadium scoreboard and music to the masses, you jump all over it,”
of the songs created have been eliminated for with the song right before the players exit the says Chief Zaruk of the band Hinder, which has
the teams, and they can use the music anytime, tunnel from underneath the stands. played concerts for the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis
and through any channel they want. In all its For the Falcons, Banshee put together a Colts and Baltimore Ravens. “We are a straight
agreements with teams, any profit made from piece with a local band made up of die-hard ahead rock ‘n’ roll band and we feel that our
the music created is distributed on a revenue- fans - Falcons On Top - which is played for each music appeals to the demographic of football
share basis with Banshee who foots the bills for touchdown the team scores at the Georgia Dome. fans. No matter what age of the crowd, we think
developing and recording the music. that our music works with football fans.
The partnership between the Panthers and A Centralised Approach “Also it can only help as our music gets to
Banshee resulted in a seven-song CD featuring Last year Banshee went one step further and reach new fans and a mass audience that we
local musicians, something the team requested. directly to the NFL, seeking to create a centralised would not normally be able to tap into.”
On matchdays, the Panthers play popular hits approach to open up the platform to all 32 teams A cottage industry might also be in the
and mix in their seven songs from the CD for and to get the music exposed across NFL- making: with producers, engineers and mixers
fans in the club levels before the teams kick-off. controlled digital rights, signing a multi-year deal on staff, Banshee Music can take a demo record
They also play one or two of the songs during described as a “music-branding partnership”. submitted by a group and, as Canaday puts it,
the game and one post-game, believing it adds Under the deal, Banshee has, and is in the “bring it to life”.
to the fan experience in a unique way. process of, creating new, proprietary music for “We have artists coming to us all the time,”
“We were blown away how fast they came teams across the league that can be used by any he says. “Obviously, artists have been going to
back with quality stuff,” says Kyle Ritchie, the of the league’s teams during games and in their teams and the league often with music, and now
director of the Panthers’ scoreboard control own media, be it through highlights packages or the teams and league are referring them to us to
room PantherVision, who adds that the online marketing. do some screening and manage that process.”
franchise’s music initiative with Banshee is “[The deal] ties music directly back to the Expansion to other sports isn’t far off -
Images courtesy of Banshee Music “driven by fan requests for what little bit of game,” says Tracy Perlman, the NFL’s vice- Banshee already has deals with major college
music we had - an interesting fight song - and president of entertainment marketing and sports programmes at Michigan, Ohio State,
NFL FACES THE MUSIC a desire to connect with our team at tailgate
parties and other events.”
The Panthers teamed with Banshee on
promotions. “It gives us a national platform to
expose the in-stadium experience to all fans and
heightens the awareness of the local teams on a
Florida, Texas and Louisiana State.
“There’s always going to be applications
because music always is such a part of sport
In the face of waning commercial Hard tackles and long touchdowns aren’t “The songs are designed to celebrate that club a second project of songs for children that national level. It also provides an outlet for us to and the fans love their teams and the sport so
all that rock NFL stadiums: the in-stadium and match them with an authentic artist who is the club’s mascot will use during personal directly connect to the music industry through much,” says Canaday.
licensing opportunities across
atmosphere includes enough music to substitute a fan of the team,” says John Canaday, Banshee’s appearances, or that can be played at school artist and label relationships and the partnered “We’re open to taking this model and
the music industry, the National a concert for the actual game. vice-president of sports marketing. “We try to do functions. Those songs are not on a CD, but are creation of music.” applying it to other platforms, but let’s build
Football League (NFL) has become Though traditional stadium songs are well- that as often as we can, localise it. downloadable from the internet. Among the artists to have recorded football a model that works and we know we can take
loved and recognised, most people don’t realise “Once the music is created, we want it to be The Broncos meanwhile do their player songs for Banshee are Darius Rucker, Jordin from the NFL and apply it elsewhere.”
an important stage for artists to
that they are also an expense for teams, who used in-game, heard in team broadcasts and
get heard. Barry Wilner looks at do not own the rights to them. Teams pay a marketed through digital and social media and
the league’s tie-up with Banshee public performance license to use music in their online elements, and we have opened up the
stadium - at a typical cost of around $30,000 a distribution scenario that touches sponsorship.” Complete Football Analysis for Coaching and Broadcast
Music, and sees how the Wisconsin-
year – in addition to separate licenses if they want Banshee Music’s tie-in with the NFL began
based ‘sonic branding’ agency is to use the same songs they affiliate with their in 2009 with the Green Bay Packers, who
taking US sport’s affiliation with team on gameday elsewhere in their marketing. were seeking an original song for a new player
However Banshee Music, a division of GMR introduction campaign dubbed ‘G-Force’. For
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and their teams more control over their music. That song created, entitled G-Force, has lyrics
22 SportBusiness International • No.177 • 04.12