RSSMan, I Hate Kings of Leon Even More Now
Aug 19
Music Comments Off
Memo to Caleb Followill and Kings of Leon: You don’t need Glee, but that doesn’t mean you should be stupid about turning down the show.
It might be time that Kings of Leon break their “no sell out” policy for Glee considering it’s only one of the most popular shows on television. Followill’s insists he’s never seen the show, so, sir, here’s a primer. The kids turn your most popular songs into their most popular songs by arranging them in choir-esque vocal jam sessions. It’s cute, it’s quaint, and it’s typically wrapped in a bubblegum storyline package that neatly ties together that episode’s themes. It’s also watched by 8 million people which is about 4 times greater than the total number of copies you pushed of your breakthrough album Only by the Night. That means you’re looking to possibly pick up 6 million interested new fans, and don’t tell me it offends your indie sensibility. You tossed that away when you released Use Somebody as a single.
I understand you turned down Ugly Betty. Fine, nobody watches it anyway. Licensing your music to shows and movies doesn’t make you a sell out, it provides you exposure to audiences that might otherwise not know you exist. That is, people who are willing to buy tickets to your concerts and pony up money to buy magazines with your face on the cover. Your attitude is exactly the kind of nearsighted bullshit egomania that you can’t afford.
Man, I hate your band even more now. Your show, which I took a friend to as a birthday gift, was a noisy mess and altogether unenjoyable. But I respected your band for earning your credibility on the road when you’ve been largely ignored by radio before Sex on Fire, but that’s exactly why you need Glee. My respect for you is less for confusing selling out with cross-marketing, for thinking being indie-cool is better than pop giants, and for thinking licensing your music is settling when it’s exactly the kind of lift your band could use to its advantage. In the end, you want the luxury of being able to be your own band, which is exactly why you shouldn’t ignore opportunities like this whether you’ve seen the show or not. Don’t you have a new album, Come Around Sundown, coming out October 19? I’m guessing you wouldn’t say no to increased album sales, so why say no to Glee? You’re smart guys, I guess, but this move was just plain dumb.
