A New York independent record label last week became the latest company to try and get fat off the white-hot “Desperate Housewives” brand.
Artemis Records is close to a deal that would make its “Juicy” by Better Than Ezra the background music on all promotional spots for the show that run between Labor Day and the ABC hit’s Sept. 25 premiere, The Post has learned.
Artemis’ deal follows news that Hollywood Records, a corporate sibling of Disney’s ABC, will release on Sept. 20 a soundtrack “inspired by” suburbia’s randy female fivesome that will feature songs from such artists as Shania Twain and Liz Phair.
At the same time, it seems all of Madison Avenue is lining up to get one of the Wisteria Lane women to become their spokesperson. So much for being “Desperate.”
The Artemis deal also continues a long trend of record labels hooking up with hit TV shows to market bands, a trend no doubt helped by the fact that it often comes at no cost.
“The exposure that television offers is huge,” said Rhino Entertainment’s Mark Pinkus. “Through a show, a band can reach a wider audience than any radio station is going to hit.”
Hollywood Records certainly has high hopes for the album – the label is shipping close to 400,000 units, a huge figure for a TV soundtrack.
“This is commerce in all its glory,” said Mitchell Leib, president of Disney’s Buena Vista Music Group. “I may be going out on a limb, but I expect multi-platinum sales worldwide.”
Some industry insiders are knocking the growing trend of having every TV hit and their spin-off, it seems, release soundtracks.
Once the purview of hit shows or those closely wedded to music, like “Miami Vice,” now programs ranging from the “Gilmore Girls” to “Monk” to “Alias” have soundtracks. And their sales mirror that of the music industry at large, with winners – such as “Miami Vice,” “The Sopranos,” and “Six Feet Under” – far outpaced by losers.
“There are way too many soundtrack albums out there,” said Cynthia Sexton, a senior vice president with EMI. “It’s not good for business.”
But even Sexton agrees that the opportunity presented by “Desperate Housewives” is too rich to pass up.
“It’s a brilliant move by Hollywood,” she said. “The show is a breakout hit that they can capitalize on to sell records.”
Or, as Leib put it, “Desperate Housewives” can sell albums just like it can sell t-shirts, mugs, and lunchboxes. I’d rather risk burning out than losing the moment.”