Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Hip to shop

Maren Parusel’s “Dear Love” got Requiemme into instore soundtracks. - Image by Chris Maroulakos
Maren Parusel’s “Dear Love” got Requiemme into instore soundtracks.

“What did they used to call that, the kind of music that used to be playing in supermarkets?” Well, whatever the proper term is, Ex-Dragon frontman Mario Escovedo says that’s a new direction Requiemme, his artist-management company, is taking. Meaning, tracks supplied by local indie rockers such as Maren Parusel and Hills Like Elephants will be heard playing as a soundtrack for shoppers in mall stores.

“MAC Cosmetics executives heard Maren Parusel’s song ‘Dear Love,’ and they said they wanted that song playing in their stores.” Escovedo says that he was first contacted by PlayNetwork, a Seattle-area company that produces instore music and video messaging for a variety of retailers, including Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, Victoria’s Secret, Old Navy, and Holiday Inn. “Hundreds of major stores,” Escovedo says.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“At first, I didn’t want to be any part of their service.” But he says he researched the company and learned their first client was Starbuck’s, “and they did a good job for them. PlayNetwork models background store music for younger markets.” Escovedo says that instore soundtracks are programmed to fit each subscriber company’s individual demographics, which is a long way from the elevator music of old.

Following talks with PlayNetwork, Escovedo says he agreed to not only license some of Parusel’s tracks, but he agreed to put selections from other artists signed to his San Diego–based catalog into their system as well.

“Artists are paid per play, not unlike radio,” he says. “Except that PlayNetwork guarantees a certain number of plays per year around the world.” He says Parusel is excited about an opportunity that in years past had been considered to be something of a sellout by other recording artists. “She felt it was a compliment to be asked.”

Escovedo has operated Requiemme for the past five years while manning the news assignment desk at a local television station. He thinks this new connection with PlayNetwork may allow his company to “see some profits on the horizon.” That said, he admits that his tastes in music are eclectic. “I don’t imagine these songs will get played in a Vons or a Ralphs. It’s not that kind of music.”

In what kind of store does Escovedo see Hills Like Elephants getting air time? “The Gap,” he says. “Maybe a clothing store, as opposed to MAC. But that all remains to be seen. The days where a band like the Black Crowes can come and tear down a [sponsor] banner hanging behind them are long gone. Musicians have to be concerned with making money.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
Next Article

Live Five: Sitting On Stacy, Matte Blvck, Think X, Hendrix Celebration, Coriander

Alt-ska, dark electro-pop, tributes, and coastal rock in Solana Beach, Little Italy, Pacific Beach
Maren Parusel’s “Dear Love” got Requiemme into instore soundtracks. - Image by Chris Maroulakos
Maren Parusel’s “Dear Love” got Requiemme into instore soundtracks.

“What did they used to call that, the kind of music that used to be playing in supermarkets?” Well, whatever the proper term is, Ex-Dragon frontman Mario Escovedo says that’s a new direction Requiemme, his artist-management company, is taking. Meaning, tracks supplied by local indie rockers such as Maren Parusel and Hills Like Elephants will be heard playing as a soundtrack for shoppers in mall stores.

“MAC Cosmetics executives heard Maren Parusel’s song ‘Dear Love,’ and they said they wanted that song playing in their stores.” Escovedo says that he was first contacted by PlayNetwork, a Seattle-area company that produces instore music and video messaging for a variety of retailers, including Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, Victoria’s Secret, Old Navy, and Holiday Inn. “Hundreds of major stores,” Escovedo says.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“At first, I didn’t want to be any part of their service.” But he says he researched the company and learned their first client was Starbuck’s, “and they did a good job for them. PlayNetwork models background store music for younger markets.” Escovedo says that instore soundtracks are programmed to fit each subscriber company’s individual demographics, which is a long way from the elevator music of old.

Following talks with PlayNetwork, Escovedo says he agreed to not only license some of Parusel’s tracks, but he agreed to put selections from other artists signed to his San Diego–based catalog into their system as well.

“Artists are paid per play, not unlike radio,” he says. “Except that PlayNetwork guarantees a certain number of plays per year around the world.” He says Parusel is excited about an opportunity that in years past had been considered to be something of a sellout by other recording artists. “She felt it was a compliment to be asked.”

Escovedo has operated Requiemme for the past five years while manning the news assignment desk at a local television station. He thinks this new connection with PlayNetwork may allow his company to “see some profits on the horizon.” That said, he admits that his tastes in music are eclectic. “I don’t imagine these songs will get played in a Vons or a Ralphs. It’s not that kind of music.”

In what kind of store does Escovedo see Hills Like Elephants getting air time? “The Gap,” he says. “Maybe a clothing store, as opposed to MAC. But that all remains to be seen. The days where a band like the Black Crowes can come and tear down a [sponsor] banner hanging behind them are long gone. Musicians have to be concerned with making money.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Dim Sum Tour, Warwick’s Holiday Open House

Events November 24-November 27, 2024
Next Article

Undocumented workers break for Trump in 2024

Illegals Vote for Felon
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader