Organic Executive Creative Director Anthony Wolch recently sat down with his childhood pal Joey Serlin, the President and Creative Director of Vapor Music, the most successful commercial music company in Canada. Music lovers may recognize Joey as the lead guitarist and chief songwriter for The Watchmen, a popular alternative rock band with legions of faithful fans worldwide and numerous platinum records. When The Watchmen disbanded, Joey started composing music for feature films and video games, eventually joining Vapor, where he scored music for dozens of international commercials for brands such as Budweiser, Coke, Nintendo, GM, Nissan and Chrysler. In 2007, Vapor won two prestigious Titanium Cannes Lions awards for the music created for the Dove Evolution campaign.

Recently, Anthony sat down with Joey to discuss the current state of commercial music production in the digital age, his thoughts on social media and, of course, all things rock and roll.

AW: What inspired you to become a musician?
JS: When I was 13 years old, I was flipping channels and came access The Who documentary The Kids Are Alright. I was completely blown away by Pete Townshend. I had never seen or heard anything like it. The raw amplified sound of him slamming out those big first position chords was so visceral. I immediately asked my father for a guitar.

AW: Tell us about your entry into the digital world when you were with The Watchmen?
JS: When we released Silent Radar in 1998, the CD was encoded with TAG technology, which basically acted as a key to an exclusive fan website. We were the first to do it and we received a lot of international press because of it in tech magazines like WIRED. We also won the MuchMusic award for best new technology. We learned early on that the most efficient way to grow your fan base was through the Internet.

AW: How did you get into commercial music?JS: As The Watchmen began to wind down, I started to compose for film, video games, and other artists. One day, I received a call from an art director who was working for Publicis at the time, asking me to write a rock track for Wal-Mart; it was a cool spot and the track itself stood out within the context of the brand. This, in turn, led to requests from other agencies and music houses. Shortly thereafter, in 2005, I was asked to join Vapor Music, which I currently run with my partner, Gerry Mosby.

AW: Have you ever turned down a commercial music job because the script was incredibly mediocre?
JS: No, the only reason I could ever see turning down work would be for ethical reasons based on content. As mundane as it can be, at times my job is to simply help serve the basic functions of advertising and deliver the message and price points. I’m realistic about it. You are not going to get to work on a Dove Evolution every day. Fortunately, I do get to dig into enough exciting work to keep me interested and creatively invested.

AW: How is social media affecting your side of the advertising industry?
JS: It’s pulling the curtain back on audio houses and lifting the veil of anonymity that we all suffered from. In other words, it allows us to lay claim to the fantastic work that we do. I like to celebrate our composers and artists that we work with — and social media like Twitter is the perfect tool for it. It’s particularly helpful to the music licensing and supervision side of Vapor. Our head music supervisor, David Hayman, has utilized social media very effectively to not only promote the fact that we service multiple television shows, but to identify the artists in the placements. Rookie Blue — a popular television show — is a great example of this. There are millions of viewers wanting to know how to get their hands on a piece of music played during the show.

AW: Do you currently differentiate creating music for traditional VS digital channels?
JS: Not really. When it comes down to it, it’s the picture itself that you work with, not where it ends up living. The creative process is one and the same.

AW: Have you seen a migration of budgets in recent years to the digital world?
JS: Yes, but not nearly as quickly as you would think. I think that the traditional approach to advertising is pretty ingrained within the industry — particularly, with the older generation of creatives. It’s human nature to avoid what you don’t understand. It’s just a matter of time though. As we see more young creatives entering the industry, they will bring greater knowledge and a comfort level regarding digital media.

AW: How do you think the interactive world will affect your business in the near future?

JS: It can only grow our business. Music has the benefit of surviving transitions to different media — there will always be a need for music. The opportunity that technology and the digital world provide is limitless; it’s just a matter of embracing it. My fear is that associations like AFM and ACTRA are going to stall the process because they are not equipped. When I was a touring recording artist, I watched the music industry destroy itself because the old guard didn’t know how, or refused to accept how technology was changing its’ industry. Rather than trying to figure out how to convert mp3’s and peer to peer file sharing into revenue streams, they tried to fight it and lost. Thank God for Steve Jobs.

AW: What is the most interesting/inspiring aspect of the digital world for you?
JS: At the most base level, it’s nice to not have to work within a thirty or sixty second time restriction. Creatively, the work we are given is much more brave and so you do your best to respond. We are not up against Telecaster and broadcast standards, so it’s really up to the client in terms of how hard they want to push the boundaries. Look at the Kenny Powers/ K Swiss campaign. Good luck getting that on TV.

AW: What digital work are you most proud of?
JS: Obviously, Vapor is very proud of Dove Evolution. Evolution was pivotal in showing the world the power of viral advertising and was a game-changer in how we all think about advertising. Vapor is fortunate to have played a creative part in it. I remember watching the growing number of YouTube hits and witnessing the global media coverage — it was very exciting. In addition to Evolution, Vapor worked on the Onslaught and Amy campaigns for Dove Real Beauty. These were also very successful campaigns that delivered powerful messages.

It’s also refreshing when you get to contribute to positive messaging through advertising. Vapor worked on the Cadbury Bicycle Factory digital campaign, which helped to manufacture and ship 5000 bikes to Africa.

AW: Can you talk about the resurgence of The Watchmen through social channels?
JS: The Watchmen at this point have no management or record label. When we decide to play a show, we rely completely on social media to promote it. It’s incredible. The fans communicate through social media and spread the word. We just sold a thousand tickets for a show in a few days without one poster or interview.

AW: What are your top 3 favorite cities and why?
JS: I love Amsterdam for its’ art, culture, beauty and romance and I love New York because it has tremendous creativity, energy and optimism. At the end of the day, I adore Winnipeg because it’s home.

AW: What is your favorite quote of all time?JS: When Noel Gallagher was asked to summarize Oasis in one word his response was “Me.” I love that. We need to celebrate confidence, not apologize for it.

http://www.vapormusicgroup.com/

Anthony Wolch is an Executive Creative Director at Organic.