"American Boy" singer Estelle probably went into music for some soulful reason, but now you have to wonder, if it's all just Crystal Light commercials, why should anyone go into music at all?

Estelle is now an employee of the Kraft corporation, so she dropped her latest song in honor of Crystal Light, a tasty beverage whose brand she embodies. No surprise, since "MARKETERS are increasingly becoming the Medicis of music," so why doesn't everyone just give up?

"We believe branded entertainment needs to be developed from the brand up rather than from the entertainment down," said Doug Scott, president at Ogilvy Entertainment [which struck the Estelle-Kraft deal].

In other words, the content must "connect with the target audience," he added, which must also perceive the content as "authentic to the brand."

Musicians' job now is simply to create tunes that might catch the ear of marketing agency executives looking for psychological buttons to push amongst their target audience. Singers and rappers looking for inspiration can now choose between Wrigley, Smirnoff, or, if you're really "out there," Crystal Light. But hey, it's just a way for artists to get money so they can get their real music exposure! No, look again; this is their real music. The rest is just to get them popular enough to be signed by Kraft. Sing that soulful ad jingle, edgy young musicians. That's all that's left.

You might as well have been a jock. Music sucks. [NYT]