R.E.M.’s Mills Blasts Rock Music Sold For Commercials

Dan Aquilante of the New York Post spoke with Mike Mills of R.E.M. and asked him what he thought about artists who sell the rights to their songs for commercials. “It’s something every artist has to wrestle with. For me, it’s a no-brainer,” he said. “Listen, how many people now think of United Airlines when they hear ‘Rhapsody in Blue’? A lot – and that’s appalling. That’s one of the greatest pieces of American music ever written, and a company is using it to sell airplane tickets. It’s tragic.”