TVSquad

It's clear the music in television commercials is no longer limited to mainstream music. In fact, more and more advertisers are using "alternative" and "underground" (or whatever you want to call it) music in their ads. In fact, it's a great way to get your music heard if you're a struggling new band, says Cyndi Lauper.

This helps to explain why Lauper signed on as a creative consultant for Alka Seltzer's Battle of the Bands contest. The contest is seeking bands to write their own version of the popular "Plop Plop Fizz Fizz" jingle. I don't know if reworking that particular jingle will launch any band to superstardom, but I think Lauper has a point about how commercials can help a band get exposure that's harder to come by these days with more and more clubs and smaller venues closing down for good.

My musical tastes lean toward the underground, and I hear my favorite bands in commercials all the time. Despite the knee jerk bromide of "SELLOUT!" when this happens, I haven't noticed any of these bands deter from their original sound because a few seconds of one of their songs was used in a beer commercial. For good or ill, it's the nature of the business, and if it helps a band I like pocket some extra cash to make more albums, I can't really complain.

The new Alka Seltzer jingle will premiere during the Super Bowl pregame this Sunday.