Josh Rabinowitz
SVP, Director of Music, Grey Worldwide
Brooklyn, New York
Josh Rabinowitz, 43, wants to turn music created for an ad into a hit song. A former record producer, composer, trombonist, and band leader, he works with clients such as
“There is no science to developing music for ads. I see myself as the same as a record exec. Brands want something to call attention to them. So I listen to music all day. Sometimes I can’t believe how many CDs I have to listen to. Artists will even come and give us private showcases. They come with a lunch and a sound system, and we have a concert in our office.
Why? In advertising, they’re spending tens of millions of dollars on media buys. The major record labels don’t have that kind of money. And artists understand that. TV ads give you the kind of heavy rotation that you can’t get on MTV anymore. In the very near future, some of the best bands will produce jingles. I went to the Jazz Festival in New Orleans and met one of the guys from Little Feat. The first thing he said to me was, ‘I got a great song for [erectile-dysfunction drug] Cialis.’ Nothing is off limits.”
