Campaign III – GAP Sound of Color

Along with it’s partner, REHAB, GAP has produced a series of videos that ask musicians to write a song based on a color (currently yellow, green, red, blue, and black & white). After the song is written film directors are then asked to create a video based equally on the color as the original song. Here is the result for yellow:

Going to the Sound of Color website provides loads of additional content, including artist interviews, bios, making of videos, along with interesting facts about each color (did you know the human eye can discern more shades of green than any other color?). The videos will run as advertising on music websites during the campaign which lasts 30 days starting on Feb. 15, so get to the website quick to see the videos. Currently you can download the 5 songs for free and after the 30-day time period the artists will retain all the rights to their original work.

Here is a rundown of the artists and colors that are a part of the campaign.

Red
Artist: DNTEL
Director: Mary Fagot and James Frost, Blip Boutique

Yellow
Artist: Marié Digby
Director: Ryan Ebner, HSI/The Valencia Company

Green
Artist: Swizz Beatz
Director: Tom Gatsoulis, Boxer

Blue
Artist: The Blakes
Director: Russ Lamoureux, Biscuit

Black & White
Artist: The Ravonettes
Director: Chris Do, Blind

Here is what the artists themselves had to say about the campaign:

“It’s a little weird to have a company like that asking, ‘Hey can you write a song about a color?’
The corporations are asking you to be creative, but this could be what we are looking at for the future of music, ya know?”

Garnet & Snow Keim, The Blakes

“As a band today you have to find different outlets for your music, so for us it’s a way to get our music out.”

Sharin Foo, The Ravonettes

“GAP to me is a great brand. In a way they are commissioning artists to just do their own thing.”

Chris Do, Blind

“I loved it, as a partner I felt they were furthering the creative process.”

Tom Gatsoulis, Boxer Films

“Thats when you really start to get the great stuff out of everybody when you give them the creative freedom to push forward the ideas. I wish more companies would take that risk, kudos to GAP for doing it.”

James Frost, Blip Boutique

I will be throwing in my two cents about this and two other online, artist supported campaigns, one for Adidas and another for Lakai. In the mean time here is some more info about the GAP Sound of Color campaign.

Further Reading:
PSFK

Billboard

GAP Press Release