You might notice a lot of your favorite "indie" bands licensing their songs for TV commercials. As we have said in the past, television ads are a new medium for gaining exposure for new bands and relatively unknown music.

Ad music licensing can also mean a big payday for up and coming musical acts. Despite this new trend, one advertiser is having trouble buying into this particular market for ad music: Hummer. The controversial (and eco-unfriendly) Hummer automobile division of the GM automaker is having trouble licensing music from smaller indie bands, despite the amounts of money being offered.

"It had to be the worst product you could give a song to," lead singer Hutch Harris (of The Thermals) says. "It was a really easy decision. How could we go on after soundtracking Hummer? It's just so evil." (via Kottke)