Phillip Phillip’s “Home” Featured in an Insurance Ad! (VIDEO)

By On 08/20/2012 · 44 Comments · In American Idol, Phillip Phillips

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Phillip Phillip’s coronation song, “Home” is EVERYWHERE. First, it was the theme song for the Olympic Women’s gymnastic team, then it was included in the new Clint Eastwood movie, Trouble with the Curve.

And now? The American Idol winner’s song is part of an American Family Insurance commercial.  I kid you not.

OK. Enough! No more placements! Don’t make me sick of this song, because I really love it.  Just kidding. The more exposure for Phil, the better.

Although, we never hear his voice in the ad.   The company cheaped out and only used an instrumental portion.

http://youtu.be/b9YS8lJVPNQ

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  • Anonymous

    Over exposure is better than NO exposure!!!

  • http://twitter.com/eilonwya10 Eilonwy

    Yes, it’s the same version I came across, mentioning his FB, but I couldn’t find the source either.

    I then belatedly realized it might make sense to look at the site for Holden’s music publisher, Razor & Tie. The page for Holden promotes the P2 version of Home, which R&T would not be able to do if the rights all belonged to some other entity. It looks like Home is one of the GH songs that R&T is promoting for synch rights and such, which means GH has the rights he’d ordinarily have as a songwriter.

  • Kirsten

    I swear. This guy has a horseshoe up his a$$. 

  • Kirsten

     

    This commercial really cheapens it.

    Yes, “We are Young” by fun. was doing so well for them until it was used in a car ad….oh, wait.

    It’s an Idol Coronation song. There is nothing one can do to a song to make it any more of a commercial sell-out than it is as an Idol coronation song. Good heavens, even being used the ditty on an ice cream truck is less commercial. The entire purpose of Idol is to sell people Coke, AT&T, Fords and various other items. Idol Coronation songs are souvenirs for the television show with the highest ad rates of regular, non-sports shows.

  • Anonymous

     LMAO!!!

  • Anonymous

    I would doubt that he did this. I know that labels and/or publishers often try to get a percentage of songwriting royalties from the songwriters, but in general, that would not be more than 50% of the songwriter’s royalties, and more often is 25% or less. It can depend on how desperate the writer is to land a cut, get a placement, etc.

  • Incipit

    The page for Holden promotes the P2 version of Home, which R&T would not be able to do if the rights all belonged to some other entity. It looks like Home is one of the GH songs that R&T is promoting for synch rights and such, which means GH has the rights he’d ordinarily have as a songwriter.

    Eilonwy, thanks for the sleuthing; I had seen the rumors as well – very glad for the songwriters’ sake to know it was not true! If they had sold all their rights to “Home” just before it was used for the Coronary, that would just be broken. And this hardly constitutes over-exposure, IMO.

    There are certainly no guarantees in any given season, as we have seen –  but this is what “can” happen: an excerpt from a very long 2009 blog post by Regie Hamm, the writer of ToML – “My Favorite Year”

    “How has this changed your life?”

    “This song. This year has been unbelievable for me and my family. Not only was it the American Idol finale song but also used on “America’s Got talent”, “So You Think You Can Dance”, “The Biggest Loser”, The Espys and the 2008 Olympic games …7 times, including closing the opening ceremonies – watched by over a billion people. David performed it live on Jay Leno, The View, Good Morning America, Today, The CBS Early Show and last, but certainly not least, Oprah, (where she declared it “The Official song of the Olympic games in Beijing”). 

    It was downloaded over one million times. It entered the Billboard Hot One Hundred at number 3. It charted on three separate charts and topped the Adult Contemporary chart in the last week of September 2008. It was still there in the last week of February 2009. 16 weeks. As I write this, it is currently being used as the theme for hundreds of proms across the nation. This past week I flew to New York and accepted the award for “Song Of The Year” given by SESAC, my performance rights organization.”

    ~~~~~~

    Four years later, ToML is still getting airplay. “Home” has certainly had a somewhat parallel flight so far – well, maybe excepting the Proms, Graduations and weddings – but the publishers are finding other outlets, like this advertisement – Greg Holden and  Drew Pearson may be writing a similar blog in 2013, about ‘their’ favorite year. I’m glad they will have that opportunity.

  • Anonymous

    Why would the songwriters give up their rights to the song?  It’s not like it’s necessary, or something that is usually done.  First of all, the songs that will be on Phillip’s debut album are licensed to Interscope, so why wouldn’t that be the case for the coronation song.  Secondly, we are talking about a professional writer, who gets money from licensing his songs for use by other artists, media outlets, etc, so why would he give up the rights to any song?

  • getaway1

    Overexposed?  Nope.  Phillip’s promotion team is doing exactly what I would expect them to do.  Steadily build that momentum and hopefully expand Phillp’s fan base outside the AI bubble.

  • Anonymous

    Cash in the hand vs. the likelihood that the song will be thrown in the trash after the Finale, or certainly after the Tour.  The writers could never have imagined what would happen to their little folksong.  I think Jimmie bought it, either outright or with a royalty of some sort.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Li-Wright/100001622678180 Li Wright

    The Writer is the one getting rich off of royalties.  He should kiss the ground that Jimmy Iovine walks on.

  • elliegrll

    AI fans are always saying this, but it’s not how things work.  Writers just don’t give up the right to their songs. Everybody knows that owning the publishing rights is where the money is in the music business.  If the song didn’t become a hit with Phillip, there’s always the chance that others would want to record it, or that they could license it for use in some other medium.  

    More importantly, as Eilonwy said, it’s pretty easy to go to the publisher’s site, and seeing who owns the song.

  • Incipit

     Cash in the hand vs. the likelihood that the song will be thrown in the trash after the Finale, or certainly after the Tour…I think Jimmie bought it

    Durbesque – did you go to Eilonwy’s link at R&T, and read Greg Holden’s Bio? This is not the history of some wet-behind-the-ears neophyte who doesn’t know how the industry works – or is desperate for a little money or recognition, and would fall for a ‘cash in the hand’ con job.

    Why would he? He has a good resume’, a track record of selling his songs and his music, and seems to be doing quite well –  this wasn’t his first rodeo. “He” sent the song to Idol for consideration on spec. Song writers who do that accept the chances up front. IMO.

    ETA: No Coronary is ‘thrown in the trash’ – they all sell ‘something’ to the fandom, even if no one else buys them – there is some guaranteed money involved…and no way to tell how much or little that may be beforehand – it’s part of the gamble of submitting on spec.

    In any case – there is “Home” on R&T’s page – not on Interscope’s…Holden still has his rights.

    (and I was surprised to kinda like “Hell and Back”, his new single from his latest album)

  • snow_ghost

    LOL MJ using that “HOME ALONE” like pose of P2!   I had to chuckle since the P2 said he didn’t think the song was him and now that song is defining him.

    Anyway, good for P2, AI and the dude who wrote the song.   I wonder if it will reach TOML’s numbers.

  • OffLeash

    There’s a very good chance it’ll outsell TOML. Home probably sold another 100k last week, maybe more, bringing its total to at least 1.2 mil. And with all the upcoming promo, it should be able to sell at least another 300k during its lifetime.

  • jobeob987

    “Home” is the song that keeps on going!  P2 really lucked out as the recipient of the best AI coronation song ever.  What a coup for him and his upcoming album!

  • durbesque

    Thanks for the info… Who is the Publisher?  Where is his site?  Who owns “Home”?

    Apparently, it’s that simple.

  • durbesque

    Thanks for the info…. I’ll check out the link, as well as “Hell and Back”.

  • Brian Blommer

    “I don’t play for Miller, I don’t play for Bud. I don’t play for politicians, I don’t play for Spuds. This note’s for you.” –Neil Young. True then. True now. True forever.

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