The Key to Connection: How Grayson Music Is Elevating Work by Investing in Artists

“Our roots in music run deep - the intrinsically collaborative process of writing and creating music has been a part of our DNA for over 20 years”. 

For Bridget Flynn and Grayson Music, their craft is fundamentally human. After all, that’s what makes it so impactful in advertising. It’s a universal language that has the power to unite through shared experience, emotional expression, and cultural or societal environments. Put simply, advertising loves music because it connects with people. 

"Our clients are often looking for what they call ‘real music’”, notes Bridget. "Since all of our music is ‘real’, how we interpret that particular ask is that they want to licence music which hasn't been specifically written for their ad, but which has been written by an artist inspired to create and express themselves, and just so happens to authentically align with the mood and message of the campaign”.

“We believe in the importance and beauty of making music together, with artists and songwriters sharing the same space” continues Bridget as she reflects on Grayson’s recent announcement of a New York studio. ”That’s manifested through collaborations and investments in song writing camps in the US, Canada and Mexico (more on which later), but also through a pure and sincerely-felt love for music for music’s sake. 

In a media ecosystem cluttered with endless content, that feeling of being ‘real’ is valuable - and worth paying for. To foster it, Grayson Music has partnered with SNGL - an independent music publisher and full service sync company. SNGL is a community purpose-built to open up licensing opportunities for artists both new and established.

“SNGL was built around the desire to open up that pathway and allow independent artists to access a network of producers and writers, as well as a world of endless possibilities and collaborations in the world of sync for advertising, tv, and film, helping our clients discover that authentic music they’re all searching for”, says Bridget.

“And from the artist’s perspective, let’s say they get $20,000 as a one-off payment through licensing a song through sync. Well, that’s the equivalent of what you’d get in royalties for millions of listens on a streaming service. That’s the kind of difference we’re talking about here - there’s so much talent trying to make a career out of music, and increasingly sync is proving to be a more reliable tool through which to do that”. 

SNGL regularly brings its creative network together by hosting songcamps; pairing producers, artists, and writers to craft tracks for specific advertising, film, and tv briefs. On top of their work with SNGL, Grayson also partnered with the 4th annual Anti Social Camp in New York earlier this year, otherwise known as “SXSW for songwriters”. 

At the event over 200 artists, songwriters, and producers celebrated the art of collaboration, featuring more than 100 recording sessions and a packed calendar of events. Grayson Music, for its part, hosted a sync-themed day for camp participants that included sync-specific song writing sessions and panel discussions featuring industry-leading music professionals.

“Anti Social Camp was such a massive highlight for us, we’ve been wanting to feed the song writing community of NY so it was the perfect opportunity to do exactly that”, notes Bridget. “Danny Ross, who has been running Anti Social Camp for years, is an absolute gem of a human being. Everything that we’ve been talking about in terms of investing in real music and real people, he champions. As soon as I started talking with him, I knew we had to do this together”. 

And these collaborations are already throwing up organic and effective results. Placements that have come out of camp creations via SNGL include Molly Moore & Goldchain’s “Hustle” for Google, Willa’s “Whiskey Alligator” on Tinder, and Willa’s ‘Now You Know’ on the premiere of AppleTV’s Land of Women series. 

Through The Wilders - another company within Grayson Music Group - independent artists contributed their music to the trailblazing, Peabody award-winning show ‘Sort Of’ for CBC/HBO. In each season, a group of up and coming artists, all in different places creatively, were brought together to create a soundtrack for the series. “Having never written for TV before, the process was a truly collaborative musical experiment”, says Bridget. "We're so proud of this year's team especially as the artist Kimmortal won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Song". 

Another successful pairing of an artist and brand happened this year as Canadian icon Tim Hortons collaborated with R&B singer Loony for the sting now heard at the end of every Tim’s commercial: “It’s Time For Tim’s”. 

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the industry at the moment, driven by the conversation around AI and what that might mean for the role human beings have to play”, says Bridget. “But where we are now, AI isn’t quite at a level where it can give brands anything like the quality, creativity, and originality that a human can - yet. I’m not saying it will never happen, and we’re curious about it within Grayson. But at this moment in time, there’s an opportunity for a truly sustainable and symbiotic relationship between brands and talent - so why would you not want to take advantage of that?” 

Looking back at just what these collaborations can mean for artists, Bridget recalls an ad for KFC soundtracked by Thelonious and CABBIE96. “That was the first time those artists had been involved with a sync like this for advertising”, she says. “And I remember they told me how they were so excited and energised about the whole thing, they literally walked into a KFC and were telling the staff how they made the music for their ad! It's a lovely image, but it also gives an example of the positivity and energy you can imbue into your brand when you work with real musicians in that way. That’s a beautiful thing”. 

And it’s an aspect of Grayson’s offering that they’re constantly looking to grow, expanding their network of artists to cover a wide variety of genres informed by talent and trends in equal measure. 

The tectonic plates of the industry are always moving - and perhaps towards artificial intelligence, as Bridget alludes. But at this moment in time, there’s an opportunity to forge mutually beneficial relationships between brands and artists in a way that elevates advertising and allows artists to earn a living doing what they love. Grayson Music has made its home at that intersection between brands and artists - and long may it last.