Product placement in television shows, movies and music videos is nothing new. Normally, the major sponsors query the targeted artists or movie production companies to place their products. But in this case, singer Kelly Rowland’s record label is putting the cart before the horse.
Rowland, who rose to fame as a member of the Grammy-winning group Destiny’s Child, is now bigger overseas than she is here in America. Her albums don’t sell well here at all. So when it came time to create a budget for Kelly’s latest music video, the label came up short on funds.
According to the NY Post’s Page Six, a Universal Motown exec was forced to send out emails seeking product placement to pay for Kelly’s next video.
“We are currently seeking brands who want to partner with us for the upcoming (Grammy-winning, platinum-selling) Kelly Rowland music video for the first single off of her new album,” says the email. “We are primed for an outstanding project. This will be a video that is serviced around the world.”
Last year, Kelly fired Beyonce’s dad Matthew Knowles as her manager. It is assumed that she could no longer afford to pay his six-figure annual salary.
Source: NY PS
