Get busy with the fizzy

Sony and Pepsi are linking up to formalise the artist-by-artist fizzy drink endorsement arrangements in the US. Now, Sony artists are hooked to Pepsi, and Pepsi are hooked to Sony Artists.

Now, this wouldn't be so much of a major leap forward if it wasn't for the way Tommy "Put some clothes on, Celine" Mottola is choosing to see this as going beyond the usual - picture of artist on multipack boxes; semi-naked artist in Pepsi poster; small 'Pepsi sponsors' logo on tour ads; artist photographed swigging Coca-Cola; awkward press conference.

Mottola claims:

"Our goal in the end is to create a much larger distribution platform for ourselves. This is the beginning of a new model. I'm sure it's going to cause a result."

Okay, okay, we could point out the multi-million pound business brain has just said there's going to be a result, which is obvious - even the Light Brigade got a result when they made their famous charge; more puzzling is what he actually means when his forked tongue curls round "create a larger distribution platform."

Because the key aspect of the deal is that when you pop in to buy some Pepsi - or its delicious alternative styles - you'll find massive dump bins of free CDs to take home and pass off to your relatives as Christmas gifts ("and sample new artists and albums").

We're confused, though. Haven't Sony and the RIAA been saying that free music is bad? That because music is available for free through the Internet, nobody will buy records any more? And people will take the tracks and burn them to CD-Rs, which is bad? So their response is to save them the time and effort of downloading and burning, and just giving the CDs to them straight off?

Now, in the old days, we'd imagine that Sony were looking to create interest in their artists by offering people a chance to hear their music, in the expectation that this will drive sales later. But the RIAA have been most clear in their pronouncements about MP3 that allowing people to hear music for free doesn't drive sales, and only creates the demand for more free music. We're confused.