Coca Cola Brands Buskers?

In a past life not so long ago, you might have caught my friends and me on a street corner trying to earn some beer money by hammering through a bunch of songs.  Busking - as it's called to those who don't know - is a fun way for musicians to test market new material.  If people stop and listen you know that you're on the right track.  If they throw in some change you're even better.  (Of course, you are then obliged to play a request.)

So, it was with some surprise when I discovered at AdAge.com that
Coca-Cola will be throwing their money into the guitar cases of London's Tube Buskers throughout the holiday season to push Coke's jingles.  I could go on some diatribe about how corporations are stepping on artistic integrity, but this is so much better than Christmas carolers.  Besides it's a brilliant move.  Whether in New York, London or any other metropolitan area, buskers play a key role in the aesthetic of the environment.  They have the ability to turn the mundane commute into a new (and usually positive) experience.  Cheers to Coca-Cola for trying something different.