Every time you see a TV commercial, an Instagram ad or a movie trailer, you are watching the result of a fierce battle over what song gets to play in the background.

And many of the players in that battle are right here in Nashville.

This is a purely commercial part of the music industry, called music sync. The music is so ubiquitous that you often don’t even notice it. But without it, people wouldn’t feel things when they watch video content.

What made the finale of Grey’s Anatomy Season 3 (circa 2007, in which Cristina gets left at the altar) such a gut-wrencher? It was because of Ingrid Michaelson’s original song “Keep Breathing” that played in the background, which perfectly amplifies Cristina’s angst as she tears off her wedding dress.

What made you look up from your phone during a 2026 Winter Olympics commercial for Powerade? It was the dark beats of a song called “You’ve Got The Power” by Nashville musician Annalisa Franklin, who goes by the moniker Mejia.

In Nashville, there’s now a huge cohort of musicians who make their money almost exclusively from sync. And yet, as demand increases, supply rises to meet it.

The latest episode of Music Citizens asks: Is the golden age of music sync over?

WHAT TO KNOW

Katie Jelen. Photo: Carly ButlerThe episode follows a day in the life of Katie Jelen, a Nashville-based music sync rep. Her job is pitch as many songs as possible for sync from her roster of indie musicians.

It used to be that no musician with a soul would work with advertisers. But then, when huge portions the industry collapsed post-Napster, even indie darlings were like, “OK, we’ll take their money.” (See: The Shins in a McDonald’s commercial, circa 2002.)

For years, sync was the little-known gold mine for Nashville career musicians: songwriters, producers, bands that had yet to make it big. 

But when touring dried up during the pandemic, even big-name artists realized sync could be a lucrative revenue stream. On the other end of the spectrum, music libraries entered the chat, offering advertisers hundreds of thousands of background music tunes for cheap. Nashville’s indie artists are getting squeezed in the middle.

And, of course, there’s AI. One of most fascinating parts of the episode is Jason Moon Wilkins and Justin Barney run a real-world advertiser brief through AI music software — and are shocked by the results.Listen to Music Citizens

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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast 
with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

How did a vicious attack on Black people in Tennessee relate to landmark constitutional protections? The same part of Tennessee where the loss of Voting Rights Acts protections could be felt first was once the sight of a brutal event that spurred passage of the 14th Amendment. Plus the local news for May 1, 2026, and RaDonda Vaught.

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MORE TO KNOW

• Music Row stalwart David Allan Coe with an outlaw state of mind died Wednesday at age 86. Coe wrote hits like the working-class anthem “Take This Job and Shove It” and “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.” He had a knack for writing raw and sometimes explicit lyrics. He drew on his checkered past, which included time behind bars. Early in his career, Coe was known the Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, after performing in a bedazzled suit and mask. He released R-rated albums that were sold in biker magazines, before landing touring gigs with Willie Nelson, Kid Rock and Neil Young. Coe was hospitalized with COVID in 2021 and made few public appearances in the years since. [Associated Press]
   
• The state of Tennessee will see how far $20 million can go when it comes to affordable housing for teachers, nurses and police. A bill that passed at the end of the legislative session funds a pilot program that provides loans to build or rehab housing, promotes regulatory flexibility, and prioritizes projects near major employers. The program focuses on housing for families making 80% to 150% of the median income. The measure, sponsored by Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton, comes as Democrats hope to use affordability to make gains this year at the polls. [The Tennessee Journal]
   
• Starbucks is bringing 2,000 corporate jobs to Nashville — but many with a pay cut. Bloomberg reports a hundred-person sourcing team was told they could either move here with a lower salary, given the lower cost of living, or forfeit their jobs. They were given less than a month to decide. That’s said to have hurt morale and trust among some tech workers who have also been asked to relocate. Starbucks’ reasons for the move include proximity to suppliers and Tennessee’s friendly tax environment. [Bloomberg]

FROM WNXP

The 55th Annual Spring Tennessee Craft Fair happens this Friday through Sunday at Centennial Park. 

This is an opportunity for attendees to shop crafted artwork directly from award-winning artists while learning about what inspires them, says WNXP’s Marquis Munson.

The event is hosted by Tennessee Craft, an organization founded in 1965 with a mission to provide a network for craft artists and communities statewide.

Executive and fair director Kim Wagg said: “What you’ll find there, number one, is the individual artists who made that artwork. You can talk to them and you can hear their journey, their stories, which makes that artwork even more meaningful.”More from WNXP

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

The dust is starting to settle after the annual whirlwind that is the final days of the legislative session at the Tennessee State Capitol. We take you inside the halls of power to wrap up. We hear from reporters who offer their insights into what passed and why, what failed…and what might surface again in 2027.

Stream This is Nashville with host Blake Farmer on YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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