ESPN Getting Into The Music Business

Now that ESPN has hooked up with 50 Cent, Perry Farrell, and Kelly Rowland, it’s venturing into the music world even further, airing previews of upcoming albums during Monday Night Football telecasts:

Slated for the coming weeks are West’s “Stronger” and “Good Life” (Sept. 10, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals); Foo Fighters “The Pretenders” and “Come Alive” (Sept. 24, Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints); Matchbox Twenty’s “How Far We’ve Come” and “I’ll Believe You When” (Oct. 1, New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals); and Kid Rock’s “So Hot” and “Rock N Roll Jesus” (Oct. 8, Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills).

Two songs from Eddie Vedder’s new solo record and soundtrack to the Sean Penn-directed movie of the same name, “Into The Wild,” titled “Rise” and “Hard Sun,” have recently been confirmed (Sept. 17 Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles game) as have “Just Can’t Get New Orleans Out Of My Mind” by Irma Thomas and Marcia Ball, and “When The Saints Go Marching In” by Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The latter tracks, from “Goin’ Hoe: A Tribute To Fats Domino” (Vanguard Records), benefiting the Tipitina Foundation, will be included in the Sept. 24 game.

That’s a fairly respectable lineup (I know all too well about the unfortunate sports-and-music pairings that have happened in the past) given the demographics of the MNF viewing audience, although I think that the artist who might benefit most from this whole thing is the punchy Kid Rock, who’s actually performed the MNF theme before; at this point, maybe the guy should just go into the sports-synergy business full-time.

ESPN Unveils New Music Push [Billboard.biz]