Ayala Ben-Yehuda, L.A.
Two-and-a-half years after a key placement on
ABC's
"Grey's Anatomy" helped turn the Fray into platinum stars, the band
is utilizing another high-profile TV partnership to introduce its
new single, "You Found Me," Billboard can exclusively reveal.
In a commercial break from the tense elevator confrontations of the
Nov. 20 episode of "Grey's," a one-minute promo with scenes from
the upcoming season of ABC's "Lost" will premiere the track, as
well as parts of the music video.
Viewers will be directed to abc.com, where they can find a
three-minute version of the clip as well as a link to iTunes; there
they can buy the single, which goes to radio the next day.
The partnership between ABC and the Fray -- vocalist/pianist
Isaac
Slade, guitarists Joe King and David Welsh and drummer Ben
Wysocki -- also includes an agreement for the band to appear on the
American Music Awards, "Good Morning America" and the outdoor
concert series on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ABC will use "You Found Me"
as the promo song for this season of "Lost," and discussions are
underway to use the band's music on sister channel ESPN during the
height of football season.
"Because this band appeals to everyone from 8 to 80, television
really does play a great role in exposing the music to a wider
audience," Epic executive VP of marketing Lee Stimmel says. "And
the band writes amazing songs that work with a picture." (Asked if
he watches "Grey's Anatomy," Slade says, "I have seen it a few
times. It's a really good show.")As for the sound of "The Fray" --
produced like the debut by Epic VP of A&R Mike Flynn and Aaron
Johnson -- it's "a little more extreme than the last record," Slade
says. "The quieter stuff is a little quieter than our last record
and the rock stuff is a little rockier. It definitely spreads the
spectrum a little bit."
The Fray will preview the album during a tour of small venues in
early January. It will be available for physical and digital
pre-order beginning Nov. 21 at thefray.net; purchasers who buy the
CD from the site will get a bonus disc of live recordings from the
January tour.
That online integration reflects a sales history of more than 6
million digital tracks sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and
the Fray scored iTunes' top-downloaded album of 2006 with "How To
Save a Life."