Wacky Music Market

The guys in new-wave band Lights On are working hard to turn fans on to their retro British synth-pop sound. Lucky for them, the licensing company they hired last year is just as diligent.

In the past six months, the band’s licensing company has placed Lights On songs on three ABC television shows, and another of the band’s songs will appear in upcoming film I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Each placement brings in anywhere from $4000 to $8000.

The last placement, the one they are most proud of, came recently, during the August 29 episode of HBO miniseries Hung, a show about a Detroit high school basketball coach who turns tricks for extra cash. During a rock-climbing scene, “Wild at Heart,” a song from Lights On’s debut EP Waiting for the Heart to Beat, played in the background.

“We were definitely excited. This is a cool show…a little racy…and, ultimately, not cheesy,” wrote singer-guitarist-keyboardist Timothy Hines in a September 2 email. “It was background music for the most part but still pretty cool.”

Since hiring the licensing company, the band has been pleased with the results. “The music supervisors in Hollywood run a small incestuous circle and take a liking to upcoming bands that are cheap for hire,” writes Hines. “But, it pays well. It just adds another log to the fire of trying to build a buzz in this wacky music market.”

And as the band records their second EP, due out this October, they await to hear what might be the biggest song placement yet, a song for the second installment in the teenage vampire movie saga Twilight: The New Moon.

“That would be a huge deal,” writes Hines. “But, we’ll see.”

Catch Lights On playing Friday, October 9, at the Whistle Stop with Hotel St. George. And in November, they will open for Swedish indie act Peter Bjorn and John at House of Blues here and in L.A.