As Seen On TV

I remember the late night television music commercials, the ones you would catch in the wee hours of Sunday morning, the double album-slash-CD collections of Boxcar Willie or Roger Whittaker for example, all of their greatest hits now together in one awesome disc. Except for one thing - who is Boxcar Willie? I never recognized him from the picture in the ad, have never seen any Boxcar Willie hits on the charts or as a jukebox selection or on the radio. Roger Whittaker's name is a bit more familiar perhaps because of the cheesy Christmas songs that play in the background as the announcer promises you'll get all his hits in two great CDs for just $9.99.
Your first reaction is to chuckle sarcastically and mutter to yourself something like - who would be stupid enough to buy this?

The answer is that both of these alleged artists are truly laughng all the way to the bank. Whether it's Boxcar, Roger, Monster Metal Hits, or the latest assemblage of Number One blasts from the 70s,80s or 90s, the late night pitches represent the flip side of Billboard, the music which turns a huge profit without ever making it to the "Top Ten."

No matter how cheesy infomercials may seem, they have a function that sets them apart from regular commercials - instant results! Major advertisers spend millions each year pushing fast food, soda, cars and other consumer products with no indication whether the commercials have any measurable results, except the assumption that, if they don't advertise, their share of the marketplace will quickly dissipate. Infomercials generate immediate income via the oft repeated phrase - "operators are standing by." Consumers call as soon as the pitch ends, put the purchase on a selected credit card and the advertiser - hopefully- laughs all the way to the bank.