Not only are the days when mainstream musicians looked down on advertising agencies long gone, but, as Leo Burnett USA is proving, there's no longer any reason for there to be so many layers between them. Such is the philosophy behind Leo Burnett's Artist In Residence program.

Launched in March 2005, the initiative provides musicians and agency creatives an opportunity to spend time together. The goal is to cut through the swathes of label and managerial handlers standing between the two entities, and to develop more personal relationships that might one day yield dividends in marketing and licensing arenas. Kaiser Chiefs, Common, Cheap Trick, Good Charlotte and Chris Brown are just a handful of the artists that have passed through the agency's walls in the last 18 months or so.

According to VP/Music Producer Bonny Dolan, part of the impetus for the program came from one creative's nightmarish licensing experience. "They'd been trying to get this piece of music for weeks, maybe months," she says. "They'd contacted the label and the publisher and it just sat on somebody's desk and it never got anywhere, so I thought because there's so much fusion now between advertising and music, we should try to put the human touch back into this relationship."

The opportunity to meet in a more personal environment makes it easier to allay fears and educate musicians on marketing areas that might make sense for them, says director of music Ira Antelis. "We tell people to be open. Obviously a bunch of artists wouldn't be interested in certain products we have at this agency, but between Nintendo and McDonald's we have a lot to offer."

Not surprisingly, as the program turns the corner into its third year, artists' level of interest has exploded. It's just proof, says Antelis, that it's clearly addressing a need. "Everybody said we were crazy and that nobody would come, or that we'd have to pay them thousands of dollars. Now people call us."

Leo Burnett http://www.leoburnett.com