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Reasoner
Just a simple guy. I only contribute music to newgrounds since I have no visual artistic talents whatsoever. My influences come mostly from Vangelis, George Winston, and a heavy dose of electronica and new age.

Age 40, Male

Composer

Middle Tennessee State

SF Bay Area, CA

Joined on 2/6/08

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What's up Toyota?

Posted by Reasoner - February 12th, 2010


So I'm sitting at work one day when I decide to casually browse my Newgrounds account for anything new that might possibly be in my inbox. Usually it's not much, but Tuesday afternoon I log in to find 8 PM's sitting there. "Whoa...I'm popular....sort of". I start browsing through them and they all link to a Toyota ad campaign on YouTube. If you have cable and watch tv (unlike myself) then you've probably seen this ad. It's Toyota's attempt to comfort the consumer market out there about the recent recalls. It's a feel good commercial that just makes you wish Toyota was in your living room right now, making you tea, and listening to you talk about your day at school.

As soon as I played the video, I had to stop myself. "Did I write this song they're playing along to this ad"? It literally sounded like something I'd composed a while ago........and then it hit me. "This piano line is very similar to A Walk Down The Trail".

Well...many of my newgrounds peeps agree. While it's not a direct copy, it's eerily similar. It's almost like whoever wrote this sat back and listened to my catelog on here before writing a quick, one minute cue for Toyota. Crazy...I know....but it's unsettled me deeply.

On that note, I've put out a website. It's just a simple site asking people to vote their opinion. Is it similar? Does it sound the same to you? I'd love people to take a look at it and decide for themselves. Feel free to PM me your opinions too. I think it's safe to say that at the very least, there's someone out there following me.

Doesitsoundthesame.com

What's up Toyota??


Comments

It sounds similar, however creating original music is tough. SOmewhere out there is bound to be another melody that sounds like this one as well.
In short, you're going paranoid

I dunno, the progression and arpeggios in the toyota commercial are pretty different in the end. It's true that it share a similar "theme" loosely and I could see someone having drawn inspiration from your pieces but in they end they are too dissimilar to have any chance of creating a court case out of it...

personally they sounds almost exactly the same with some section pitched higher than others, but yah what can ya do but be flattered?

It sounds almost exactly note by note to me. I find it highly unlikely this was a coincidence.

I don't know - they definitely have a similar style, and use the same effects. But the actual notes and progression are quite different. I think that kind of corporate, feel-good music is pretty cookie-cutter to begin with and there isn't a whole lot of variety that can be done. Half the music from Maplestory has a similar sound to this. I think the culprit may be the genre itself :)

Same chord progression in the beginning, same descending notes, although a different key.. They did a poor job imitating. I definitely think you got ripped off and it's a shame.

Not to mention the same sort of delay and reverb. Too similar to be a coincidence in my opinion.

I'm not very knowledgeable about music, so for what it is worth I think they sound similar.

Sounds really alike to me. There are a few different things, but it sounds like they either got inspiration from your song and made it really similar to yours, or it's just some weird misunderstanding.

Oh and I remixed your song 'The Last Flight'. I hope you don't mind...

I was in the liquor store the other day and this commercial was playing inside.. I was like, this song sounds familiar..

i dont know... melody is quite alike and style almost the same
but there exists so many musical pieces in the world that similarities are almost unavoidable... being fully original is almost impossible nowadays
so i cant say...
if the one who created this has listened to your song before creating (because there is a chance someone else comes up with a same styled song) then its definitely based on your song...
but i guess you should first try to figure out who composed(or stole) it and check his other compositions to really know (he might have more song in a style alike while his songs in that style are older... then there is nothing wrong except that its irritating that it is so much alike)

but no matter what... your music is great and deserves the fame
you are a great inspiration for me (yet, i would never purposely steal but always try to be original...)
please never stop making such great music!!!
i especially hope to see some piano songs from you again...

Kill4peace

Was browing your page to see if you had created that Ice Crystals remix and came across this post.

The music you created and toyota used 'are' similar but, they are not the same. The theory you used (and toyota used) is very common for 'feel good' music.

What this does mean though is that you have a great ear for what feels right :) Shame they didn't use your stuff as opposed to some other guy though. Perhaps you were a influence on the actual composer?

You've got to be kidding me, there is one bit in the song used for the Toyota thing that is exactly identical with each note, reverb/echo etc, not to mention the whole song sounds nearly the same as yours, if you ask me they stole your song dude, who sent you those PMs to the Toyota thing?.

Holy crap iot DOES sound the same! ASk them if its yours, and if it is and they didn't credit you you can sue them and make them lose more money :P

Is it too late to make a brake failure joke?