Kiddie Soaps are this year's VW Commercials

As I look back on 2004, the trend that I'm most impressed with is the way with which good music is finding it's way to deserving ears.

With the further consolidation of radio it's become even harder for deserving bands to make it on the radio, so there has been all sorts of different ways attempted to bypass that evil structure. MTV was the first, but it has always been compromised by the almighty immediate profit.

Television ads started becoming the most interesting source for music to get initial play (most notably Volkswagen car commercials) at the turn of the century (and that phrase still feels weird for referencing 2000.)

While it's not new this year (the WB pioneered the trend, mostly as an outlet for cross-promoting their own artists) Kiddie Soaps - ie, The O.C., life as we know it, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, etc. - have begun breaking out bands in a big way. It started innocently enough, with cool music soundtracks and guest appearances (remember My So Called Life had Sonic Youth and Archers of Loaf on their soundtrack, and The Flaming Lips appeared on Beverly Hills 90210?) but The O.C. has taken it to a new level.

With The Bait Shop, they've taken Beverly Hills 90210's Peach Pit: After Dark, and run with it.

While The Flaming Lips appeared at the Peach Pit, it's a trifecta of emerging artists (The Walkmen, The Killers, Modest Mouse) this season appearing at the Bait Shop. And just having your song appear on the show is becoming a way to breakout an artist.

Now if they feature The Arcade Fire, or better yet Animal Collective, then we know the O.C. music supervisors are truly in the know.