Rule of Thirds

Don't be the third.

It seems that many New York based indie bands have continued to discover the beauty and money behind giving song rights to ad campaigns, television shows, and movies. As their music reaches the market, the song becomes more popular, but this is a process.
The first time the song appears it is probably well know among a certain fan base of the band.
By the second people begin to think "Oh, that's that song from _____. I love that song!"
The third time a song is used, it is almost dead.
The trend follows the same pattern of any product, but it still has the ability to improve. Right now the trend starts at the early majority, progresses to the majority, and then moves to the late majority. The only improvement to this system would be getting songs from the early adopters group. This work has already been started by groups like Chop Shop (run by Alexandra Patsavus-- see sidebar for website)

Now here's an example, based on the use of Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear

#1 The Window - How I Met Your Mother (Season 5 Epsiode 10)

If your bored, watch the whole thing; it's entertaining enough. To see where Two Weeks is used, skip to the 18 minute mark.
At this point, it is used almost wholly because it has just introduced to a new audience- very well used.

#2 VW Commercial

Car commericals, good for classic rock and indie music.
Honestly, the song is a little too quite, but there is a possibility it will be recognized. It was also a super bowl commercial, so it is still pulling attention from good places

#3 The Deep End of the Pool- Parenthood