Having unveiled his eagerly anticipated full-length solo debut to much acclaim and performed two sold-out live shows at the Sydney Opera House as part of this year’s Vivid Live festival, Daniel Johns has now unveiled his video for new single ‘We Are Golden’.

The prolific former Silverchair frontman’s latest clip is a musical collaboration with David Jones (yes, that David Jones, the clothing retailer) as part of their #ShotBySound campaign to promote their Spring Summer 2015 collection.

The clip is as experimental as Johns’ songwriting. It was filmed on a soundstage using 42 cameras that were triggered by the singer’s vocals and the band’s instruments. The result is a unique, stylish, and glitchy video production.

“One of the things I’m enjoying about working solo after all those years in a band is that it gives me the freedom to try new things,” Johns said of the video. Apparently that includes collaborations with department stores.

“I’ve also enjoyed having an opportunity to explore new creative collaborations so this project was a good fit. It was great to work with so many talented people on the video,” Johns added.

However, as the Sydney Morning Herald‘s Bernard Zuel notes, it’s hard not to wince a little seeing Johns collaborating with a clothing retailer. After all, Johns is one of Australia’s foremost rock and roll icons.

“Nothing says cutting-edge artistry, nothing says sexy R&B and adventurous rock, quite like the oldest department store, with the oldest clientele, in the country right? Living on the edge baby,” Zuel writes.

Indeed, some fans may find it odd that an artist of Johns’ stature — he is, after all, a model for success in the Australian music industry — would have to ally himself with a stuffy corporation to fund his ventures.

Alas, that seems to be the name of the game these days. The old model of “sell records, sell tickets, and don’t spend it all on drugs” is long gone. Making money on an album is a pleasant surprise for almost all artists.

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One also has to remember that despite Johns’ icon status, his solo work has received no commercial radio support. Aside from play on Triple J and some community stations, Johns’ solo career has been ignored by radio.

In that sense, it’s remarkable that Johns’ solo album managed to reach number two on the ARIA chart. But it makes it less surprising that he felt it was necessary to partner with a company to ensure he’s able to make future albums.

As Zuel writes, “Albums are expensive to make, concerts are expensive to stage, promoting one or both is expensive to do. You want people buying your music, which still happens these days, albeit in smaller numbers than in the ’90s or in the days of excess that marked the 1980s.”

“But no one is going to buy your music if they don’t hear it, don’t know about it and haven’t even thought of seeking it out.” Ultimately, Johns made the choice to get his music heard and paid for, something that’s incredibly rare these days.

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