Hillary Clinton paid $9,000 for a Portland, Oregon, music agency to handpick songs for her “official playlist,” according to Federal Election Commission records; yet there are few tracks on the list that have anything to do with her message or ideology. The list is instead filled with mainstream, upbeat crowd-pleasers catering to already-devout supporters.

“When you use somebody else’s song, that song is going to have baggage,” says Tena Clark, CEO of entertainment consulting agency DMI Music. “Hillary should have a great piece that unites people—and when the song is played, they shouldn’t be thinking about some soap commercial, or whatever an existing song has been used for.”

Clark argues that commissioning and playing an entirely original song—think the catchiness of a well-done product jingle, mixed with the emotion of a heartfelt original movie score—would have more potency. Playing a Katy Perry track as Clinton walks on stage may make younger viewers feel more connected to her, but there’s “no meaning, no stickability” in the song for her because it’s a piece of already existing mass media, Clark says.

Original music seems to be something of a missed opportunity, even though it comes with risks. Republican politician Rick Santorum may have lost his gamble for the presidency in 2012—but who can forget his ridiculously catchy country song?

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