Nirvana song licensed for European commercial

The Nirvana song "Breed" has been licensed for use in a commercial for an unnamed Austrian telecom company, according to Portfolio magazine. The deal is part of a campaign by music publisher Primary Wave to maximize revenue from the band's catalog, in which it bought a stake for a reported $50 million last year. "Breed" has also shown up in the recent movie Shoot 'Em Up and the video game Major League Baseball 2K7. Nirvana's landmark 1991 album Nevermind has reportedly been licensed in its entirety for use in the new Electronic Arts video game Rock Band.

The licensing of Nirvana's music has accelerated in the past year since Courtney Love, the widow of late frontman Kurt Cobain, made the sale to Primary Wave.

Cobain's image has also begun showing up on lunchboxes, an action figure and even a key chain that doubles as a small liquor flask, although Love nixed the use of his picture in a shoe campaign earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Scottish actor James McAvoy is reportedly the frontrunner to play Cobain in a new film biography of the artist, on which Love is an executive producer.
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