Product placement isn’t just about products anymore.Or is it?Gone are the days of television advertising Diet Coke and Crest Whitestrips because it has found a bigger and better product — bands.And they’re not just any bands either.They’re my bands.Bands I’ve been following for years. Bands I’ve been telling people to listen to for months. Bands people overlooked because they’ve been too busy watching Britney Spears’ comeback.It’s not until Victoria’s Secret models strut their stuff in their sheer teddies down the runway to a soulful single or “Gossip Girl” blares an obscure blues ballad on its sizzling and sexy season two premiere that people give The Black Keys the time of day.And it’s not until Michelob Ultra plays a year-old hit on its newest commercial that people start raving over the breakout British band The Kooks.When Lauren Conrad mentioned going to a Tokyo Police Club concert on an episode of “The Hills,” you know every little pre-teen in America Googled that band on their rhinestone-encrusted iPhones.An episode of “Desperate Housewives” even featured a Tokyo Police Club song.Presumably, the majority of those people who started listening to Tokyo Police Club probably didn’t really like them.The only reason they listened to them is because of their association with popular shows like “Desperate Housewives” and hot celebrities like LC.And that’s not what these bands intended.Or so I hope.As the Band-Aid Sapphire from “Almost Famous” so eloquently put it, “[The new girls] don’t even know what it is to be a fan. You know? To truly love some silly little piece of music or some band so much that it hurts.”And that’s exactly how I feel.These talented and often underrated musicians are becoming popular not because of their craft or even their hard work, but because they have become trendy thanks to television shows and commercials that are the antithesis of what these bands stand for — their love for music, not money.When I turn on the television, surf through the channels and hear the familiar tune of one of my favorite jams in the background of some tween fluff like “90210” or “One Tree Hill,” I don’t get excited.I don’t crank up the volume and jump up and down on the couch like some little girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.I get teed off.I’m disappointed because my favorite band is becoming mainstream.I’m upset because my favorite band is probably going to change their image and sound.And I’m irritated people will run up and tell me to listen to this amazing band when I already know every lyric to every song on every album they’ve released.But then I remember these bands can’t play in garages and hole-in-the-wall bars forever.And they probably can’t live off Ramen noodles and cheap beer much longer either.I’m not calling these bands sellouts, per say.Because just like us mere mortals, they have to pay the bills, too.Now that Luke Pritchard of The Kooks is dating Mischa Barton, you know he’s having to shell out some moolah.And I completely understand that.Hell, he’s got to get some new material somewhere if he wants to continue getting free Michelob Ultra and keep Miss Rock ‘n’ Roll jetsetter happy.And you know The Plain White T’s are rolling in the dough with every “Greek” episode that airs.So my beef isn’t with the bands falling into the bottomless pit of fame and money because I’m actually proud of them for growing up and moving on with their musical careers.And it isn’t just with their new groupies that don’t love them like I do, or even remotely like their music.It’s the fact that these bands are leaving fans like me behind.And it’s the fact that they’re changing their unique sound and indie image that drew me to them in the first place in order to appeal to a larger audience or climb the musical ladder to rock-star status.It’s as if fans like me aren’t good enough anymore, and that kind of hurts my feelings.I found these bands first.I searched long and hard on YouTube.com and paid close attention to my iTunes Genius. I illegally downloaded songs off LimeWire, risked prosecution and faced thousands of dollars worth of fines.Yes, I realize some people may not have the time or money to scope out new bands. I’m sure most people don’t have the patience to either.And now that I’m writing this column, people won’t have to do research at all, which kind of defeats the purpose of my piece.But oh well.It’s still not fair.Why should people discover these musical treasures without even digging?And why should I share with people that are basically unworthy of these gems?So call me stingy. Call me snobby. Hell, even call me sensitive.But I liked to think of these bands as my dirty little secrets. That I was their No. 1 fan.And now the secret’s out. And I’m certainly not a fan of that. ——Contact Drew Belle Zerby at [email protected]