On FM radio stations across America, the word “satellite” is censored from the Black Eyed Peas song “Boom Boom Pow.” The lyric ends up sounding like: “here we go, here we go, (jumbled garbage) radio.”

Somewhere, someone important thought it made sense for traditional radio not to allow the endorsement of Sirius or XM radio in a song that set records for chart performance.

In some ways, this type of censorship shows the power of product placement. How many people could the Black Eyed Peas have influenced with their satellite radio reference? How much money would FM radio stations have lost? Apparently enough to warrant the national censorship of a family-friendly lyric.

The power of product endorsements — such that FM radio feels threatened by them — might offer a solution to the music industry’s woes.

In 2008, 95 percent of music downloaded online was done illegally, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a global music trade body. That percentage is probably up this year from the more than 40 billion illegally shared files in 2008.

If enforcement, lawsuits and marketing campaigns don’t stop illegal downloading (they won’t), the clear answer to all this is to commercialize illegally downloaded music. Aside from a few exceptions such as increasing concert attendance and demand for merchandise, the only way to profit from illegal downloading is product placement.

It’s unclear how much paid product placement is a factor already, and industry execs aren’t giving specifics. It’s been around for decades, especially in hip-hop, with Run-D.M.C.’s “My Adidas” credited for starting the trend. The song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” has mentioned Cracker Jack since 1927.

How much are these references worth? According to a 2001 NPR report, it would cost $25 million in outdoor advertising to replace the Cracker Jack song reference. In 2005, BusinessWeek reported that McDonalds-approved hip-hop lyrics plugging the fast-food chain might be worth $1-$2 per radio play.

And this doesn’t have to end with brands — maybe in the future, Miami’s tourism industry could pay commission for the popularity of a song like LMFAO’s “I’m in Miami, Trick.” Ditto for Red Bull and Vans.

Adam Kluger is the CEO and founder of The Kluger Agency, an advertising and brand partnership firm that works with artists such as Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Flo Rida and Lil Wayne. Already, brand partnerships are paying enough to cover the entire cost of an album, he said in a phone interview.

Regardless of whether music was bought or stolen, product placement is a moneymaker for any brand, he said.

“The fact that we’re having so many illegal downloads — that’s actually making my business better,” Kluger said. “Legal or illegal, it’s still profitable for the company.”

A major difficulty in putting a value on product references in media is figuring out how many times songs downloaded illegally (Kluger said he’s not quantifying those downloads).

Getting these figures from illegal music-sharing sites might be like getting drug dealers to report their true income to the IRS. But if we can put dollar figures on the amount of cocaine consumed annually, getting solid illicit download estimates is totally doable.

Reach the reporter at matt.culbertson@asu.edu.