Research into chosen artist

Research into chosen music artist

 

The artist whom I have chosen to pick my song for my music video is, ‘Swedish house mafia’. This is because I like their style of music; I believe that they create a diverse variety of music, which allows them to create their own niche within the dance genre. I also think that they uses simple lyrics which therefore makes the song catchy and easy to remember, I think this then makes the song one which would get stuck into the listens head and would therefore encourage the listener to want to listen to the song again. I was inspired by the metaphors and the choice of music videos, which they have. As they convey strong messages and allow the song to connect with a diverse audience, I also find the videos really interesting, as they always come up with a new concept for each video, which further encourages me to watch the video again. For example ‘save the world’, and ‘your name’

 

My artists profile

Swedish house mafia was first formed back in late 2008. The group consists of three members Axwell, Sebastian Lngrosso, and Steve Angello, they produce electronic dance music. All three artists are also disc jockeys, and producers; in 2011 the group were placed at number ten on the DJ Magazine top 100 DJ poll 2011. There have also been references to them being the faces of mainstream progressive house music. But then on June 24^th 2012, the group announced through their website that their current tour will be their last tour before the group take a break from the music industry for a while. Some of the other events, which occurred during the year, were the EBBA award, which Swedish house mafia won. The European Border Breakers Awards EBBA gives this award, and this is about recognising the success of ten emerging groups or artists which have managed to enter a market which is out of their own country, with their first internationally released album which they have with their album that year.  Angello and Ingrosso met as children in Stockhom, but they did not meet Axwell who is their final member of their band until much later year when they contracted him after a chance meeting. The first song, which the artists produced, was ‘get dumb’ it was produced with Laidback Luke and released in 2007. Then a few years late the group then produced the song ‘Leave The World Behind’ again this was produced with Laidback Luke with the addition of Deborah Cox. But it wasn’t until 2012 when Swedish house mafia signed a record deal with UMG’s Polydor Records; this is after they had a fall out with EMI, because there was a range of different ideas. The first son they then released from his album was ‘one (your name)’ this was under the name Swedish house mafia on Beatport on may 26^th 2010; this was also which the group first achieved its international success, as it came number 7 in the UK singles chart. The song, which then came out after this, was ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’ featuring Tinie Tempah, which came in at number 4 in the UK Chart in September 2010. Both of these songs were taken from the album ‘Until One’. The group have achieved a BPI Gold Sales award in the UK in May 2011, Swedish House Mafia then released a new single this was called ‘Save The World’ featuring John Martin on the vocals of the song, this song then reached chart number 10 in the UK. Then later on during the year saw the release of some other releases which were ‘Antidote’ on December 16^th with the artist knife party. The song which then came out after this was on march 2012 which was ‘Greyhound’ and then their final track which they released which was the most recent this was ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ this came out on the 14^th of September 2012. Only a few days after this on the 17^th September Swedish House Mafia then announced that there second album was now complete, which is call until now, this is then the same soundtrack which they used for their last tour. The album was then released and opens to purchase on the 22^nd October which is exactly two years after the release of their first album.    

 

The music video which I have chosen to analyse first is ‘One (Your Name)’ featuring Pharrell Williams by Swedish house mafia, this is a song which is taken of their debut album back in 2010. It is a dance and house song which is the genre of music which Swedish House Mafia produces. This version of the song with Pharrell Williams was released a month after the songs release. The purpose of this song is to find out the name of some of the people which are at this party. I think that the song and the meaning of this has many different connotations itself some of which being the idea of going out to a party and having a good time with someone and then and then not actually knowing someone’s names as the people get to caught up with having a good time; that people don’t think about other people’s names.

    Dyer’s theory is evident in this music video as there is a clear change in the image which Swedish House Mafia has changed. This is clear through the use of changes and the dynamics of the video it is clear that the record label which Swedish House Mafia are signed to have had an impact on the style of video. but this can also be hard to see as well as the group members are not in the music video, there appearance in this video is very minimal as there is a transparent figure of the group members which almost make them look like silhouettes of them DJing this is the only appearance which they make in this video. A good example of where this is used would be the use of the masks in this video. There masks which is used on some of the people at this party where the music video is set, and the use of fire out of the characters mouths, this is an example of how the music video is different to the conventional music videos which were out at the time which this music video was out. Another appearance which the artists make in this video is where each of the different members come up on the screen one at a time and they all flash one after the other, this is again done in various different colours which are bright and bold, for example the use of a bring pink face and orange hair. This is an example of how the artist are made to look different, in order to accommodate a gap in the music industry. As this then makes the music video different compared to the other stereotypical dance and house music video which were out at the time, this would then encourage people want to watch the music video again.

    Goodwin’s theory is used throughout this music video. The first feature which has been used is the use of the general characteristics of a dance music video. some of these characteristics are the way the characters are dressed, as well as the choice of settings, and events which occur, examples from the song ‘One (Your Name)’ would be where the locations where the song is set as it is in an all black settings but looks like it is a club, this is evident though all of the people which are in the video as they are all dancing and drinking and having fun. There is then also the use of the little keyboard which has lots of different buttons on it, thus making it look like a little DJ ad it was this which was being used to control the music during the party. I think that it is the people which make it most obvious that this is a dance song as this is the most obvious convention of a dance music video. This is because it is used to help show that the music is spouse to be dance music and the video conveys people listening to it and having a good time. 

    Another technique which has been used by Swedish House Mafia which conforms to Goodwin’s theory is that this video is split up into different styles as it is mainly a concept based video but there are also other styles in this video as I would say that it is mainly 70% concept, 20% performance, and 10% narrative. Throughout the video there are a range of different people who are shown DJing throughout the night, then from the middle to the end of the video there is a dancer which dances she also looks like a silhouette, then by the end of the video there is a big mess from where people were partying and there were like party confetti everywhere and this random girl just lying on top of the table which the little DJ tablet was on and then someone comes and moves it from beneath her, it is clear that she is tired and has fallen asleep on top of the table this then brings the narrative into it as it’s the end of the song and the end of the party. This is how all of the different styles are interpreted into this music video.

    As a lot of Dj’s they are not seen that much in their own music videos and when they are shown they are usually shown DJing during a party of some sort. This is not shown during this video therefore Swedish House Mafia go against the typical conventions of a DJ. I think that they are represented as playing upbeat fast music, which is different and makes them standout compared to the other artists in their dance music genre. They are not often shown in their own videos, but they are shown a little in this one. Even though they are shown they are not shown doing anything, and it is just flashes of their faces, I think that this makes them quite mysterious and presents them as being very new fresh, and modern artists, I think that the main way in which they do this is by only showing themselves in the video to a bare minimum.

    I think that the target audience for Swedish House Mafia is for people how like to go out clubbing, and partying. This is because it is very upbeat and fast, I also think that the meaning of the song would relate to a lot of people who do go out partying. I also think that they would target young people, for example teenagers from about 15 upwards. This is because again it is very fast, modern, upbeat, fresh, and quite different. The lyrics are also very catchy therefore this is the type of song which could easily get stuck in someone’s head. I also think that the music video is very memorable and the type which people might want to watch again because it is so different.

    This music video as aspects of a dance music video, and a house video. This is evident throughout but the video is also very different as well as it is not the conventional type of video. This is shown through all of the as there are a lot of people dancing and loads of different people doing the DJing throughout the video. I think that they have created a whole new style of their own, as their music is very different to the other dance music which is out right now. I think this is the style of music which would be used while clubbing on some of the party islands as the lyrics can also have sexual connation’s, as well as catchy lyrics which people can sing alone too. I also think that this would be good music which could be uses a motivator for people to do activities such as running and other fitness activates and maybe a motivator for doing work such as coursework.

    The mise-en-scene which is used throughout this video conforms to the stereotypes of a dance music video. One aspect of mise-en-scene which is used would be the use of iconography; this is used with the DJing tablet which is used at the beginning and throughout the music video. The whole main focus of the video is based around the sound which the tablet is making and how all these different people are using this tablet and making these diverse sounds with it. This is used to show that Swedish House Mafia produce this amazing different music and showing something which they may use themselves to create some of their music themselves. I also think that this could be something which they want to use to symbolise how their music could be made. I then think that this is something which they may want to convey to their audience. Another use of iconography used is the sunglasses which the artists of Swedish House Mafia are wearing themselves. I think this symbolises the group and conveys their style and the swag which they have. I think that this could also shows the dance music which they are producing, for example sunglasses can be related to the sun, and a lot of parties happen on sunny islands and partying and having fun. Thus I think that they want their music to connote partying and they want to carry that through their music and there videos, and lyrics.

    The lighting which is used through this music video as it is starts with being very bright, but then it changes one the lyrics and the songs beat increases. At the beginning of the song the whole scene is very bright and white. The lighting changes to the beat of the song, at the start of the song it is very bright as there is no actual music, and there is only the sound of the switching on of a sound system. There is a lot of close up shots during this scene while the light is very bright, while everything else is also very sharp and crisp as well. This then makes the makes everything in these scenes stand out a lot more. This could also be significant of the start of the day like the time before a party starts. Then once the song starts and the beat starts to set in more the camera zooms out so then it’s not just the DJing tablet the rest of the table can now be seen which is the black table which it is on. there is then a large use of low key lighting throughout the rest of the song this could then make the song seem quite dark and connote night time when people go out to parties it is usually quite dark, this is just like the setting and the low key lighting of the song. Low key lighting is also suggestive of night time; it can also be seen as going into the dark is like going into the unknown where people won’t know what the rest of the night has to hold for them. It can also suggest that the thing of which people are doing could be considered wrong or not good. An example being the sort of things which people get up to when they get in to the party mood.

 

    The clothing which is worn during this video conforms to the stereotypes of typical dance videos, being lack of clothing for women and very casual clothing for men displaying brands. But this is not as significant during this video, as there is more of one aspect of one part of the body which s shown the most; this is the hands of the characters in this music video. this is because there are hands which are being used to change different buttons on the tablet which is being used, therefore the type of clothing which is seen are gloves and hands, each are different I think that this signifies the different types of people which this music appeals too as this demonstrates how a whole load of different people listen to dance music. For example the hands with red gloves on, of which travel to just over the wrist. There is then a ring silver ring on the right hand and a whole range of different square bracelets which are black, red, white and cream coloured. This would convey the more niche side of the dance audience and people who like to bring out their personalities which Swedish House Mafia is trying to reach then there are other audience. The other hand is a hand with a white bandage around the palm of the hand; this would then convey an ill or violent audience. Another hand which is used is a rougher and much older and mature hand which is used again this is to show that they appeal to an older audience, conveying they appeal to a broad audience, so that not just young people but older people as well. This is just an example of a few different hand which are used though this music video in illustrating the type of audience which Swedish House Mafia appeal to.

    The setting of this video is around this table and in this other random setting where it isn’t really that obvious where it is as it as the main background is all black, and there is some of the ground on show back that this about it. Apart from this that is the only part of those scenes which is on show. This then tells the audience that it is filmed inside. This conforms to the typical form of clubbing as it happens inside. This also suggests there is some form of partying going on. It is also obvious that it is inside as there are wires everywhere which would have to be plugged in somewhere. This then build that party effect and give the idea that is loud music being played for people to be able to enjoy it.

    One of the most common camera shots which are used during this music video would be the use of extreme close ups and close up camera shots. This is what most of the music video is made up of. This makes the music video more intense and leaves the audience to work out what is going on. an example of where this has been used would be at the start of the song where there is a close up of the DJ tablet, in particular where some of the buttons are being pressed and they change the sound of the music which is currently being made, as well as the keys on the keyboard which add to the diverse sound and make the sound which is currently being produced sound different. By doing this it creates something for the audience to look at while the music is playing this is also showing them an in-depth look at what they want to audience to think about the sound which is being created. This then show the audience that what they are watching has some significance; this could be for that point in the video or something which might occur later on during the video or even something which happens throughout the video. The use of a close up and extreme close up also help to convey what the artist is trying to say, and what the artist wants the audience to look at.

The Second Video

The second music video which I have chosen to analyse is ‘Save The World’ this song is also by Swedish House Mafia, and is from their second album, there are unaccredited vocals from the Swedish singer John Martin with the rest of the Swedish House Mafia groups they developed the vocals of the song. It was released on May 13^th 2011 as a digital download this was their second number one after ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’ back in 2010 and was nominated for a 54^th Grammy award for best dance recording. The purpose of this video is to show dogs saving the world. As this is a concept based video there are other connation’s which I think is that anyone can save the world and have a difference, I think that it also means that people just have to do the smallest things to make a difference and save someone else life. No matter what it is, someone can save someone’s life.

    I don’t think that Dyer’s theory is all that evident in this music video. This is because the artist does not appear in the video at all. This is also a concept based video therefore I think that it would be hard to see where Dyer’s theory is evident. The main characters in this music video are the dogs which are going around and saving everyone, therefore they are what the audience would be watching the most, this is another reason why I don’t think Dyer’s theory would be relevant here. Unless to portray of the artist was being used through the gods, for example if the artists where being portrayed through the dogs. As in the artists being the dogs and just like the dogs have been changed from the way they usually are to serve a new purpose which in this case is to save the world. This can then be compared to the artist where they were just normal people and now they have been changed and developed to fit the market. I think that this have been shown through the use of the dogs. But other than this I don’t think that there are any other conventions which conform to Dyer’s theory.

    Goodwin’s theory is evident during this music video. One of the techniques which is used is the aspect of connection the lyrics and the visuals together. An example of where this is used is where one of the dogs is chasing the criminals and biting the robber’s leg. While one of the other dogs goes and comforts the victim which is the shop keeper. This is just one example another example would be where a women get her bag stolen and mugged and then one dog goes and chases the mugger while the other dog comforts the women by licking her face. This then connect the visuals to the lyrics, “Who's gonna save the world tonight? Who's gonna bring you back to life? We're gonna make it, you and I We're gonna Save The World tonight” these lyrics link with the visuals which is going on, on the screen which was described above this technique is used to make it easier for the audience to understand what message the artist it trying to illustrate and is trying to get across to the audience. This could then lead to the song relating to some audience which the song may appeal to, thus leading them to want to watch the music video and again and want to listen to the song as the audience realise that what they are going through or have gone through or have experienced is similar to what the artist is trying to explain to these audience, this then gives the listener a reason to want to listen to the song as again as a may be a chance for that person to reminisce, or think back to past experiences and emotions which they may have felt themselves.

    Another technique which has been used from Goodwin’s theory would be; the notion of looking as during the whole song there is no performance based aspect and all of the actions and events are all of which wouldn’t normally be watched and are also of those which if occurred someone is unlikely to stand and watch. Some of the examples which have been used during this scene would be; where the robber is smashing everything up in the shop like the ‘tips’ jar, another example would be where the woman is getting mugged, and my last example would be where the man gets his car stolen, Also where the when the dogs are saving the people. These are all scenarios where people wouldn’t usually just watch, due to the nature of the event. Therefore this makes this the notion of looking, this is also apparent as the nor the dogs or any other of the characters look directly into the camera and the actions which they are doing are not for the camera like they don’t keep looking at the camera. It is more like they are unaware that they are being watched, and it just so happens that they are saving the world at the moment which they are seen. This is also filmed as if the camera has just started filming during a random situation, like people this music video doesn’t start from the start of the situation the video just starts in random situations where the audience would have to work out for themselves what had happened has happened up until that point of the music video. This is how the music video is notion of looking as it is like someone (the audience) has just come and it watching what is going on without the characters knowing.

    Swedish House Mafia is not present at all during this music video. This may be because this is a concept based video therefore they were not part of the concept which was being conveyed. They also do not sing during this music video as they are DJ’s. This is also a common trait for DJ’s as they usually don’t appear in their own music videos and when they do, they usually appear when the music video is a party type video or anything similar to this where there is a clubbing or party setting, other occasions where an DJ may appear would be if they just play a little cameo in their own music video, for example if one of the main characters walk past them in the street and bump into them. Otherwise they don’t usually appear in the music videos themselves. This is evident during this video as although the band members are not in the video at all they are still present in some way. This is in the shop where the boy is working and he is leaning over the counter pouting the sugar into a mug this is a mid shot as then in the bottom left hand corner of the scene where the till is there are three pictures on the back of the till which is the side which would be facing the customers. Under the pictures there is a bit of paper which is stuck to the till as well which says in capital letters ‘DO NOT SERVE’ with the word ‘not’ underlined which looks which it has been written by hand on a small rectangle bit of paper. The pictures which are above this are individual black and white images of all three member of Swedish House Mafia. This is the only time which that are incorporated into the video by showing them (which is during the scenes where the boy is shown). This is an example of how the group member has been used as a cameo in their own music video. This is very simple and subtle way of presenting themselves but they are still there. I think that this presents them as being quite cool and I think this is just a bit of fun and is something which a fan of Swedish House Mafia would be likely to spot out and notice. But they are in the video, but as a picture and in a way they do also play a character, they just don’t appear in person.    

    The style of music video is dance; this is something which is apparent in most of Swedish House Mafia whole second album. Although the group do provide their own spin on dance music this therefore make them different to all of the other dance genres which are currently out there. This is because they bring more of an upbeat tone to their music and is also heavily influenced by house music in order to make them different I think that this is conveyed through this song as it. as Swedish House Mafia don’t always base their songs on relationships, money and love which a lot of dance songs are based on recently, but they convey other concepts and ideas which they may have but they do also talk about the listed above in other songs but ‘Save The World’ is an example of where they have tried to convey a different concept.

      The mise-en-scene has been used through this music video helps to convey the concept of this video and helps to illustrate this to its audience. The lighting which has been used in this music video is mainly low key throughout. This is to help and convey the nature of the video, a good example of this would be where there is the man sitting in the car on his own with his hands on the wheel, which is parked up stationary. The lighting which is used is all low key, this is because this is set at night and therefore it wouldn’t be light and bright, during this scene there is also no one else around and the man is sitting alone. Thus conveying danger and sets the scene that something bad is going to happen but the characters don’t know what it would be. Darkness also related to the unknown the characters don’t know what is going to happen to them. This then shows that the dark means that the characters may not even be happy during that time. This therefore sets the scene and also informs the audience that something bad is more than likely going to happen, this is also influenced by the fact that most bad things stereotypically happen at night.   

 

    The range of settings which are used during this video all help create a whole range of different situations which the dogs could go and save further portraying all of the different ways which could be considered as saving something or someone in a certain situation, this is done by using the diverse range of locations. For example some of the settings are inside and some are outside this is done to help illustrate how no everywhere is safe especially all of the places which someone may consider to be safe actually aren’t. For example the man who got attacked in the shop, this is a typical place which someone may think that they are safe because they are inside and therefore they are less likely to be attacked. This shows that even if someone is somewhere where they think is safe they may not actually be, just like the boy was just pouring sugar into the cup he was took by utter surprise when he saw the people breaking in, as now he wouldn’t know what to do, but then the dogs come in and help to save him and stop the robbers from taking anything. I think that this conveys to the audience that nowhere is safe. Another example of where this is used would be where the man gets taken from his car and the car gets carjacked, this is another example as most people think that they would be safe in their own car, but this proves that they aren’t as he got taken out of his own car. These are all places which people would naturally run to when they get scared as they are locations which they would consider to be safe but this then shows that nowhere is safe. Also most of the setting of this music video is dark and set down dark allies and bare streets; this illustrates the idea from the start that the character may be in trouble as these are all places which people would stereotypically think to be dangerous and unsafe. This is shown through the much worn down areas where there is rubbish on the floor and street lamps which don’t work and no one walking down the streets. This is just a few aspects of this video which conveys the setting of the song. Thus illustrating it to be unsafe and help to set the scene for what is going to happen throughout the rest of the video. But the settings which are used to portray typical and common settings which look realistic to try and convey that this could happen anywhere at any time.     

    Iconography is used through this video to convey a stereotypical view of what a ‘bad guy’ (antagonists) would look like; this is used for most of the bad guys in this music video. all of the ‘antagonists’ in this video try to cover their faces as much as possible, this is done in a whole range of different ways being; a hat to cover their heads which the man who car jacks the car wear, the balaclava which the men who want to rob the shop and smash the tip jar wear and the man who is wearing a hat and has his hood up who mugs the young girl. There are a range of different common conventions here as the antagonists try and cover themselves as much as possible so that they can try and disguise themselves as much as possible, they are all wearing dark coloured clothing as well. Thus making them hideaway a little so that people can’t see them and so that they can then sneak up on people and catch them by surprise which is what has happened here on every occasion.

    The clothing which has been used during this music video conforms to the stereotypical clothing which people would realistically wear on a day to day basis and at work. This is due to the nature and concept of the video as it is trying to capture life as causal and natural as possible and doesn’t want the setting to look too staged. In order for this to be achieved the characters are wearing very casual clothing which help to fit the natural theme and makes everything look normal. One good example of where this is conveyed would be where the boy who is working in the shop is wearing very casual work clothes, he has a black T-Shirt on with a white apron which is around his neck and has his ear phones in which is obviously apple, he then has straight blue jeans on and grey and white vans. This is an example of very simple clothing which has been worn by one of the characters to make them look as natural and normal as possible. This is an example of mise-en-scene which has been used which. Another example would be the robbers who broke into the shop, as they were wearing; black balaclavas, jeans, black jackets, grey top, and then heavy boots. This is a stereotypical conventions dress code for someone who plans to rob a shop. This is clear because the clothes which he is wearing are all dark this is because they would be trying to hide themselves and makes themselves look discrete and to make sure that there is nothing that makes them stand out too much if they got caught. The dark colours also suggest bad things ad it is a dark colour and it is almost like the unknown as the victim doesn’t know what the person is going to do. Black is also a very powerful colour which comes into context where as all of the antagonists approach the victims they instantly gain power when the victim becomes scared as they don’t know what the antagonist is going to do. This then makes it more obvious that the dogs are saving the world as they are getting rid of the evil which is in the world, and save the world. 

 

    One of the most common camera shots which is used through this music video is the use of the close up. This is because it is used to show close ups of the characters faces, thus conveying the expressions which they have and portraying the emotions which the characters are feeling through the video. An example of where this has been used is a close up of one of the dogs faces where he goes to jump up at the robber in the shop and the camera view is from the perspective of the robber and the little bull dog jumps up and there is a close up of his face, as the bull dog moves closer to his face the expression becomes a whole lot clearer, and the anger and annoyance comes through on the dogs face. This is just one example of where this has been used to illustrate the emotion of one of the characters which was the protagonist. I think that this close up makes the clip of the video look more aggressive and look like it is more pack with action and full on. This shot also allows the audience to see experience the position of the robber as it looks like the dog is jumping the audience as that is the angle of the camera. Another common camera shot which is used would the uses of a long shot this is used quite a few time during the music video some of which being to analyse all of the initial situations, there is a long shot of every one, for example where the two women are walking down the street, then when the customer (girl) waves bye to the worker (boy) in the shop, and the man in his car. But i think the best use of a long shot which is used during this video would have to be where one of the dogs woofs and the rest of the dogs come running. As they come running they are sunning through the road, and it looks like a typical scene from a superhero film where the protagonist comes running through the dark of the night and appears out of nowhere from the mist and saves the day. This is what the dogs do they all appear from out of nowhere in a straight line and  come running, all of the background is dark and the audience can only really see the silhouette of the dogs which are running. There are very few street lamps visible during this scene while the dogs are running. This shot is therefore a long shot in order to get some of the background in as well as all of the dogs, of course they are mainly situated near the bottom of the screen as they are dogs and are on all fours. This therefore give the idea of dogs saving the world as they come out in the iconic way which superheroes have come out in the past.   

These are the two videos which we analysed in order for me to gain knowledge about the dance artist at my choice.  I have looked at some of their past music videos to help me understand some of the decisions which they have made in terms of the colours, mise-en-scene, camera angles, choice of editing e.g. fast pace, slow pace etc. As this could then help me when making decisions about my own music video.

 

Pie Charts

Pie Charts

 

 

 

The first question which we I asked in my questionnaire were is the interviewee male or female. This was to make sure that I was asked a fair amount of males and females, to further ensure that the ratio of people who I was asking was fair and equal in order to avoid the chance of a basis result. The reason I wanted and equal amount of genders is because I think that this will help me when comparing at a later date and see if there are any trends in what males and females like listening to.

 

The second question which I asked was about the genre of music which people like listening to. The reason why I decided to ask this question is to find out what is the most popular genre of music which is out at the moment, and out of the most popular selection which people would prefer, as this would then help me to devise a suitable target audience and find where there is a gap in the music market and what might be a good idea of me to use for my own music video.

The third question is about what preference people have out of a selection of music videos. This was an open question for the interviewee to answer, this was in order for me to analyse qualitative and quantitative data in order me to be able to find out what people think on a more in depth level. This was good for me to be able individual interest and trends which people may have. The one which are listed in the pie chart involve the answers which came up the most and where most frequent. By conducting this type of research I was able to analyse the market on a more personal level to see if there are any trends within a certain market.         

 

The fourth question which I decided to ask was more of a closed question. This was to gain some statics on the type of music which people like listening to. This question was more about the tracks which were out in the industry at the minute and asking the interviewee which they prefer out of the list this is again to try and narrow down the research for what song I should use for my used video and try and work out which artist and songs people like the most, so that I could then look at that artist in more detail and see why they are so popular. 

One of the most important factors of producing a music video is to decide on what style of video to have. So in order to help me decide I put this question in my questionnaire, asking out of the following three which they would prefer; narrative, performance, or concept. Each style is different, when they are used sometimes one style will tend to dominate the others or a music video may just contain one of the style or there maybe all of the concepts incorporated into each other. So to help me make a decision I asked people which they preferred out of all of them as this would then help me to decide which one I would like to base my video on.

For the sixths question I asked a multiple choice question and this was to further narrow down what I should put into my music video out of a certain amount of elements which I had already considered such as editing and matching the lyrics to visuals and so on. This would then help me see what there a demand is for and where there is a gap in the market and see how I could fill it and make a music video which people would enjoy watching and encourage them to want to watch again.

I wanted to find out which music channel people liked listening to the most. This is because some music channels on the TV often cater for a niche market therefore by asking which channel people prefer it would help me to narrow down where the domestic market is right now, and see which is the most popular so that I could then see the type of genre which people like to listen to. I could then conduct primary research and find out what type of music gets played on these channels and see the type of music videos and artist get played and take ideas which I may like and try to incorporate this into my own music video.

 

I then asked about what type of editing people like in a music video, again this is to help my judge and decide whether or not I should include strong or weak effects within my music video. As the market is constantly changing so it would be good for me to find out what is currently in fashion in terms of editing in the music industry. This will also help me to see what would look good with a fast song or a slow song. It would be better for me to ask this question in the questionnaire rather than undertake secondary research as there is the risk of that being invariant and out of date, my best chance would be to ask an existing and upcoming audience who would be likely to listen to the music and find out what they like, as if I got information from 5 or 6 years ago then it may be out of date and now what people would listen to now and a lot changes in 5 or 6 years especially in music.  

I wanted to aim one of my questions on the genre of music which I was considering before conducting a survey. This was the genre of dance, so I decided to base this question on this, so I chose something which even if I decided not to peruse the dance genre, the information would still pose some relevance to me. This was a question about the choice of setting out of a few which I was considering myself; these are all areas which would also be accessible to me if I chose to peruse the genre of dance.

 

The last question which I chose to asked was about featuring artists in a video and whether the audience prefer this or would rather that the artist isn’t in the video. I found this to be an important factor to me as it would help me to decide what style of video I should have, and then if I should include an artist or not. Also by asking this question it allowed me to look into the current music market and see which artist star in all of their videos, which don’t star in their video and those who have just recently started to appear in their videos. for example Rihanna is one of those artists who always appears in her own music video, whereas Swedish House Mafia don’t really tend to show up in their music video, and David Guetta who has now started to show up in his music video. it is clear that each of these artist are different, and produce different types of music and are from different music genres this then helps me to see if I should an artist in my music video, I will be able to decide this by looking at the results from the previous questions and helping me to judge which genre I want to go with and whether or not they should appear in my music video.          

Record Labels

Major record labels/ parent companies

 

1.       Who are the major labels in the UK currently?

One of the major labels out in the UK at the moment is the universal music group. Other major music label are, Sony music, and EMI. These are the labels, which are currently the most popular in the UK right now.

 

2.       Who do the major labels manage?

    Some of the artists which Sony music manage are; Usher, Labrinth, Michael Jackson, Death grips, Rita Ora, Rebecca Ferguson, Dry be the river, Paul Simon, Paloma Faith, Hot Chelle Rae and Carrie Underwood are just a few of the artist which are currently being managed by Sony records.

    Some of the artist which universal music group, some of the artist, which they manage, are; 2 chains, Carly Rae Jepsen, No Doubt, The Killers, Kanye West, Soundgarden, Alejandro Sanz and Diana Krall these are just some of the artist which they manage.

    Some of the artist which EMI are managing at the moment are; Katy Perry, Tinie Temper, Kylie Minogue, Coldplay, Snoop Dogg, The Beatles, Professor Green, 30 Seconds to mars, The Chemical Brothers, Swedish house mafia, Emeli Sande, Danger Mouse, and Conor Maynard, this is just a short list of some of the different artist which get managed by EMI records.    

 

3.       Do the major labels own smaller companies and which artists do they manage?

    One of the major labels, which are big in the UK, is Sony music, they also manage a range of different subsidiary labels, and some of these are; Columbia records, some of the artist which are signed to this label are; Foo Fighters, Katy B, Kings Of Leon, Ke$ha, Little Nikki, Calvin Harris, A$AP Rocky, Ozzy Osbourbe, Mark Ronson, Matt Cardle, and Avril Lavigne. These are just a few of the artists which are signed to this label, it is clear that they are all mostly mainstream, and in one-way or another and some of them target different genres. In order for these artist to be found and made into the stars they are and helped to be targeted into the right direction they are found by subsidiaries of Columbia; some of these are; American, Aware, C2, DV8, Loud, Murmur, portrait, So So Def and some others, these labels are responsible for finding the artists and nurturing them so that they can become a successful star. Columbia is just one of the subsidiaries of Sony, another example of a subsidiary would be Epic, they to also have a range of different subsidiaries which find there music as well, fome of the artist which are signed to this label are; Paloma Faith, future, Ciara Marcus Canty, the script, Black Sabbath, Drake, Duran Duran, Jamiroquai, Sean Kingston, Lostprophets, and Kelly Osbourne this is just a shot list of some of the artist which are signed to Epic records, just like Columbia records there are a range of different genres within this record label. There are also subsidiaries which find these artist as well some of these are; Gloworm, Hidden, beach, and Ruthless these are the main ones which nurture the new artists and help them to achieve a look which suits them. 

    I have also looked at the universal music group as one of the biggest labels which market in the UK, they also have Subsidiaries, which help them to market their music and to help find, acts. Some of these record labels are; Decca, some of the artist which Decca manage are; katherin Jenkins, Noah, Only Men Aloud, Paul Simon, Rickie Lee Jones and Sonny Rollins are just some of the different artist which are managed by Decca, these artists are then found by; Ace of Clubs, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, Cambrian, Cube, Eclipse, Threshold, Rex, UK, and Vocalion, these is just a small amount of the artist which are managed by this subsidiary lablel Decca. Another subsidiary label which is also manages acts is; Def Jam and some of the artist which they manage are; 2 Chainz, Asher Roth, Big Boi, Rick Ross, Big K.R.I.T, The Dream, Jeezy, Jeremih, Nas, Ludacris and Frank ocean are just some of the artist which are signed to this record label.

   Another large record label, which I have looked at, is EMI I looked at their subsidiaries labels some of which being; Addictive, EMI: Chrysalis, Charisma, Blue note, and Capitol. These record labels then have subsidiaries, which go out and look for the talent, they help to create a style and help them to be more established. Some of the associate labels of some of these subsidiary labels are; Capitol, of which they have Priority to find their artists, Snoop Dogg, B-Real, Cypress Hill, and Eric Bobo rare just some of the artist which are signed to this subsidiary. Another associate label is also Positiva, and Heavenly 100, some of the artists who are signed to Heavenly 100 are, Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs, Cherry Ghost, Saint Etienne, Sea of Bees, Toy, Dot Allision, East Village, Monkey Mafia, and The Soft Pack are just some of the artist which are part of this associate labels who is responsible for finding the talent and making them into stars.

 

4.       Are there any links within media e.g. TV/Film/Magazines

Sony have quite a large product portfolio, some of the other markets, which Sony also have also, go into are, film, finance, gaming, the TV industry and electrical items. These are the main sector, which Sony has a share of the market of; through using these devices Sony is able to promote there other sectors through using synergy to promote their artists, and even other sectors like the films they produce. An example of where this has been used would be; when a special edition came out for Foo fighters for the play station, this was special edition and promoted both the Foo Fighters and their music as well as play station, as fans of the Foo Fighters would then want to buyt the play station and people who buy the play station may then become a fan of the Foo Fighters. Another example of where this has been used would be for the sound track of X men, Will Smith from Columbia records to produce the sound tack, this was another form of synergy. This helps to both save money and also promote different sectors which are part of the of Sony entertainment. Sony are also play in bit part of some of the biggest TV shows around, one of which being the Xfactor, as the winner then gets signed to one of Sony’s record labels which Simon Cowl is apart of. Again this is just another way in which Sony is able to promote themselves in the many different sectors. Also by having this, it allows Sony to create brand loyalty for they’re other products, this would then allow there customers to also trust their other products and encourage then to buy then as they might trust the quality and might therefore lead there customers to trust the brand and thus buying other products.

    The universal music group have got a range of different products which as help to promote their artists other than the artist themselves and their music. An example of this would be now acquiring the lenience to musical compositions and is able to licenses then for the use of recording and other related uses, some of which being; advertisements and also in films. The universal music group is also involved in artist management. As well as this is also offers its services and products through a wide network of subsidiaries, licensees, and joint ventures. The company also has a partnership with live nation entertainment Inc and billabong international ltd. Recently the universal music group have been granted approval for the acquisition of EMI music recorded music division, the approval was given by both the U.S regulations, and European regulators have emerged about the exact steps the universal music group will have to take, to win the European commission support. Universal also work in the film industry as well as they work with both the theaters and the films which they produce in the cinema. Some of their films are; Harry Potter which is very well known, Snow White And The Huntsman. They also have very successful theatre products some of which happen all over the world for example Billy Elliot this is has be a who success and is one which is preformed in more than one country. Due to universal having this film subsidiary they are also able to gain this brand loyalty so people who like the music which the companies produces may also go and watch the films if they like the label as this would appeal to them as they are of this target market it would be films which are aimed at them as well this was also develop brand loyalty especially if the audience is a big fan and they are love everything which universal has to offer. Again similar to Sony there may also be songs which are produced from the artists from some of the record labels, some of the artist may also star in some of the films themselves, again this would then encourage fans of the artist to go and watch the film it would also encourage people to g and buy the sound track to the song thus prompting more sales and more sales for the artist.    

    EMI don’t have as many subsidiaries ad the other two companies which I have spoken about before this is because they are more about the music and to then that is there main focus. Most of the other interests and subsidiaries which the EMI do have are mainly music based, for example  EMI started a small publishing operation, this was in order to expand the acquisition of song of the companies more central songs some of which being Keith Prowse as he was the first to be written about in 1973. This then expanded in 1976 with the purchase of the Screen Gem and Colgems libraries from Hollywood studio Columbia Pictures, therefore then giving EMI a very big presence in the film music industry. So even though they don’t have their own film company, they brought the rights to produce songs which would go into the film, whether it be soundtracks or the sounds effects which were in the film, they also wrote about this as well. This then meant that EMI could then appeal to a much larger audience as now they would have entered a more critical audience where people like debate, and writing their opinion this may also lead to them starting to like the music which is being produced. Therefore expanded into a new market and increasing their song sales, for both albums and singles. EMI also brought the Virgin Music Group, which at the time (1992) was the largest independent music company in the world, thus taking on their rooster artists such as Janet Jackson, Rolling stones, Lenny Kravitiz, Smashing Pumpkins and many more these are just an example of some of the artists which were a part of this label. By taking this label over this then got all of their brand loyalty from the existing fans and may have been able to create more from the fans from EMI starting to appeal to the virgin artists. This means that they have taken over an established company so they also wouldn’t have to worry about the risks involved for example if they were to start their own new record label there would be many risks involved. These are the main subsidiaries other than EMI’s label itself which it has.      

 

Independent labels

Music labels which are able to operate one or a few music labels. Independent labels are able of being just as successful as another other big label; the only difference is that they operate from a smaller base. They can be seen as offering a more organic music rather than the type of music which is manufactured in the mainstream industry. But not everyone agrees with this.  

 

1.       Identify some of the independent labels in the UK and a brief history of each

Ambush Reality

This record an independent record label which releases all of the music which is produced by Enter Shikari. They are a UK made band which formed in 2003 they produce post-hardcore music amongst other sub-genres for example alternative metal, and metalcore. There are also other element s of other sub-genres some of which being; dubstep, trance, drum and bass and electronica, thus through using this they create quite a unique sound, which then gives them their own niche market. The label is co-owned by the band members themselves and some of their friends; the label is also run by these same people as well. But the band did decide that if they wanted to be able to tour in the US then they may have to consider signing to larger and more major labels in the US. Therefore they then joined interscope records imprint Tiny Evil. Ambush Reality signed a distribution deal with warner music for them to be able to make their album ‘Common Dreads’ and their other further releases more accessible in locations outside of the UK and for them to be able to advertise and promoted more widely. But then on the 8^th December 2010 Ambush Reality (Enter Shikari) left distribution through warner and started to distribute through the UK/Europe/Japan/and Australia through PIAS entertainment group. Then another change as they then decided of June 21^st 2011 that Entre Shikari’s releases in North America and Canada were going to be done through the independent label Hopeless records.                   

 

Super Records

 

Super records are an independent record label which was created by the British band McFly. The band debut album was released on island records back in 2004. This was called ‘Room On The First Floor’ this album went to number one therefore making them the youngest UK group since The Beatles. But then due to creative difference which the band had with Island records they then chose to leave the label in order for them to gain complete control of the creativity and all of other aspect of having your on record label so that they could then make their own decisions depending on what they want. So they therefore set up their own label called Super Records Ltd. McFly insists that they split from universal as agreeable. In terms of the distribution of the records everything which was produced by Super Records Ltd, before 2010 was distributed by other major labels in a range of different counties. This was before the resign of McFly to universal records as a 50/50 deal with the company, thus making universal worldwide distributors of Super Records release (so all of the songs and albums which they brought out once they had signed back with Universal. The first release with came from Super Records was ‘One for the Radio’ this was from their album Radio: ACTIVE .McFly. They chose to release Radio: ACTIVE free via the Mail On Sunday. It was considered to be more of a ten track promotional CD. But the full, deluxe version of the album featuring a bonus DVD, with four extra songs, and then a 32 page booklet was well, was then released in the UK and in Ireland on the 22^nd September 2008. The label did plan to sign other bands and artists to the label as well. But at the minute McFly are the only artists (band) which is producing music from Super Records. They have decided that they will wait until they have generated enough revenue form their own material, before they start to consider holding auditions for singers and groups.          

 

2.       What artists are signed to these labels?

Ambush Reality

There aren’t really any other artists who are singed to this label, but they do have a side project. This is Reynolds who has produced a side project as part of a side project with the name ‘Rout’. This artist often performs in small venues before actual shows. In the past this artist has used other names such as ‘Routron 5000’ as well as ‘Shark & Blitz’. He produces a type of penchant for electronics, thus creating a drum/ dubstep/ jungle/ and bass sound. Some of the songs by ‘Rou’ feature some of this friends just messing around, and also have iconic lines from famous movies, or other well known songs. His most recent EP, released for ActionAid, this features from ActionAid’s project work which happened in Ghana.

    Rolfe also DJs under the moniker ‘Sgt. Rolfy’ regularly playing slots for the bands during their after parties. He also play a diverse range of sounds some of which being; drum and bass, trance, classical, dubstep, and parody songs too.

    Clewlow recently released his own first remix, simply as ‘Rory C’ for ‘Don Broco’s track priorities, which is from their new record. Front man Rou Reynolds has now also set up his own new clothing company of his own which is called ‘Step up clothing’ this is just an example of one side project which has taken place as part of the Ambush Reality record label.     

 

Super Records

As it currently stands McFly are the only artists which are singed to this record label, as they are waiting for themselves to generate enough revenue from their own materials before they start to consider adding other artists to their labels. Thus meaning that there is only one group/ artist signed to this label.

 

1.       Is it right from a music point of view as well as an industry point of view that 4 companies dominate the music industry?

I think that there are both advantages and disadvantages to 4 major companies dominating the music industry. I think that an advantage of their being 4 major record labels would that that they would be well experienced in finding the right talent and knowing how to spot a star in the making. This means that they would be able to apply the knowledge which they have in the industry into making new artist which they find a star. This therefore would reduce the risk for the record label as well as the artist themselves as they would be working with some of the best industries in the world who know so much about the processes and what makes a good song as well as styling the artist so that they fit the gap in the market. Another benefit would be that these new talents would get the chance to work with some of the best people in the world who have helped some of the biggest stars in the industry to date. This would then give the new artist the chance to gain more knowledge themselves and get advice from people who have has a lot of experience. I think another advantage would be that, although these labels are so big they are broken down into so many sectors, so it would be wrong to assume that all of the artist which comes from these label record labels will all be mainstream, as some may have their own niche which they are really good at. There are also so many subsidiaries within these labels for example; Def Jam, Decca, Def Soul, Geffen, MAC Records, Motown, capitol, Gramophone, IRS, Java, starline and Total Vegas, these are just a few example from the main subsidiaries which cater for niche markets whether they be; rap, classical, or country, all of these are catered for I some way in the industry. Therefore I don’t think there are many people being left out of this music industry. I also think that by having these main major industry then is stops the industry being tarnished with artist which can’t really sing an those who just do it for the fame, as by these people being in the industry it makes the Industry look bad and takes away the skill of signing and music and it then makes it become common so it is no longer seen as a talent, or being prestigious as it is an industry which anyone can get into and is also and dilutes the quality of the industry. Thus tarnishing the industry as a whole, whereas having 4 large companies allows the industry to stay prestigious and something which takes skills.  

    Although on the other hand I think that only having four major record labels in the market can then make the market become very uncompetitive as it wouldn’t give the smaller record labels a chance in competing with them dominating the market these markets would then be seen as an oligopoly as they are the main record labels in the market with the largest market share. Another reason why I think that it may be wrong for there to be only four major record labels which dominate the whole industry may be because it does give everyone the chance to get in to the industry and give them a chance to express the type music they like and show that they are capable of, as even if someone paid wanted to get in to the industry which wasn’t found then they may have to pay to produce a song or an album, and even if someone did chose to do that they would have to have a lot of money to start off with in order for them to be able to produce this. Therefore this limits the amount of people that have can peruse a career in the music industry. Its either that or they would have to know someone who is already in the industry, again this is also very few people.  Another reason why I think that having the four dominating labels means that they would also miss out on some niche markets, as the major labels tend to focus on only mainstream music and music which will sell and make a lot of money. Whereas some people just want to make music which is more about them and is more important to the artist and is not about the money but is about the actual music which represent them rather than music which is design to fill the gap in the market. They may also reach a market which the mainstream may fail to reach and target a very niche audience by maybe producing more than one type of music genre at one time and mixing the genres to make them sound better, and create their own type of music. I think another issue with the bigger record labels would be that they are all about making money and don’t think about what the artist wants as much. I think that another issue is that the whole purpose of the music is being a part of a label and interacting and making decisions with the label, where as this may not happen as the business would be so big the artist would hardly get to see any of the production team and only a few of the people from the record label. Some artist may want the whole connection with the record label and really get to know them and spend time on creating the right songs and so on; they may also have more time to develop.   

    Therefore I think that yes it is good to have some big massive record labels but I don’t think that they should take over that main subsidiaries and I think that they should also have the chance to stay in the industry and last just as well as these other industries. Personally I think that it is good to have both in the industry as this is what creates the type of diverse audiences which it has today and allows music to appeal to as many people as possible.

 

2.       I think that this will have a massive affect on the industry as I think as these bigger companies take over more and more and eliminate all of the smaller independent labels, they are becoming bigger and bigger. I also think that the bigger labels make a lot of changes to the industry and they build the artist to how they want and so that the artist fits the industry. I also think that if the bigger music labels do take over than more then I think that it would give people less of a chance to make their own music. I also think that in the end the major labels will just take over the majority of the record labels and it will be harder to get into the music industry, I also think that the larger companies may end up taking each other over so in the end there may just be one major record labels with a lot of different subsidiaries, to accommodate all the different music genres, then just a few smaller independent labels.

3.       I think that there are some independent record labels which have been very successful, as I don’t think that the artist has to come from these big massive labels if they want to do well, as if they have good music and have a target audience then there music is able to sell. Another reason why I think that artist don’t need major labels to be successful is being there’s so much access to technology and the internet that it is so easy for people to get there music known, and that is just for people who have access to a computer. Independent labels are just as good as the larger labels I think that they just work on a smaller scale and are more concentrated on one artist instead of working on a larger scale like some of the major companies do. I also think that sometimes the audience don’t actually know who have produced what music and if it has come from the major labels or from an independent ones. I also think that if music is good then people are going to buy it no matter what label it has come from, as they are buying song and not the label. Thus not having that much of an impact on the smaller label, but I do think that if there is a fan of one artist then they are likely to listen and like the music which is being produced by other artists on that label as well. I think this is why the big major companies are so big as the smaller independent labels wouldn’t have as many artists for fans to listen to as well.

4.       I think that the independent labels do have aspects to offer the larger labels, one thing being to shows the bigger artists the originality in music before they go and change the artist too much and show them how to keep the voice and what is good about the artist instead of changing it. Also major labels use a lot of adjustments to the sound of the artist voice to make it sound a little different, whereas I think independent labels don’t do this as much. I think that smaller labels also offer the chance to show the larger labels about what its like to create music which appeals to a niche market and conveying how music can still be diverse, and show the larger labels what it is like to produce music which relates to the artist more.