Rob Miller Friday September 26, 2014 Categories: A Level, WJEC A Level, WJEC A2, WJEC A2 Media Studies, Hot Entries, Music, British Pop Music, Fan Websites, Music Distribution, Music Industry, Music Promotion, The Press, New Media, Convergence, Internet, Social Networking, Synergy, Theory, Misc Theory enlarge The purpose of this pack is to provide a research platform for students and teachers of MS4 by exploring key potential exam areas of questioning a useful balance of Music Artists includes a global performer (Beyonce), a British/Irish artist (One Direction) and a more independent case study or at least, reflecting more an indie genre (Green Day). When studying or teaching MS4, a balance of artists and genres allows for comparative textual study and centres are reminded that in the exam not every question topic below fits each industry students must choose carefully the question topic that best fits the texts/industry they have studied. Narrative, for example is not always straightforward to analyse in reference to music in Section A while Regulation could be difficult in Section B. I have warned my own students about this possibility while choosing questions. It is essential, and WJEC make a point of this to study the artist as a performer, not simply their music videos. The exam topic areas covered could be: Section B Production and Production Values Marketing and Distribution Globalisation Digital Technology
Audience Targeting and Positioning Audience Responses and Appeals Regulation Star Marketing Section A Genre Narrative Representation Beyonce Beyonce is a global brand and familiar to audiences as a household name. American Beyonce Knowles roots are as a member of the commercially successful R n B band, Destiny s Child. As lead singer of Destiny s Child she established herself as an artist performing within the mainstream, American dominated genre of R n B but rose to this position performing from a very young age. The band were managed by her father, hence the Knowles family had an auteur like control on where Destiny s Child were heading and in what direction. Along with Bananarama in the 1980s and the Spice Girls in the 1990s, they became one of the best selling girl groups in the world. A break in their hectic performance and recording schedule allowed Beyonce, at age 22 the opportunity of releasing her debut solo album Dangerously in Love while Destiny s Child disbanded in 2005 when it was clear Beyonce s solo career was commercially dominant. Beyonce s reputation to this day was formed, and is often based on this early solo work which sold 11 million copies but was also critically successful it won five Grammy Awards and featured iconic singles Crazy in Love and Baby Boy. The album was released by Columbia Records, owned by Sony who form part of the oligopoly of three major record companies that dominate the music industry Universal, Warners and Sony known as the big three after the break up of EMI. Beyonce very quickly established herself as confident artist who was not only a performer but someone who would take control over the direction of her work even during the recording of her first album she took a wider role in its production co-writing a majority of the songs, choosing which ones to produce and sharing ideas on mixing tracks. Before recording had even began she had selected, via interview the producers she was going to collaborate with. The underlying meaning of the album alluded to her then relationship with husband to be and music mogul, Jay-Z. The immediate success made her a very marketable commodity with the album debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart selling over 300,000 copies in the first week.
enlarge This opportunity for synergy was immediately exploited in the same year of the album s release (2002) by Mike Myers and distributor New Line Cinema, casting Beyonce as FBI Agent Foxxy Cleopatra in the comedy film Austin Powers: Goldmember her debt single Work it Out featured on the soundtrack to the film ensuring that both products sold each other (the film was commercially successful). It also helped to reinforce her sexy, but active secondary persona and also sell her image to a market that was already familiar with her work in Destiny s Child. In the film, as in her music career she was dominant and in control but also objectified and framed for the male gaze. Other ventures into acting included a Golden Globe nominated performance in The Pink Panther, Dreamgirls (2006) and Obsessed (2009). As well as manipulating synergy, Beyonce will admit that her style and work makes intertextual references to other artists from a range of genres making her music a hybrid of R n B, Hip Hop, Soul and Reggae. Hip Hop references are from Jay-Z, Outkast and Lil Kim while Reggae is from Sean Paul. She writes sexy songs that are aspirational to a female demographic but also with a secondary male audience in mind emotional but also with an upbeat mode of address that has a feel good factor. She arguably, along with artists like Lady Gaga with whom she collaborated with on the song and music video Telephone can be categorised as a post feminist icon mapping Angela McRobbie s theory.
She allows herself to be framed for the male gaze but is very much in control of her representation. Her lyrics make speak of stereotypical female preoccupations like love and relationships but also female sexuality and empowerment as such she is seen as a female role model. On stage she has an alter ego called Sasha Fierce that is at odds with her squeaky clean persona, again moving within a range of genres in her third album I Am.Sasha Fierce with pop and R n B ballads but also referencing Electropop and Europop genres. The 2010 song Single Ladies (Put a ring on it) became a siren call to her fans who wanted romantic security and stability but on their terms. This audience can be primarily identified as being female, 16-25 whom she positions to aspire to her global status Beyonce makes it into the top 100 of most influential people in the world, is a friend of the Obama s and she is herself a multi millionaire. One of the reasons given for her worldwide success is that her songs embrace universal themes that can be understood across and range of cultures. In her 2009 song and Video, Crazy in Love audiences can see the wide appeal of both Beyonce and her partner Jay-Z. Beyonce is associated with high production value entertainment, particularly through the financial backing of Columbia Records and the video has elaborate costume design like Telephone, use of digital special effects, multiple camera technology and an extensive cast. Watch: Beyonce - Crazy in Love ft. JAY Z On stage, vast amounts of money are spent on highly choreographed performances with her prowess as a dancer as apparent as her vocal range. Beyonce has also become a role model in terms of her ethnicity as one of the highest paid black musicians in history and in 2011 became the first solo female artist to headline the main Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Music Festival (also breaking into was what seen as traditionally a guitar
based festival ). Politically, as a friend of the Obama family she has worked for the Campaign Against Child Obesity and sees no problem with foregrounding her pro American ideology after the death of Osama Bin Laden she released a song called God Bless the USA as a charity single to help raise funds for the New York Police and Fire Widows and Child Benefit Fund. In 2012 she also became part of a video campaign called Demand a Plan which was designed to influence the government into rethinking its gun control laws following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Her political work is extensive and has anchored her status as a global brand. One Direction One Direction have become known in popular culture terminology as 1D this affords them the status of a commercially successful British band who have become popular in America, not always the case for many British artists. Their genre is predominantly pop but with an electro-pop skew however, they are perceived be following in the footsteps of boy pop bands from The Beatles through to Westlife, New Kids on the Block, Boyzone and Take That. Like all of the aforementioned bands, 1D are a constructed boy band which means there was nothing naturally musical about them coming together (apart from The Beatles) also meaning their status and existence was a commercial, and not a creative decision. 1D were brought together my music mogul Simon Cowell after each member of the band were seen to individually fail on ITV1 s X-Factor. Synergy with X- Factor was fundamental to their success with the band signing to Syco Records on Sony s record label. enlarge This referenced several factors that contributed to their immediate commercial success X-Factor has high audience ratings and a significant 12-19 female demographic who are the primary target audience of boy bands. By the time Harry Stiles and the rest of the band came together there was an awareness of who they were and the viral spreading of the possibility of a new boy band through social networking via fans of the show. Synergy with a pre-existing commercially successful brand gave the band a kick-start to success through popular
culture recognition. Sony, as identified in the case study of Beyonce are again, one of the oligopoly of big three record companies that dominate globally which ensured wide distribution on a number of platforms. Also, the idea of initial failure was itself one of 1D s early appeals with audience sympathizing with their plight but also being attracted to their young, fresh boyish appeal. enlarge Early indication was that the band was going to be successful and this was very much the case with 1D being the first band in US Billboard 200 history to have their first three albums go in at number 1 Up All Night, Take Me Home and Midnight. Critical success was also evident with Brit Awards and MTV Awards while all the time their young, female, teenage fan base grew. Hype followed the band, not least with rumours of a string of high profile relationships, mainly Harry Stiles including X-Factor presenters but also American country star Taylor Swift. All this drove the band s global marketing but they were especially propelled to success by social media Twitter and Facebook but also YouTube were the engines of their success as forums for excited discussion, rumour and expectation. In the end, or rather now and into the future they are seen as a banker commodity with Sony estimating their net worth as $50 million. The Sunday Times Rich List stated that in 2013 they had an estimated combined wealth of 25million. PR had carefully constructed the cultural stereotype of the cute, good looking, if not a little bit vulnerable boy band to appeal to a specific target audience. Creatively, their work follows a standard boy band genre template up to a point, on paper their songs are not particularly musically interesting and are pop but with a USP of each member of the band having an individual following. Also moving away from the template their songs do not necessarily always follow the stereotype about girls and relationships. In the video of the song, Live While We re Young young, heterosexual males are represented aged between 18 and 20. The band themselves are English, Irish and mixed race but universally represented as carefree and fun, following the stereotype of young people of that age the title of the song anchors these connotations as being free from commitment. In terms of mise-en-scene and dress code the band are framed as trendy and attractive to maintain their fan base appeal whilst at the same time maintaining their appearance as normal teenage boys.
There is a distinct suggestion that they are also framed as role models but certainly fit the hegemonic cultural stereotype of being young, free and single this ensures the myth of personal communication with their audience remains evident, as is their apparent availability to their fans. The representation of 1D s active heterosexuality is crucial to the band, even in 2014 with one member of the band, Louis Tomlinson rumoured to be gay but with this leak immediately squashed. Historically this reflects a cultural change in audience acceptance of sexuality but only up to a point - George Michael s homosexuality was covered up by his record company for years while Wham! were successful in the 1980s for fear that it would damage their reputation. Despite their success, ID s youth and inexperience still makes them reliant on others including Syco and Sony who are able to mold their representations in publicity shots, high key lighting and saturated colours are used to signify their energy but also their musical genre, pop. The publicity also helps to create the myth of philanthropy to offset the band s considerable financial success they have performed on BBC s Children in Need while for Christmas 2014 they will be filming a set of pleas asking for donations for specific charities. Their clean-cut reputation is currently successful in the American market, particularly after the recent Justin Bieber scandals serving to reinforce their own more positive representation. However, a recent video with the band caught smoking marijuana was initially controversial but did nothing to damage their reputation or their record sales. American audiences like middle class, parent friendly pop, without controversy and with the added innocence of advocating puppy love - 1D provide it. Again, social media as the new radio has been seen as being responsible for marketing into the US the bands individually tweet which creates the illusion of being close to their fans. There are currently 15 million band followers and growing with hyped up rumours of the new album the band and record company have carefully constructed secondary personas for 1D: Horan is the cute one, Malik is the quiet and mysterious one, Payne is the sensible one, Styles is the charming one and Tomlinson is the funny one. Labels reinforce audience identification and oddly they are well known for what they can t do dance. Take That moved rhythmically around the stage and were dynamic in their representation while 1D rely on a more static images based on persona and song. Green Day
Green Day are an American band who have been around a long time they are indie in terms of genre but well established and also critically and commercially successful with a loyal fan base. An oxymoron could exist in part in describing them as indie but also commercially successful but in essence the word indie describes the guitar based music genre, aspirations and ideology. Green Day claim, and have claimed to be a punk band, much to the chagrin of punk performers like John Lydon (ex Sex Pistols). In the same way that Joe Strummer from The Clash was described as the radical chic of punk, Green Day have been under the same scrutiny throughout their whole career. A love them or hate them approach defines audience with both homage and humour used to parody their reputation at the beginning of The Simpsons Movie with the band being sunk on a barge at the start of the Springfield Music Festival. enlarge Formed in 1987, Green Day were initially anti establishment, reflecting ideological punk stereotypes but over the years aligned themselves more with mainstream music culture. In reference to the above, the band have sold 75 million albums worldwide and have a reputation for hybridizing indie with mainstream rock. Grammy Awards have followed them throughout their career with the band citing intertextual references as The Ramones, The Buzzocks and Sex Pistols with an expression of punk ideals at the heart of the band. From an institutional perspective, their embracing of punk ideals is at odds with the fact that they are signed to the major record company, Warners. The fiercest criticism has come from the suggestion that they have sold out the ideals of punk in favour of commercial success.
The official fan site, offers the ability to interact with other fans of the band applying the personal relationships model of the Uses and Gratifications audience theory. Notions of exclusivity are suggested by the ability to pre order from itunes with other features promoting again a mythical communication with the band who are seen to be interested in every individual fan, a common convention of the indie genre. www.greenday.com offers a record company maintained representation of the band that suggests higher production values and also foregrounds their iconic 2004 album, American Idiot. Again, the irony with this album was that it was critical of mainstream political culture but topped the album charts globally in 19 countries. The album cover of American Idiot has rebellious connotations with a bloodied hand holding a grenade in this respect anti establishment imagery is manifest. The hand grenade is being squeezed almost like a heart bleeding which could also suggest the song is about love and losing it however, it seems more obvious that it is indeed making a stand against society and America s traditional values. Dark colours are commonly used by the band to represent their genre but also to anchor key themes. Green Day remain keen to reinforce this politically independent representation with press releases informing fans of what the band are doing like Billie Joe Armstrong appearing in the independent film Like Sunday, Like Rain. Their perceived involvement in humanitarian aid and charity work anchors this carefully constructed image StokesMe September for example is a fundraising effort for the SIMA Humanitarian Fund dedicated to improving life, health and welfare. Key beneficiaries include Breast Cancer and Cystic Fibrosis. However, Green Day now have the status as one of the most successful bands of all time in summer 2013 at the Emirates Stadium in the UK the band sold 60,000 tickets while also headlining the Glastonbury Festival. The band and Warners has successfully of late marketed American Idiot 10 years down the line as one of the most influential albums of all time but the ability to reinvent themselves over a 27 year career so far remains one of the hallmarks of their success. Vocalist and guitarist Armstrong has publicly acknowledged their success and their status as a big band but still has engineered events that perhaps remind audiences they have retained their individualism in 2012 at the iheartradio music festival in Las Vegas Armstrong and bassist Dirnt smashed their guitars on stage because they felt their time was being cut short.
enlarge Green Day have benefitted over the years with an association with Kerrang! magazine as a form of synergy but also linking with younger audiences who are the main target audience of the publication and website. They are consistently represented as artists that teenagers can relate to because their music is about experiences that this demographic can understand Green Day have been compared to Blink-182, The Offspring, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan but retain an individualism that both attracts a pre existing target audience but one that also allows them to market to a new audience.