Many artists strive to be original and distinctive and it is important that any artist that wants to stand out has to create that impression as soon as they become known. For example Lady Gaga has always been known for her distinctive style. Some artists try to change as they become famous to stand out more such as Amy Winehouse, when she wasn't well known she didn't have a trade mark image she was herself but as she began to be famous her style changed to reflect her soulful music. Here is a video from 2003 before she had her trade mark image and she had just become famous.
Here is a clip from .... when she was focused on creating a niche brand identity so that her music would reflect herself. Many artists struggle to do this but Amy Winehouse created herself a brand that meant she stood out from the crowd and became an icon.
From this video you can see that she has completly changed her image by having many tattos, thick black eyeliner and a beehive hair style and black hair. Without this image Amy Winehouse may have not been the famous icon that we will always remember her as.
The music industry has changed in many ways since the internet has become a main tool for new artists to release their music onto the internet and gain large fan bases. Without the internet then there would be a lot less artists coming into the music industry.
For example Ed Sheeran used the internet to create a fan base that would then be able to support him into the music industry and selling albums.
Ed sheeran- "I also gained an army of fans through social networking sites, where I have now accumulated 36,000 followers on Twitter and has celebrity devotees including Arsenal and Russia footballer Andrei Arshavin"
Arctic Monkeys
The Arctic Monkey's are a good example of the effects the internet can have on a band and launch them clearly in the music industry. The group has built a hugely devoted fan base by using the internet to reach young fans.
when the band were just becoming known they played to 2,000 fans at sold-out London Astoria.
"The speed with which they have developed a large and committed fanbase is being put down to the viral marketing effect of the internet, with fans swapping tracks with one another with the blessing of the group.
According to one estimate there are already 142 different versions of various Arctic Monkeys songs floating around on the internet, some recorded by fans at concerts. The band has only officially released one very limited edition single called Fake Tales of San Francisco."
Research is key to finding the target audience that will be best for your product. There are many factor that help you find a target audience, the ways of finding out these is by looking at your product in detail and evaluating every aspect of it and then compiling this into questionnaires and interviews to narrow down the direction that your product is going in. If you aim at the wrong target audience it can have a catastrophic effect on the product as it wont gain the popularity it needs to become successful.
Research on 3 bands and their target audiences
Florence and the machine
This is a band who began their music career on you tube and by doing small gigs to get themselves know. Florence and the machines genre of music began as very individual and original, as the band become more and more famous and well known they became signed and the style of music began to change to adapt to a mainstream target audience. The target audience for this band has changed with the progression of their success. florence and the machine still remain as a individual band and the style of Florences voice has not changed . The change in music lost Florence and the machine fans but they have now become very popular but with this it is easy to see the change in lyrics and a softer tone has become favored.
florence and the machine before she was signed
Florence and the machine after she was signed
From these two videos you can see the difference of her style and how she adjusted her music and lyrics slightly to adjust to her new target audience.
Lady Gaga
lady gaga is an artist who has shocked the music industry with the music and style of her performances, lady gaga is known as one of the strangest artists with an extraordinary voice. "I didn't want to start singing while they were talking, so I got undressed. There I was sitting at the piano in my underwear. So they shut up. That's when I made a real decision about the kind of pop artist that I wanted to be. Because it was a performance art moment there and then." lady gaga is known for the strange things she says and no one knows what her next move will be. Lady gaga promotes her albums and performances as a work of art, she doesnt just stand and sing she dances sings and acts just to an unforgettable performance.
"I haven’t been bothered by Lady Gaga’s outlandish outfits in the past, but I gasped when I saw her posed on the September cover of Vogue Hommes Japan, doning pieces of raw meat strung together. She holds one slab up to her face. The title of the article beckons: “The Naked Truth.”
What is the truth, Lady Gaga?"
In this video of Lady Gaga you can see that she puts a lot of effort into how she looks and trying to make herself stand out from other artists that opt for a more glamorous look. Its this that makes her an original artist and is why she is known globally for her voice and personality.
Ed Sheeran
In the past year Ed Sheeran has launched himself into the music industry, before he was signed Ed Sheeran had a large fan bass by promoting his music at gigs and also by using viral marketing and web 2:0. Sites such a Facebook and YouTube were important for him to become known.
The genre of music that Ed Sheeran produces is acoustic/indie this has gained him a young audience as his music is based on things that teenagers can reflect on. For example his song 'The A Team' is about drug use and that bad effects of it.
"The blend of acoustic music, folk and hip hop beats? Maybe the age? I've got ginger hair which may set me apart - I don't know!"
Ed Sheeran
But regardless of knowing what sets him apart, Ed is already impressing the right people. In April 2008 he was asked to play a gig with Nizopli, who shot to fame in 2005 with their number one hit The JCB Song.
camera work- when using cameras it is important to take into considerarion the shots that you want to take and the ways in which they will look most effective. the camera movement e.g. tracking, hand held, worms eye view, shot lenghts etc... when looking at the original it is important to make it as similar as it can be to the camera work such as the things i have mentioned above.
This music viedo creates an image witth the lyrics used, but the image that is being shown in the video is different. The song is about him wanting to become a billionaire. But the viedo then shows the stuggles of people trying to sell their music on the streets and try to become someone.
This applys to Andrew goodwin as him theory is abit the relationship between lyrics and image. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone, atmosphere and pace of the visuals reflects that of the music. This music viedo represents this well as it is a contrast from lyrics to image but it fits well.
In this blog I will present a promotion package for the realease of an album, to include a music promo video together with the following: A cover for it's release as part of a digipack and a magazine advertisment for the digipack.
