Research: History of music videos

Modern day music videos compared to traditional music videos back in the 90’s has changed drastically due to the improvements in modern day technology which allows artist to add further elements in their videos in order to appeal to their target audience. These elements range from lighting, different edit styles to the ways in which camera shots are taken. These changes also allow artist of the modern day to be more artistic and creative with their music video as they use it to enhance or even reinvent their star image in hopes to appeal to their target audience.

 

1929: 'Saint Louis Blues' For the first time in the 1920's Bessie smith was shown doing a performance based song in a two-reel short film called saint Louis

1940: Fantasia! Walt Disney released fantasia, an animated film based around famous pieces of classical music

1956: Tony Bennett - Stranger In Paradise 

Tony Bennett is filmed walking in Hyde Park for his song "Stranger In Paradise". The single/hit was distributed on US and UK television, leading Bennett to claim he made the first music video.

 

1964: Songs & Moving Images - The video arguably set out the basic visual vocabulary of today's music videos, influencing a vast number of contemporary musicians etc.
 

1966 - 1968: ''The Monkees'' was a TV show. Each episode included a specifically made film segment that was created to accompany their songs.

• The birth of ''Top of the Pops'' used to promote singles so artists had to create competitive videos to compete for air time.
• Videos used techniques borrowed from film ideas. The start of The Beatles - ''Penny Lane''.

 

1975: Queen - ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' music video created to replace a live TV performance.

 

1970 - 1980: The key development of the modern music video was video recording with editing processes. High quality via tape recorders and portable cameras enabled pop artists such as ''The Jacksons'' due to them having a high budget to make their best music videos possible and is worth watching.

 

1981: MTV is launched. First music video aired was Buggles - ''Video killed the Radio Star''.

 

1984: Michael Jackson - ''Thriller'' took music video format to another level.

 

1980's: MTV and musical success... 

• Music video would, by the mid 1980's, grow to play a central role in popular music marketing.
• Madonna owed a great deal of her success to the skilful construction and seductive appeal of her videos.
• Although many see MTV as the start of a ''golden era'' of music videos and the unparalleled success of a new art form in popular culture. Others see it as hastening the death of the true musical artist because physical appeal is now critical to popularity to an unprecedented degree.

 

  

 

 

 

Music Videos have changed drastically over time due to the forever new changes to technology. Music videos now compared to a long time ago use conventional elements such as Editing, lighting and cinematography in the videos in order to make them appealing to the target audience. In addition, compared to a few years ago music videos are now able to be consumed through many different sources compared to the early 90’s where videos were seen in Films or on the radio.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

This post has allowed me to learn and understand about the early years of music and how developments and changes in technology have influenced the major change in how music is produced and consumed. This post has allowed me to see the importance of music videos to present day and see through the use of conventional elements the impact music videos have on the audience. 

 

 



Research: Music video channels

Music channels are seen as very important in the music industry as they allow an artist to promote themselves due to the exposure which the music channel gives them. It offers audiences a wide range of variety depending on the genre of their choice . This benefits the audience as they can choose a specific music channel in order to suit their taste. In addition, Artists benefit from this as they can now attract more of an interest in different viewers who haven’t seen or heard of them before.

variety in channels

Music channels sometimes also have sub-channels also known as sister channels. For example,  MTV Base, Rock and dance. For example if someone enjoys rock music they can watch ' MTV Rocks' which appeals to their own taste of music.Music channels have expanded in terms of the amount of channels that are available to the public which therefore attracts a wider range of audience.

Examples of music channels

MTV

MTV Base

MTV Hits

MTV Rocks

MTV Dance

MTV Classics

MTV live

The Box

Kerrang!

Flava

Kiss Tv

Clubland

Channel AKA

Further attractions within the music channels

Channels such as MTV base have programmes within the channel such as 'UK top 40' which consist of viewing the official singles chart and the most popular music videos of the time. It is done in the form of a countdown starting from 40 down until number 1. This keeps the audience involved and excited as they would watch the programme until the best of the music videos of the time are revealed.

Music industry

Due to the innovation made in technology the music industry has evolved significantly over recent years. This increase in music channels in today’s television has been made to suit the taste of a majority of people who are into genre’s as this will allow the music industry to appeal to more/different people all at once. In addition, without music channels artist will have less exposure and less viewers which will lead to a decrease in demand and potentially sales for the artists record label.

Music channels and synergy to appeal to the audience

There are now various different ways in which music channels can be consumed. whether it be through TV, internet and through social networking websites.Some music and film’s merge together through the soundtrack they use, this is what you call synergy. It is seen as very beneficial to both the music and film industry in terms of promotion and increasing sales as when one industry is promoting, it then promotes the other. For example, Adele's song, 'skyfall' was used as the soundtrack to 'james bond: skyfall'

Research: Media institutions

What is a media institution?
A media institution is a well-established and profitable organization in which deals with the advertisement and promotion of music and entertainment. Media institutions are created in order to help promote an artist or music as well as entertaining the audience as everything is based around satisfying the target audience. Having a media institution can lead an artist to his or hers success as they provide them with a range of various opportunities they wouldn’t of come across if they weren’t signed to a institution. This is because many music companies provide what all artist need, exposure. This is done through the use of promotion and advertising in which the music companies form for the artist. For example, Music channels advertisement, Film soundtrack synergy.

EMI:

• One of the world's leading music companies
• International institution
• Own labels such as Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capital, Capital Latin etc.

Major artists signed to EMI are

Katy Perry

Snoop Dogg

Coldplay

Gorrilas

Lilly Allen

tinie tempeh

 

Sony Entertainment:



• Provides music labels for international superstars
• Formerly known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment and changed it's name to Sony Music in Oct, 2008.
• It offers hip hop, country, classical, gospel, pop and rock recording labels.
• An example of artists signed to Sony Music are Chris Brown, Beyoncé and Willow Smith.

 

Universal Music Group (UMG)

• Is the official world's largest music content company
• Helps to discover and develop recording artists and market their music worldwide
• Examples of artists signed to UMG are Nicki Minaj Cheryl Cole and Busta Rhymes

Warner Music Group

 

 

• Not as popular as the rest however is still an international institution
• Record labels include Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra etc.
• Helps artists achieve long term creative and financial success by providing consumers with the highest quality music content available
• Examples are Paramore, Bruno Mars, and Kid Rock

4 elements media institutions keep an eye on in order to gain success for their artists
Visual Style

 This is how the company goes about attracting their target audience through the use of visual styles such as colours or font styles etc.

Branding
This is the way in which the company presents themselves to their target audience in order to appeal and attract them.
Target Audience 
 This is the specific audience range the company will try to appeal it.
Identity
This is how well the institution can be recognised, as the audience should automatically know what institution it is simply by looking at the logo.

Conclusion: 

This in depth research into media institutions has made me  aware of the world’s largest and successful media institutions and their role in the music industry.  I also now know that some institutions are not as large as others and that some specialise and only work with specific music genres. Moreover, this research would enable me to be aware of the music institution that would suit my genre of music, and my music video.

Research: Music videos genres

What is a music genre?
In the music industry there are many different music genres in which a song or a video follows. Music genres are categories in which a song/video will be placed into depending on the conventions of the genre. For example, fast pace up beat music will relate to the Rock music genre. In addition, there are many different genre of music which fall into one which then creates a sub genre.
 
List of different music genres in the industry:

• Rock
• Jazz
• Musical
• POP
• R&B
• Country
• Gospel
• Soul
• Classical
• Hip-Hop
• Blues
• Cultral
• Alternative
• Indie
• Rap

examples of music genres
 
Pop
The type of music video has to have the characteristics of the genre it belongs to. The ‘Pop’ genre for instance aims to appeal to the general audience rather than a particular sub-culture or ideology. An emphasis on recording, production and technology over live performance. Moreover, a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments. These are some of the factors that determine the characteristics of the ‘Pop’ genre. 

Rihanna's music video is a performance based music video and it uses the use of lighting to emphasise this as there are a lot of bright flashing colours used to reinforce a club night. This done to entice the audience to want to watch more. The club locations which are used in a lot of Rihanna's pop videos are used in order to create a sense of normality for the audience as they themselves could go to a night club and party like her. This allows them to be able to relate more to the video as they are locations which are used in their lives. This music video follows the conventions of a music video as the editing is in time with the fast pace song, along with the visuals make the video visually stylish to the audience.
 
Rap
In rap videos generally artists prefer to show realism which is the difference between hiphop and rap. They mainly show conventional iconography such as drugs, money and women to relate to their hardcore lyric. 



wiz khalifa for example likes to show his hometown. In this video they use a urban location. This is effective as it helps build to their gangster imagine. The visuals in the music video are also very effective as it matches the beat of the song. This allows it to have a greater effect upon the audience. Furthermore, with the video being a narrative based this allows it to create entertainment for the audience. 

Rock
Indie rock bands and any other type of rock band would usually use a lot of performance in their music videos and less narrative because a lot of these artists play music for their themselves and not the industry. This is unlike the majority of pop artists that are treated like a product specifically to make money through sells of electronic music to a big target audience.

Foo Fighter’s All My Life video is almost completely performance apart from the a few establishing shots at the start. They have managed to maintain video excitement by using a fisheye lens on the camera and changing the back drop on stage

The importance of following generic conventions in music videos.

It is essential to follow generic conventions in music video. The reasons are as follows:

• To satisfy and please the target audience. The target audience of the specific genre expects a conventional music video that they can relate to. If generic conventions are not used then the target audience could be lost.
• By following the generic conventions, the music video could appeal to a larger audience which would enhance the fan base and therefore would have a larger target audience.
• Could make the music video more popular. There would be an increase in the number of views on the internet such as on YouTube or social networking websites.
• A successful music video that follows the generic conventions demonstrates the prestige of the industry. It would make sure that they make money and profits from the music video.

conclusion
This research of identifying and analysing some of the conventions of each music genre has helped me with the planning stage of this music video. This is because I now know what kind of micro-elements and concepts make up a genre and also how to make the music video relate to the genre whilst appealing to the target audience. I believe I'm a lot confident now in identifying a music video then matching them to the genre of music they are from.

Research: Goodwin theory of music videos

Andrew Goodwin is a theorist that applied his own understanding to the world of analysing music videos, he came up with 8 very simple however generic ideas about what music videos within mainstream or popular culture consist of. He is regarded as an important theorist in the music industry and is also well known amongst people involved with music.

Goodwins theory that is based on 8 main principles:

• Genre Characteristics
• Relationship between lyrics and visuals
• Relationship between music and visuals
• Star image motifs
• Notion of looking
• Intertextual references
• Performance, Narrative or Concept based
• Technical elements

Genre Characteristics

Music videos often reflect their genre through the use of specific characteristics which makes them conventional. So whatever the genre of the music video is, the specific characteristics which are conventional to the genre make us identify the genre by watching the music video. This applies to all genres.

Examples of genre's that carry the genre characteristics

Hip hop 

Fancy cars
Big houses
Portraying women in a sexual nature.

Classical

Smart dress
Emphasis on high pitch lyrics. 

Rap 

Crime
Violence
Drugs
R&B  

Love and relationships.
Fancy lifestyle
Rock
Instruments shown
Mainly performance based

Relationship between lyrics and visuals

Often in most music videos the visuals are able to relate to the lyrics of the song in some way. This can be portrayed through the illustrative concept where the lyrics explain what is happening in the scene, The amplifying concept where the visuals seen are an exaggeration to the lyrics in the video and lastly contradicting which is when the visuals are the opposite to what is being said in the lyrics.

An illustrative example is in his 'boyfriend' music video where he is seen sitting in a car with his shades and gold chain around his neck saying ''I've got money in my hands which I'd really like to blow''

The use of amplifying images could be used in order to make the images larger and more powerful which would make the visuals seem more dominant over the lyrics.

Relationship between music and visuals

Most visuals shown within a music video have a clear distinction between the music being played. The visuals being portrayed are often either illustrative of the actual music video or contradicting towards it. For example, a video with fast pace and upbeat music will reflect this in the visuals with fast editing and action. However, if its a slow accoustic song for example, the on screen visuals will often be very soft and slow to be able to relate to the music

The entertaining choreography and fighting near the end creates a thrilling feeling amongst the audience. In addition, the music used in this music video is fast paced which fits in with the fast editing used in order to grab the audiences attention and keep them engaged.

Star image motifs

Music videos nowadays often contain a star imagine motifs, this is when the music video includes as many close ups of the artist as possible. This is done in order to make them popular and identifiable. This is important as it helps promotes the artist and also for the audience to be able to establish who the artist is.

Throughout Beyonce's career, she has built up an icon image. Her music videos need to emphasise, support and reflect her active, rollercoaster, unique style, personality and music. Star image motif portrayed in all her music videos to represent her style and personality. Due to her status in her past music videos her new music videos need to live up to that standard.

Notion of looking

Goodwin's theory talks about voyeuristic or in other words sexual treatment of the females body in music video's. These are women who are seen as sexual objects in their music video, this could be because of the way they are represented in their music video or their own real life characteristics which is followed with them from the real world. In addition, women wearing revealing clothing has become very conventional and acceptable due to a list of mainstream artist such as katy perry, Rihanna revealing a lot in their videos.

In this video the female body is clearly revealing which would attract the attention of a male audience. The iconography is also used to relate back to the attraction of a male audience as there are sexual dances included.

Intertexual reference

Intertexual reference is when you're able to find a close link between a music video and a Television programme, a movie or other music videos in general. This is done as a promotional act, linking the lyrics of the song and visuals together in order to create an effect amongst the audience, or to diss and insult another artist.

This music video conveys intertextual reference to Marilyn Monroe: By all three of the artists dressed up in a white dress with a curly, blonde, short and classy win, red lips and also her beauty spot

Intertextual references can aid to promoting a video as people can relate to the music video in more than one way. A popular intertextual reference such as referring to Marilyn Monroe would attract a wider audience and interest into the music video would increase.

Performance, Narrative or Concept – based

A performance based music video is often used to present the audience in a whole different way and make them the main focus. This allows them to present their artistic talents to their target audience, this could range from singing to even a dance routine. For example, artist such as Micheal Jackson tends to throw in couple dance moves within his performances in order to show off his high level of skill to his audience and also to primarily entertain them.

In this example we can see that the focus is on the band, this can be done because the band using a variety of musical instruments and it could be more conventional for their music video to be concentrated on them.

Adele's song is a mixture of performance and narrative based. Narrative based often means that the music video has a story attached to it which is able to relate to the lyrics of the song. For example, Adele - Someone Like You, this music video talks a lot about Adele's previous relationship and her transition through the tough break-up. This music video is also performance based which allows her to become the main focus of attention and allow her audience to be able to relate to it. This concept is effective as it helps build a relationship with the artist and their audiences.

 

Conclusion:

Goodwin's theory enabled me to be knowledgeable about the 8 main generic ideas about what music videos consist of. Goodwin's theory is significant because it is most likely to be the theory that my own music video would consist of. Therefore, being familiar with his theories would give me an advantage as I would know what do include in my own music video