Marketing in the music industry

As the music industry becomes increasingly creative, marketing methods also become increasingly imaginative and diverse. Here are some of the examples of marketing methods that we thought of in our marketing lesson:

• Social media marketing (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Myspace, Soundcloud and Spotify being the most popular).
• Websites and blogs for existing fans
• Radio broadcasting
• TV appearances (eg. as guests on chat shows)
• Publications - articles, reviews, advertorials, interviews
• Competitions/ giveaways
• Live performances - concerts, tours, charity concerts, secret concerts, TV performances
• The release of their own films/ documentaries and accompanying press events, such as premieres and conferences.
• Cameo appearances in other films
• The release of an annual or an autobiography
• Advertising - TV advertising slots, radio time, billboards
• Featuring tracks on compilation albums
• Featuring tracks on film and TV soundtracks
• Merchandise - posters, clothing, stationary, calenders etc
• The album, including the cover, the album art and collectible versions
• Music videos for singles
• Playing music videos on music channels such as MTV, Kiss, Kerrang 
• iTunes and Amazon 
• Youtube and providing promotional content to famous Youtubers 
• Vevo channels - promo clips, trailers, behind-the-scenes footage
• Celebrity endorsement
• Viral marketing campaigns
• Free downloads - ringtones, wallpapers, promo clips
• Tie-ins with other brands to widen audience
• Album and book signings
• Free apps for smartphones
• Appearances in music charts
• Appearances at award shows, either as presenters, performers or award winners
• Launch parties
• Festivals

These marketing methods could be categorised in various ways:

• Online marketing
• Above and below the line marketing - above-the-line marketing requires direct payment, whereas below-the-line is, arguably, 'free' publicity through various media platforms.
• By media platform or industry
• Singular marketing or alongside other artists
• Purchasing opportunities for audience members
• Marketing that targets existing fans vs that which targets potential new fans
• Interactive, immersive marketing in which the audience is given power
• Teaser campaigns

We also discussed what the aim of a marketing campaign would be in the music industry:

• Ultimately what has to sell is the music - therefore, the music video works to promote the single that promotes an album. This cyclical, or step-by-step promotion can be applied to various different forms of marketing in the music industry.
• Marketing can also be used to freshen or to protect the brand identity of a certain artist, but also to ensure longevity. 
• Evidently, the music targets a certain audience, and marketing the artist and their music raises awareness to potential audience members. This also gives audience members the chance to buy into a certain brand image or style. 
• Marketing has the primary objective to persuade people to spend money on products, in this case, music.
• Marketing in the music industry can also be used to convey a certain message or ideology, especially if the artist feels strongly about certain issues in society.

Marketing in the music industry is primary funded by the record label, who invest money into an artist based on projected album and ticket sales. The amount invested is expected to be 'reimbursed' by the artist in sales. The artist's salary and other living expenses are also taken out of this investment, as well as any studio time and tour expenses required to produce and promote the music. Record labels therefore have to strongly consider what is commercially viable rather than taking risks with who they sign. A record label would therefore maximise profit potential by providing audience members with multiple opportunities to spend their money on various products, primarily through the website, which acts as a hub to promote both the artist and the record label. They also tend to avoid niche audiences, and sign artists that have cross-gender appeal, global appeal and who would be attractive to a wide age range.

We studied One Direction's website as a case study, looking particularly at interactivity, style and design and purchasing power. 

In terms of interactivity, visitors had the opportunity to read the One Direction Story, choose their home language (which shows their global appeal), engage in One Direction's day challenge and vote for various award shows, including the BBC2 Teen Awards. The style and design of the website had a consistent theme of travel and international appeal, as their background was of a scrapbook style, with a dotted map route around the world, passport stamps and graphics of boarding passes. The colours were fairly feminine and soft, and the easy navigation/ colloquial writing style is particularly tailored to their primary audience of young girls. Audience members were given purchasing power at various points on the website, whether through the chance to preorder the album, buy concert tickets, buy merchandise or the music. We found this website to be a great example of how brand identity and marketing material is tailored firstly as the band itself develops and secondly as the audience extends globally. 

One thing I found particularly interesting was the way in which marketing teams for certain artists would have symbiotic relationships with a wide variety of media platforms, such as magazines and radio stations, who are looking for content. This media partnership would be one that is mutually beneficial, since it would be relevant to the target audiences, both primary and secondary of the artist and of the media platform. Another aspect of music marketing I was fascinated by was the notion that all publicity isn't necessarily good publicity. The press works to expose the façade of the brand identity concocted by record labels, because the press generally has the right to believe that the public has the right to know that they are buying into a parallel universe. This may or may not undermine the brand image of the artist, and since record labels lose control to the press, the press now has infinite control of the image of the band that is projected to the public.

 

Album Art

In order to study album art and the conventions of album art, we analysed a range of CD covers and digipaks from various genres and with various styles.

Some of the conventions of album art that appeared across the field were:

• The album title
• A picture of the band/ artist OR abstract art
• A visual motif/ synergy with other media products, such as a piece of iconography that appears in a music video.
• The artist's name in a particular typeface that is repeated throughout promotional products
• Logos (of artist or institution)
• Barcode or QR code
• Parental advisory, if required
• Website and social media links
• Promo stickers on the front cover
• A product code on the spine of the case
• Copyright material
• Credits
• Place of manufacture
• Booklets and sleeves
• Track listing on the back cover
• Consistency of colour scheme and style - synergistic with other parts of the campaign.
• Year of release

We discovered that the albums we were analysing could also be grouped certain ways. Some of the ways we could categorise the albums were:

• By genre
• By format
• By colour scheme/ style/ design
• By concept - artist promotion or abstract art?
• By Solo artist vs band identity (consideration of framing)
• By gender of the artist or core target audience
• By style of photography
• By mise-en-scene
• By release decade or year
• By record label
• By target audience - niche or wide?

We also examined the purpose of album art and what it's aim would be in terms of an entire marketing campaign. Here are some of the reasons we came up with:

• The album art is a way of branding and creating an artist identity, and thus is a way of selling a unique selling point.
• It is also a means of visual marketing - it is a form of advertising whereby the power to choose is given to the consumer
• Album art could be appealing to both new fans and existing fans; it could even be a way to strategically widen a fan base
• The genre signifiers on the album art provide an insight into the flavour and the mood of the album
• The album art could also be an artistic expression
• The album art is most likely to be part of a wider marketing campaign, and would therefore be in synergy with other media such as films and music videos, providing an immersive experience for the audience. Making it part of a marketing campaign also gives it the aim, by definition, of making money.
• Audience members, specifically those who are existing fans, would be able to consume the media through recognition and repetition.
• Remarketing and rebranding can also be done through album art and other media products.
• The album art is a physical product that an audience member can own and play, as opposed to the musical tracks. This means that the CD or digipak could become part of a growing collection.
• Album art is also a visual representation of the music that the artist is primarily known for. 
• It also gives the audience information, which is specifically the job of the back cover. The front cover works primarily to establish a brand identity and connote a unique selling point, whilst the inside covers provide further immersion into the artist identity.
• Uniqueness and creativity in album art can be a means of entertaining certain audience members, who may find pleasure from the imagery and lyric booklets.

I decided that the High School Musical album would be appropriate to discuss, since it is a product of a divergence of multiple media formats - film, television and music. Disney, as an institution, is known for its expertise in children's entertainment, and also for the way in which it strategically combines multiple forms of media to market and promote its products, HSM  being no different. 

The target audience is likely to be fairly young, between the ages of 6 and 15, and the album art caters for this audience in terms of giving them something to relate to. Each of the six characters has something unique about them; for example, Taylor is the intellectual, Troy the popular basketball player and Sharpay is into fashion. This perhaps corresponds to the fact that this is a product made for the mainstream music industry which would have universal appeal. Furthermore, the typeface/ logo and the use of the red curtain very much signify the musical theatre genre - they in fact reflect the style of a musical theatre poster, which gives the audience a rough insight into the style of music in the album.

What I learnt in particular from studying album art was the way in which various media products from one musical artist work in synergy to promote the music. Usually this is either through a piece of iconography that appears across promotional material, or through a consistency of colour scheme.This is something that I would personally like to incorporate into our music video project, and thus have a consistent brand image across all marketing materials. 

What Music Means To Me

A Song From My Childhood
The Sugababes' Three album was the first album I bought with my own pocket money, and I loved it with all my heart. I (over)played it almost every day, literally sitting by the stereo listening to it. Million Different Ways was definitely my favourite on the album, and I remember choreographing a little dance routine to it. I sang and danced to the song alone, not really wanting to show anyone the routine.


A Song From My Early Teens
Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around... Comes Around, as well as some of his other songs (Lovestoned/ I Think She Knows) were particular favourites of mine because they broke the standard mould of the 3-4 minute song in mainstream music. Timberlake's songs were, and still are, significantly longer than the average song, and I liked the progression through different keys, music styles and melodies in his music.


A Song That I Like Now
Home by Philip Philips was used consistently in advertising promoting the Fierce Five, a group of Olympic gymnasts that I'm really inspired by and appreciative of. The lyrics tell the story of uncertainty and stepping on unfamiliar ground and not knowing where you are headed, but in the end, finding a place to call home somewhere else in the world, which is definitely relevant now that we have a lot of fairly intimidating changes to await. It's also a song that just really gives me the confidence to push forward and not hold back because I now recognise the importance of taking chances.

Music Video Track Research

As a group, we had already decided that we wanted to go for either a retro/ old-school theme or a cutesy, girly music video, and so I researched tracks that had this kind of theme, as well as artists that fitted the stereotype of the strong, independent girl. 

Here is my original track list:

Boyz - M.I.A

Knock ‘Em Out - Lily Allen

What I Wouldn’t Do - A Fine Frenzy

Blow Away - A Fine Frenzy

Fluorescent Adolescent - Kate Nash

Do Wah Do - Kate Nash

Mouthwash- Kate Nash

Paris - Kate Nash

Pumpkin Soup - Kate Nash

Merry Happy - Kate Nash

Kiss With A Fist - Florence & The Machine

Skeleton Song - Kate Nash

He Wasn’t There - Lily Allen

Sailing Song- A Fine Frenzy

It’s Alive- A Fine Frenzy

When You Grow Up - Priscilla Ann

I Will Get Over You - Priscilla Ann

Way To The Future - Katie Herzig

The Only Place - Best Coast

I then narrowed down these tracks to my favourite three that I thought would be most appropriate for the brief and for our chosen retro theme. I removed those that were too long, those that would be difficult to perform and sing, and those that were not very upbeat, because they would also be very difficult to perform to. 

1) Blow Away - A Fine Frenzy 

This song is very upbeat and therefore lends itself well as a memorable debut track for a female individual artist or band. My idea for Blow Away was very closely related to the analysis I did of Electric Twist, also by A Fine Frenzy, which relied heavily on a theme of innocence and childhood.
For this particular song, I think shooting outdoors in various settings would be appropriate, in order to coincide with the notion of freedom that is expressed in the lyrics. Props such as brightly coloured balloons and bubble blowers also fit strongly with this theme.
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Visual References

  

 

2) He Wasn't There - Lily Allen

He Wasn't There fits very well with the retro theme that we had in mind, whilst till leaving room for use of contemporary technology. 

Conventionally, old-school songs are performed on stage, which is what I had in mind for the performance aspect of this music video - the lead singer would be accompanied by backing singers and a vintage microphone on stand, in a minimalistic, staged setting. 

The narrative element would be a constructed garden-style setting in a studio with a bench, and flowers/ small birds made out of paper to provide a kind of fun-loving aspect to the music video. The narrative would feature the blossoming of the relationship between the lead singer and her male partner, and the stages would be depicted whilst they sat on a white garden bench.  

Visual References

  

3) Way To The Future - Katie Herzig
My idea for Way To The Future is not too dissimilar from my idea for He Wasn't There, sticking to the old-school theme that our group has decided would be best. However, since the lyrics in Herzig's song narrate a very different story to those in Lily Allen's, the artist identity may be very different. The story in Way To The Future is very much about a girl's shyness in expressing her love, and playing on this idea, I considered working around a nerdy artist identity and a high-school romance sub-theme.
The performance would, again, be in a classic, staged setting, with monochrome colouring, but instead of backing singers, there would be a band and instruments.
On the other hand, the narrative element would take place in the girl's bedroom, which we would have to make both conventionally girly and geeky, with a mixture of pinks and purples and objects such as old books and a globe. We could also have the love interest's bedroom portrayed in the narrative, shown when he receives '... her words, out of the sky.'

Visual References

  

Prelim Evaluation

1)    Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?

I thoroughly enjoyed the music video workshop on Friday 12th June, for various reasons. The first was the experience of a professional shoot, alongside people who had previous experience in the media industry. Being able to work with professionals, and to a shoot schedule, was really beneficial in terms of deciding whether or not we would like to continue working in this field in the future - although testing, the day was very rewarding, and I would definitely like to pursue this as a career in the future.

The second aspect I believe was genuinely beneficial was the emphasis on performance, because as media students, the technical aspect of the music video usually overrides performance, although they are both equally important in this particular form of marketing. Although some of us would have known how to dance before, being able to perform in front of a camera was definitely a new and invaluable skill that I acquired during the workshop. The performance was testing but extremely amusing and I am really excited to incorporate my new-found knowledge of performance into my own music video next year!

In hindsight however, I would've liked to have gotten involved with the cinematography side of things - I helped a little when making Jade's bow set, but I would've also liked to have helped with other sets, such as the grunge.

2)    What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks?

Analysing A Fine Frenzy’s video for Electric Twist to start with helped me to ground the conventions of a performance music video in my preferred genre (alternative/ acoustic), and gave me some initial ideas as to the sorts of iconography I would like to include in my own video.

Secondly, the audition video, as well as performance rehearsals and  highlighted the importance of performance, in a music video, as well as having fun. On the other hand, arrangements for costume also accentuated the importance of establishing character/ brand of each of the members of a band, and making them individual by giving them all personalities.

As well as being given the chance to perform on the workshop day, I also learnt about the importance of allocating roles with a team and working according to a shoot schedule- I was, for example, a dance double, and my specific job was to make sure all of Leigh-Anne’s moves were performed during filming.

The editing stage, both of the audition tape and of the workshop have made clear how intricate, and often time-consuming, sound/vision editing can be. We worked with Radial Blur and split-screens, two effects that we may consider incorporating into our own music videos next year.  

3)    Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is this how you expected it to look?

The footage has a really professional element to it, and I think this is largely down to allocating roles to people in the large team that was involved in the shoot- for example, we had separate groups of people working on lighting, camera, set design and choreography, and together, we managed to produce footage that was of a very high standard. I am also pleased with our final edit- as per the brief, it reflects the original music video for 'Wings', but where we did not have appropriate footage that could be used in the final edit, we used other shots and therefore added some originality to the final cut. For example, if the band members were not lipsynching during a particular shot, we added shots of the dance crew instead.

4)    How do you think your prelim experiences will impact on your approach to next term’s music video coursework?

Firstly, through the various prelim tasks, I have realised the importance of pre-production and planning for the music video task. Not only will the cinematography and lighting in every shot and set up have to be planned to perfection, but sets and costumes will also need to be ready prior to the shoot, and the performers should have been regularly rehearsing, so that they feel comfortable on the day.

Another aspect of the prelims we will be sure to remember is the importance of performance in the music video. On the Little Mix shoot, Iwas a dance double for Anjana, who played Leigh-Anne,- my task was both to motivate her and teach her the specific dance moves, which helped us achieve all the necessary footage. Therefore, whilst there will be people focusing on the technical aspects, such as camera and lighting, I would like to also have group members working with the performers, on choreography and lip synching. Also, Anjana and I made sure we managed our time between us, so that I was on set with her when she needed me, and could do my own hair and make-up in between.

Finally, on shoot days that can often be fairly long and tiring, the importance of a shoot schedule is paramount, as it will help the team to stay motivated and organised, as well as everybody remaining on task and being able to communicate effectively.  

Here is our final video- hope you enjoy it!

Music Video Analysis- 'Electric Twist' by A Fine Frenzy

I chose to analyse the music video for 'Electric Twist' by A Fine Frenzy according to the conventions of a performance music video.

1. The music, lyrics and imagery work in collaboration: This is present in this particular music video, as there is clear sound-vision editing. The lyrics also occasionally work with the imagery, especially with the telephone to match the '... thanks for the call' lyric. Some of the dance moves also echo the lyrics, such as the twisting move that accompanies the chorus and the 'Don't talk' action.

2. The performance drives the music video and is sustained throughout: Alison Sudol, the lead singer, continues to sing throughout the video, directly addressing the camera, and the other members of the band make an appearance when the beat picks up, playing their respective instruments. However, there are also both narrative and conceptual elements; the lyrics tell the story of a bittersweet love, which provides the narrative aspect, whilst the theme of childhood  (toys, paint, goldfish, building blocks) creates the concept of young, and perhaps immature love.

3. The artist sings/ mimes throughout: Alison sings throughout the music video, and the lip-syncing is believable.

4. The role of the artist may switch between artist performance and artist-in-character performance: As well as singing, we see Alison in several roles that connote naivety. We see her appearing to be wooed by a potential love interest, who gives her a goldfish, which directly relates to the bittersweet nature of the lyrics of Electric Twist. We also see her dancing with a pregnant woman and messing around in paint, both of which are fairly immature actions and therefore accentuate the kooky brand associated with A Fine Frenzy.

5. The audience will expect to see singing/ dancing/ movement/ playing instruments: Aside from Alison singing, there is also some dancing, which often matches the lyrics (for example, with the words 'don't talk' and 'twist'). The dance moves are quite quirky, which conform to the expectations of the alternative genre and also fit with the brand image. Other band members, with guitars and a drum kit, appear when the beat picks up in the middle and at the end of the video.

6. The artist performance will be engaging/ impactful/ visually striking: The engagement in this particular video comes from the construction of the brand identity through the use of costume and props; her laid-back costume work in conjunction with the props, particularly the toys, to create an impactful image. The development of the love story in the lyrics, along with the development of the band relationships up to the end of the video, are both fun and aspirational, and therefore engaging.

7. The video features a highly stylised variety of costume, hair, make-up, backdrops and effects: Throughout the video, Alison changes outfits various times, from a stylish, canary yellow dress for her 'date' set, to dungarees, big t-shirts, tights and boots in other sets. Her make up and hair are fairly natural in all the sets. The costume, hair and make-up are all stylised in a way that allows the quirky aspect of the artist to shine, and the natural hair and make-up could emphasise the theme of naivety. The sets are quite plain, but well lit, and often feature props such as a bench or a window. The effects on the video, including the border around it and the occasional split screen also add to the playful mise-en-scene.

8. A strong sense of development is expected: The development in this video comes primarily from the appearance of the other band members when the beat picks up. The addition of the paint at the end, when the band are with their instruments, also allows the viewer to see the relationships between band members through their childish of fun.

9. A strong sense of artist identity is crucial and must be aspirational to fans: The elements of costume, dancing and visual effects are used together to construct a brand identity that suggests that A Fine Frenzy is cute, kooky and alternative. For example, the dance moves are quite easy to replicate, especially the twist, the marching and the hair whips. The sets that feature the baby, the 'date' and the pregnant woman are also very cute and convey innocence, whilst the costumes, particularly the dungarees and t-shirts, move away from the sexualised female figure of mainstream music, which may make A Fine Frenzy more aspirational to young girls and women.

10. Beauty shots/ money shots are expected: The close-ups of Alison's face throughout the video are softly lit to accentuate her unique look and auburn hair. Furthermore, the set up in which she wears the yellow dress could be said to be a beauty shot as she is closer to conventional, feminine glamour here rather than in her dungarees/ T-shirts.

11. Extreme juxtapositions and binary opposites make the video interesting: There is a clear juxtaposition between the props used in the video, particularly the various toys, and the adults who feature in the video, as the toys act as signifiers of childishness and innocence.

12. Discontinuous editing is standard: Discontinuous editing is used throughout, with the video swapping regularly between the various set-ups, in order to create interest and develop the music video.

13. The audience will gain pleasure from references to popular culture: There are conventional symbols of childhood throughout the video, including the building blocks, the vintage-looking puppets, the animal toys and the hula hoop, all of which connote carefree fun, whilst the goldfish is also a symbol of childish love.

14. The video will be polysemic in nature, offering different layers of meaning: The lyrics tell the story of a bittersweet love and consequent indecisiveness, and whilst the toys could symbolise childhood and innocence, they could also imply that the love interest is not 'wild' and carefree enough.

15. It is likely to provoke a strong audience reaction: In my opinion, this video could be enjoyed by people of all ages, especially due to the easy dance moves and memorable lyrics. The market for teenage girls is probably most likely to be attracted to this kind of video, as some will aspire to be like Alison, whilst others may appreciate the way in which the character is not sexualised, as many females are in the music industry nowadays.

Reservoir Dogs Title Sequence Remake

Here is a remake of the Reservoir Dogs Title Sequence that we shot and edited this week. I edited with Emily, and this is the final outcome. I hope you enjoy it!