Industrial Context - Sony as a Brand

Sony Music Entertainment is the second largest record company in the world, and Sony/ATV or Sony Music Publishing is the largest music publishers in the world. These two merged to create Sony Music Group. They comprise of a variety of record labels that provide a variety of genres. such as rock, pop, hip hop, R&B, classical. So they are a brand that caters to large audience.

Sony Music Entertainment Labels:

• Columbia Records
• RCA Records
• Epic Records
• Arista Records

Notable Sony Music Entertainment Artists:

• Black Eyed Peas
• Little Mix
• Adele
• Chris Brown                               

These videos are featured on Sony's website :   

"Oh My God" by Adele

 "GIRL LIKE ME" by Black Eyed Peas and Shakira                                                                                   

"Iffy" by Chris Brown

All of these videos have these conventions:

• A performance aspect of the artist as the main focus of the video.
• Stylised mise-en-scene.
• Diverse cast of actors/dancers, mostly by ethnicity, a diverse range of ages are featured in the Chris Brown video.
• A dance section is featured.
• Special effects are used. 
• A narrative is used in the Adele and Chris Brown video.
• The artists are presented as glamourous, via wearing nice dresses, being shown in or next to expensive cars. 
• Women are explicitly sexualised in the last two videos and arguably sexualised in the first video.

Industrial Context - Contemporary Context

The Largest Record Labels in the Music Industry

Finance: Music video production is financed by the record label the artist is signed to, as those labels are beneficiaries of the royalties that come from those music videos. Ways in which music videos make money is via, advertising, sponsorships, video sales (through digital downloads) and so on. Putting a music video on YouTube can be very lucrative for companies and artists, with 1 million views equating to between $1000 and $2000, and in 2018 20% of all views on YouTube went towards music videos.     Record labels can get artists the best directors and producers for their music videos and will help to promote the video.

Distribution: Digital distribution is the main way in which music videos are distributed. Music videos are now distributed through digital distribution companies like Ditto will sign deals with record labels to allow them to sell their music videos on many different platforms such as Vevo, Apple Music etc. This middle man distribution method allows music videos to be accessed by more people, meaning more money is to be made from using these distribution companies. Some distribution companies won't take royalties from the songs revenue and some platforms won't need a distribution company to share the music video.

Industrial Context - History of Music Videos

 A Brief History:

• In the 1960s music videos were more like promotional videos. The Beatles are one of the famous examples of using 'promotional videos'. With songs such as "Strawberry Fields Forever" which featured slow motion fades, camera filters, slow fades etc. 
• In the 1970s "Bohemian Rhapsody" hit number 1 and was scheduled to make an appearance on Top of the Pops, where the songs preformed were usually accompanied by the band and dancers as a performance. Instead of doing this, Queen sent in a video featuring them performing the start and end of the song, but in the middle a collection of visually stunning visuals using the latest technology.
• In the 1980s music videos came into popularity with MTV - music videos existed before MTV but very few were successful. MTV which started in 1981 and played a constant 24 hour stream of music videos. The first music video to feature on MTV was "Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles. Pop songs like these were usually performances and helped the artist to sell their records. But the video to change that was "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, which was a 13 minute screenplay which told a story rather than just a performance and this was incredibly successful.
• In the 1990s "Baby One More Time" by Brittany Spears was released and instead of using lots of special effects, it was a perfect example of the synchronicity between the song and video. The video had strong direction, interesting choreography and naturalistic costumes. This video was a big success on MTV.
• In the 2000s with the arrival of YouTube, and MTV starting to air more reality content more artists started uploading their videos onto YouTube and it quickly became the most popular medium for sharing and accessing music videos. With music videos like "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga finding great success on the platform.

With technological advancements, the way people access music videos has changed. People used to have to watch music videos on their televisions, but know that technology has become more compact people can access music videos on their phones, tablets, laptops etc. This coupled with the main platform for music videos now being YouTube which is free, people can access music videos instantly and anywhere, making the popularity of music videos rise. This is also great for music video producers and artists as their videos/songs will get more exposure to an increase the audience, with the top 5 most viewed videos on YouTube being music videos.

Audience Research - Aspects of the Audience

Target Audience:  A primarily 16-25-year-old middle market aspirational audience. 

Age: Those aged 16-25 are the first generation to come of age during the era of social media. They are growing up in in a digital world of judgement, distrust and distorted reality, making it difficult for brands to from long term relationships. Research drawn from interviews and a 1000 respondent survey yielded these findings:

• 41% of those researched, feel judged on social media.
• 25% don't feel thy can be themselves online.
• Almost 1/3 feel they don't have a fixed identity.

Neuroscientists revealed that the formative age of 16-25 is the critical moment in life when the true individual identity is formed, and when peoples ambitions, values, and ideas are formed. However, today's youth are made to live in this world of constant peer pressure and exposure. 45% of all 16-24 year olds admit that their social media posts are not an accurate portrayal of their true identity, showing how they seek status from the online identity that they construct for themselves. 

This age group is also incredibly ambitious, possibly due to their exposure of social media influences "perfect life". 30% of 16-25-year-old claim they would sacrifice their best friendship or never go on holiday, in order to "make it" in life. Many (40%) in this age group also feel as if their image and beliefs are not reflected within brand advertising. 16-25-year-olds are now a very lucrative demographic for companies as they contribute an estimated £20 billion to the UK economy each year, and students account for around half of the UK population. Since this age group are the main users of social media brands have discovered that it is effective to advertise on platforms such as Twitter. Thus it can be concluded that many in this age demographic engage with pop culture and music videos through social media as it has instant updates on their favourite artists and song releases.

Middle Market: Describes those who are middle class, they are neither very cheap nor very expensive. This group is reflected in the BC1 demographic groups. In 2016 the frequency of grade B was 23% and grade C1 was 28%, meaning combined the BC1 demographic group made up just over half (51%) of the UK population. 

Aspirer: The aspirer psychometric group seeks status and wants to appear rich and attractive. They want to buy status brands that show their place in society. They are alright with investing in luxury groups and consider themselves stylish and trendy. They may also be easily influenced by celebrity endorsements. Therefor in a music video aspirers would want to see a 'celebrity' performer who is attractive, and would appreciate aesthetics.

Audience Research - Audience Profile

Name: Michael Mills

Gender: Male

Age: 22

Occupation: Office Worker

Annual Income: £36,000

 

Location: South-East of England

Psychographic: Aspirer, seeks status.

Values, Attitudes and Lifestyle: Cares about the validation of others by wearing top branded cloths, monitoring their online identity. Interested in the lives of celebrities and influencers. Thinks of themselves and stylish and up to date with trends. 

 

                                                      

Planning - Moderators Report

 Points of Guidance:

1.The strongest work is supported by focused research, detailed planning, attention to detail and a strong, sustained concept based on the requirements and details of the brief.

2. There needs to be a certain level of quality to gain top marks. The product being "highly developed"; "accomplished"; "sophisticated"; "highly appropriate" , etc.

3.The website needs to have just as much time and attention put into it as the product itself as they both yield the same amount of marks. There needs to be a great exploration of the cross-media aspects of the brief, with excellent links being made between the products. The quality of both must be to a high standard.

4. Adhere to the codes and conventions of the product and genre and the requirements of the brief.

5. For Statements of Intent, they should be detailed, going depth about how and why specific effects would be created and how these ideas linked to ideas shown in other areas of the course (eg theorists or particular products). Make clear links between the two main products and explain how digital convergence connects them. Go though the brief in depth and demonstrate how every requirement and detail is going to be addressed. 

6. The website is for "fans" to interact with the content. 

7. The best products for music videos demonstrate, an understanding of the specific requirements of the brief relating to genre, representation and industrial context and show that there was research done before planning the pieces. Through strong technical skills, a fundamental understanding of the relevant codes and conventions was demonstrated. Products that emphasised the performance aspect by filming the artist preforming the track a number of times in different locations with different mise-en-scenes and utilising a variety of camera shots and movements, that had well edited lip-syncing.

8. Videos that were less successful missed key elements of from the brief or did not adhere to the codes and conventions of the form. For example:

• Not mentioning the name of the track/band/artist at the start or end of the video.
• Editing which did not match the BPM of the track.
• Concepts which lacked a clear through-line. (Simply just footage of various locations with no consideration of structure/theme)
• Videos where a simple narrative was imposed with little to no consideration of the content/mood/tone of the track.
• Camerawork did not demonstrate a level of skill, finish or excellence.
• Vertical mobile phone footage was used. It should be avoided.

9. The best websites showed effective photography and copy, capturing a tone appropriate to the needs of the intended audience, with a degree of clear sophistication as well as a wide range of representations. They transcended the templates from which they were given, including original backgrounds and layout elements that showed creativity. They ensured that traffic was driven between the website and music video with well designed consistent branding. All the content (text, images and audio-visual material) must be original.

10. Links between the products need to be stronger than just placing the product on the website and listing social media. There could be examples of tweets, or Instagram posts, a newsletter, merch for the brand, or discussion of other products available to buy such as tracks, tour books, subscriptions.

11. Less successful websites demonstrated a ack of attention to detail or missed key elements of the brief/ codes and conventions of the form. For example:

• Sites which didn't include a visible/viable menu bar.
• Sites where the linked page was virtually blank or included text but no image.
• Sites with two uneven pages, one which was strong and onw which was weak.
• Sites that didn't include embedded audio/video, or where the embedded material was not original.
• Sites which extended beyond the sides of a standard monitor screen.
• Use of templates/backdrops/ inability to edit template materials rather than using bespoke text/imagery.
• Sites that gave no indication of the relevant media industry content (Sony Music).
• Images used on websites were often not of an appropriate size and were not always anchored by text..

12. Digital convergence needs to have examples of coherent branding and synergy that effectively engages the audience and gives a sustained and insightful meaning for the audience. 

13. Convergence is effective due to the use of images/logos/models/colours/themes across the products, showing that brand identity has clearly been considered. There needs to be an emphasis on mutual promotion, promoting one product across the other forms, therefore products were mostly overt in using the "call to action" to viewers to content on the website. For example, a link at the end of the video.

14. Convergence that was not effectible didn't seem to develop further than shared font and colour schemes. For example:

• Products that did not mention the website at all.
• Music video sites that did not include the video.
• Logos on websites that didn't match the partner product.
• Models/actors that were not used in the partner product.

15. Practice the technology so it is familiar before shooting. 

16. The best candidates undertake individual research into a wide range of contemporary examples. 

Planning - Potential Song Choices and Initial Ideas

 1. Move Your Feet - Junior Senior

 This song could be considered to be an anthem as the upbeat nature of the song could inspire elation. When I first heard the song, images of skateboarding, a basketball being dunked and a big group of people together accompanied by a montage of different shoes came into my head. The images of a group of people, possibly friends, would appeal to the aspirational audience, who may want to seek status inside a group of friends. Activities such as skateboarding and playing basketball will also appeal the 16-25 age demographic.

2.  Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

 This song could be considered to be  an anthem of hope. For this song, I thought of a group of friends enjoying the summer holidays surrounded by nature, for example in green fields, climbing in trees, smelling the flowers. Hopefully some shots of butterflies and bees; and most importantly shots of the sun. This appeals to the 16-25 age demographic as they would want to have a fun summer with their friends like in the music video.

3.  Girls - Girl in Red

 This is a song that could be considered to be a lesbian anthem as many in the community consider this as a song that represents their community. This song could be quite effective as it included representations of sexuality very successfully. Reflects how many in the specified age group are exploring who they are.

4.  Daydream Believer - The Monkees

This song could be considered be an anthem as it inspires a sense of elation and could have quite a strong performance aspect to the video.

5. Dancing Queen - ABBA 

This song could be considered to be a gay anthem. This would also represent the age demographic well as the song states the dancing queen is "only 17". This video could possibly have a slower feel to it as the song has a mix of tempos which could be effective in producing a dynamic video.