4. Representation

Audiences are a lot more likely to enjoy and associate with a music video if they are able to associate themselves with the themes and messages in the video. It is therefore important to research different forms of representations in existing music videos, in order to grasp an idea of how I am going to include different representations, as well as what they are going to represent.

Different forms of representation
Audiences can be represented in many different ways, from race to sexuality, and gender to disability. A recurring theme in current music videos is a form of representation, like in the example below:

Lady Gaga: Born This Way- Lady Gaga represents sexuality in such a way, that many still believe that the song is the best LGBT+ song to this day. Gaga spreads the message of 'you should love yourself for who you are', referring to sexuality throughout her lyrics. The title of the song and the lyric most emphasised ('I was born this way') reflects this, saying homosexuality is not a choice, but something an individual can be born with, and thus it is not a negative trait. Gaga also visually emphasises her 'born this way' message to the audience, wearing bizarre and outlandish costumes throughout the video. This use of such costumes connotes to the audience that it 'doesn't matter how bizarre you may seem to others, you should love yourself for who you are.' 

Lady Gaga was one of the first artists to tackle the LGBT+ rights issue, and has since created a platform for many other artists to do so, such as Sam Smith and Azealia Banks. The pro-LGBT+ stance has been a core part of Gaga's brand identity for years, and has drawn in several like minded fans. Lady Gaga is now one of the most commonly associated artists with the LGBT+ community, and specific representations such a these have helped boost her brand values.

Another key representation is the objectification and sexualisation of the male/female body, which has been a major selling point to audiences over the last decade, with young and appealing artists gaining attention extremely quickly. An example of this is:

Fifth Harmony: Work From Home- Both the male and female bodies are objectified in this video. Females are self-objectified in this video, but according to Van Zoonen's theory, this is because the sexualisation of females within the media attracts a male audience, by appealing to their high expectations of women in the media. The same can be said for the objectification of males in this video; there are several shirtless, muscular men walking around doing hard labour, throughout the video. Many female artists use objectification of males within their videos like this, in order to appeal in a certain sense to the high female expectations of males within the media. Thus, the objectification of both males and females in this video allows Fifth Harmony to build a fanbase out of both females and males.

3. Codes and Conventions

Possessing knowledge regarding the typical codes and conventions of content within a music video is essential, as it will help me to understand the themes, narratives and performances necessary to create an appealing music video.

Genre
The dance music genre involves music composed to accompany dancing. Sub-genres include disco, electronic and dansband music. Dance music videos usually involve quick, fast-paced cuts between shots, as well as high-angle shots to accompany this. This combination allows the audience to get a sense of the environment and settings that the video takes place in, whilst also keeping audience attention on the video. Close-ups are also much more common than usual, as a large focus is placed on the artist, as to covey the roles of those within the video. However, a wide variety of shot types are also used.

Sigala's 'Easy Love' uses frequent fast paced cuts to keep the video flowing, and to enhance the performance within the video. This technique helps to keep the audience interested; if the shots are too long and/or uneventful, the audience is likely to click away.

The setting is often representative of an everyday setting, such as the suburbs, a train station, or a school. This creates a sense of realism, and helps to represent the audience well, and allows them to relate to the video, as activities in the video are ones likely to occur in the lives of the target audience. Typically, there are a lot of things going on in the background, although this is often not the case. This is also to help keep the audience's focus on the video.

Marshmello's 'Alone' uses largely suburban backgrounds, in order to create a sense of realism within the video, and help the narrative to progress. Examples of suburban backgrounds in this video include an American neighbourhood, and a high school. Backgrounds like these also a good at relating to the target AB demographic, as much of this audience group live in these settings in the real world.

Slow motion shots are also a common occurance, as they are a brilliant contrast to the fast paced editing. They allow the audience to focus on aspects of the setting, characters and performance that may not stand out with the fast paced editing. This only further submerses the audience into the music video.

In Sigala's 'Sweet Love', slow motion shots are frequently used throughout the video, allowing the audience to focus on each and every one of the many characters within the video. In a video where everything happens extremely fast, this technique is very suitable, and allows the audience to fully immerse themselves in every occurance within the video.

Website

Typically, artists websites use an introductory page, which then contains a link to the bulk of the website, or redirects the user to content below the introductory page. This introductory page straight away displays the branding and artist theme to the user. This is done with background colours, images, fonts, social media and other elements, which vary from artist to artist.

This image is the first page of Marshmello's website. A vibrant yellow has been used for the background and image, which reflects the colourful personality Marshmello is known for in his videos. Image wise, the page is mostly blank, symbolising Marshmello's also quiet personality (the artist wears a mask and never says a word), with only a balloon with the iconic double cross and smile that is on Marshmello's mask. All of these features reflect the artist in some way, and thus help reinforce the Marshmello brand. In the top right, there is a button to 'enter site'; a common feature on artist websites.

On the main page, artists will typically advertise their latest activities to the public (i.e. displaying their latest music video on their webpage, or advertising a film they recently wrote music for). The brand identity is also kept consistent, with the same/similar fonts, symbols, colours and images used as on the introductory page. The artist will also reference cross-platform media, such as social media, like a Twitter feed. This help users understand what the artist has been doing in their life, and presents them as much more down to Earth than expected, as they use the same platforms as the everyday consumer.

This is the main page of Marshmello's website. The font synergises with the introductory page, with the Marshmello logo also being displayed on the top of the page, as it was in the image and on the bottom right of the introductory page. The artist's videos are also displayed on the main page, so the audience are able to view the artist's work without leaving the page. Finally, Marshmello's Instagram feed has also been linked in, so his fans are able to view his recent activities. This is an example of integrating different types of media, in order to synergise and build a brand identity for the artist.

2. Industry

Understanding the music industry is another key factor in the research and planning of my music video, as I must follow certain industry conventions for my artist to be successful.

My music video will be distributed by the Universal Music Group. UMG has distributed the works of thousands of talented artists, and co-created the hugely popular site, Vevo. Whilst only available in 14 countries worldwide, Vevo has been hugely successful, drawing in millions of views every day. However, only admins can upload to Vevo, and the site only publishes music videos, severely limiting the content on Vevo, in exchange for exclusivity and the ability to avoid copyright problems.

In contrast to this, YouTube is open to everybody, meaning everyone can upload content of any type, not just music videos. YouTube recives billions of views everyday, and Vevo has created a YouTube channel, which features the music videos created by smaller production companies and music artists. Vevo has a large prescence on YouTube, with 6 of the top 10 most viewed YouTube videos being produced by Vevo artists.

Because the music video I produce will be comissioned by UMG, it will also feature on Vevo, and therfore YouTube. As a result, my video must be suitable for broadcast on YouTube, and feature content that at minimum is suitable for 16 year olds and above. This is because the video needs to be suitable for my target audience, of which the youngest age is 16.

Ownership
Mainstream music production is usually carried out by major record labels, such as the Universal Music Group. Songs produced by their artists are promoted on mainstream radio broadcasts and platforms dedicated to music, such as Vevo or Spotify. Smaller, independent production companies, without access to the array of resources available to major record labels, usually rely on smaller platforms, such as podcasts, blogs, streams and occasional promotion on larger platforms like Spotify and YouTube. As a result, artists promoted by major record labels are able to reach a much larger audience, as a result of wider-scale distribution. Mainstream music production also usually involves a much larger production budget (upwards of $200,000) as a pose to that of a smaller, independent production company (around $2,000). This results in a large gap in quality between mainstream and independent music videos.

Trends
This year, a lot of popular music videos have been based around tackling discrimination, such as racism, homophobia and sexism. For example, one of 2018's most popular music videos was Childish Gambino's 'This is America', where the artist portrays racism and police brutality, hitting the audience hard with a very visual performance on this issue. Another popular example video from this year was Janelle Monáe's 'Americans', which talks about a variety of discriminatory issues within America, from black shootings to gay rights.

Future of the music industry

The music industry has been in decline in recent years. With the internet becoming more and more integrated into the music industry, people no longer need to buy artists' albums, instead streaming on sites like Spotify, or illegally downloading tracks.

The stats above  indicate a massive decline in physical sales over the last 10 years. Although digital sales have increased, the diagram does not indicate the billions in total digital revenue lost to illegal downloads and copies of an artists work. The music industry unfortunately shows no sign of stopping this decline, with the Recording Industry Association of America estimating a $12.5 million economic loss in the USA due to piracy.

                                                                                                                                         

1. Audience

The 'culturally sophisticated, 16-25 class AB demographic' mostly come from middle class backgrounds. They are mostly in education, and frequently socialize, as well as enjoy a diverse range of cultural activities. It is important to understand the wants of my target audience before creating my video, in order to maximise the appeal of my video.

My target audience mostly prefers dance music, and through their frequent use of social media such as Twitter, YouTube and Spotify.  In recent years, this group has contributed to the popularization of electronic dance music (EDM), with artists like Avicii, Marshmello and Martin Garrix all gaining popularity by embracing this genre. The artist that created the song I am using for my project (Give Me Your Love, Sigala) specializes in electronica  and dance music, and so the music will appeal to my target audience, both male and female.

Roughly a third of all EDM and dance listeners are within the 16-25 year old target age bracket, whilst 58% of listeners possess a form of higher education, placing the majority of listeners of this genre of music within my target audience. Therefore my music video must also be focused around themes and conventions found in a dance music video, such as high quality clothing lines, which are often featured in music dance videos to represent the target demographic.

Other conventions that I will feature is a suburban background. This is because the suburbs is where most of the members of my target audience live in suburbs or similar areas, so they will be able to relate to the scenery in my video.

Example of target audience member (anonymous male)
- Male, 17 years old
- Ocasionally listens to rap music; more fond of dance music
- Favourite artist is Drake
- Currently a full-time college student
- Plans to take a gap year before university
- Fond of sport (particularly tennis)
- Not an active social media user, although possesses friends also within target audience that regularly use social media (Instagram, Snapchat)
- Enjoys watching films, especially ones within the action genre


Moodboard

Early feedback from audience member (anonymous male)

- Liked idea of masked identity; keeps audience guessing and thus interested in artist personality

- Would prefer to see more suburban settings rather than colourful sets

- Liked the idea of  homosexual representation within the planned music video, said it is rare for male artists to tackle this topic

- Likes the idea of a performance told by actions and movement rather than words (dance rather than lip-sync)

I will attempt to include a wider variety of suburban settings as a result of the feedback from a target audience member, as I acknowledge that taking on board the criticism from the audience will be integral in the success of my music video.