Conventions and Attributes of Music Videos (Generic Research)

 Andrew Goodwin:

Music videos, identified by Andrew Goodwin, have 6 main Conventions:

-music videos demonstrate their genre themself by using stereotypes from musical and cinematographic genres,

for example, a heavy metal rock music video may use dark, gothic, and “horror-like” attributes to construct a genre for the audience easily. A modern “indie” music video may use alternative colour grading, may include themes of skating, surfing and other sports, and may have the actors dress in non mainstream clothes.

-music videos associate the lyrics to the visuals, creating a harmonious relationship between the two, allowing the audience to interpret the music video

When music videos do not follow this convention, it is signs of abnormality in the world inside their music video

For example, in RADIOHEADS “Burn The Witch,” the unharmonous relationship between the lyrics and the mise-en-scene displays the flaws in the storylines, where the main inspector is nearly killed.

-music videos associate the production to the visuals, whereby scenes are edited sometimes in time with the drums, guitar in the production of the song. Songs that are under the dance genre may use faster paced editing the match the tempo of the song, whereas songs that are sad or slow may use low paced, editing to match the song

An example of this can be seen in Artic Monkeys “Do I Wanna Know,” where the drums in the back are directly parallel to the mise en scene, alongside the soundwaves in the video matching the lead singers voice.

-music videos heavily use Intertextuality, most commonly to modern popular culture, so those who recognise the intertextuality feel “clever” and continue to interact with the music video.

For Example, in Ariana Grandes “thank u, next,” there is intertextuality of “Chick-Flix” films that come from the 90’s and 00’s, including Mean Girls, 13 going on 30, and more. This use of intertextuality is used to target Ariana Grandes target audience of mainly teenage girls.

-music videos focus on the star of the music video, and use consistent attribute of their discography of music videos to create a “style” of music videos. 

For example, Lana Del Rey uses alternative feature in her music videos, such as using black and white music videos in “Blue Jeans,” or “Candy Necklace,” or using repetitive montages in “Venice B****.”

-music videos, specifically of mainstream female videos, will include Hyper-Sexualism to attempt to create online discourse, or “attract attention.”

For example, Lady Gaga has consistently used voyeuristic techniques in her music videos to “create controversy” to align to her brand identity of being “rebellious.”

General Conventions:

-music videos will use a linear narrative structure most commonly to allow for the audience to easily interpret what the artist is trying to achieve with their music video.

-music videos may include “performance master sequences” where the artist is playing the instrument and/or singing. This allows for the artists to display their “talent” as a musician, attempting to potentially encourage audiences to go to concerts, etc. This convention is commonly used in rock music videos. Though not common in contemporary music videos, some older videos may be “performance videos” where the artist simply uses a music video of their on concert to promote their concert.

-music videos may use cameos to promote their music video, as by using an elite person, audiences are more likely to interact with the video. A good example of this is “B****, I’m Madonna” featuring dozens of Hollywood Celebrities including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Kanye West, etc.

-music videos commonly start with the actor signing the first lyrics of the song, this establishes the relation between the visuals and the lyrics creating a better well rounded music video.

Focus Group (Audience Research)

 

Name: Kitty Cooper

Age: 22

Gender: Woman

Occupation: Beautician

Physcographic: Mainstreamer and Struggler

Interests: Vintage fashion, Pop-art, 60s music.

Favourite Music-Video: Rehab by Amy Winehouse

Quote: I like 60s and 70s music specifically soul music as it is different to popular music of today. I like Amy Winehouse because I feel as if she is the most recent person to cater to 60s music in the mainstream industry of music. I occasionally listen to alternative rock music such as artic monkeys and royal blood. I like watching music videos as I like that they can present artists intentions physically such as through outfits.

Name: Lola Rogers

Age: 17

Gender: Woman

Occupation: Student/ Part-time entrepreneur

Physcographic: Mainstreamer and Succeeder

Interests: Health and Wellness, Beauty, Fashion

Favourite Music Video: Runaway by Kanye West

Quote: I like house music and American rap music as I feel like it represents me as a person. I rarely watch music videos but sometimes I might watch them if I like the song a lot. House music resonates with me a lot.

Name: George Burnham

Age: 16

Gender: Man

Occupation: Student

Physcographic: Explorer and Struggler

Interests: Football, Formula One Gaming

Favourite Music Video: Gangnam Style

Quote: I like a lot of music types, but I like particularly alternative and independent music that is non mainstream music as I do not resonate with pop music.

Name: Oliver Crawford

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Occupation: Student/Part-Time Sales Assistant 

Physcographic: Mainstreamer and Reformer

Interests: Football, Fashion, Indie Music

Favourite Music Video: Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus.

Quote: I like indie music such as soft indie and rnb such as Steve lacy and frank ocean as it make me feel elated with life and it allows me to feel fulfilled and contemplate my feelings. I rarely watch music videos as I only care for streaming music.

Name: Lee Cooper

Age: 55

Gender: Male

Occupation: Builder

Physcographic: Mainstreamer and Explorer 

Interests: architecture, alternative music, football

Favourite music video: Fire by Kasabien

Quote: I like listening to alternative music on radio stations such as BBC radio 6 and other alternative music. I rarely watch music videos; and when I do, it’s usually for the sake of memories.

Name: Faye Cooper

Age: 49

Gender: Female

Occupation: Dental sales assistant 

Physcographic: Explorer and Reformer

Interests: Travelling, Family, Art

Favourite Music Video: Everlong by The Foo Fighters

Quote: I listen mostly to 70s and 90s rock and alternative music. I like the kings of Leon and the Foo Fighters but I never ever really watch music videos.

Audience Profile (Audience Research)

 AUDIENCE PROFILE

Name: Harry Linburn

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Location: South-West England

Salary: £15000

Occupation: University Student and Part Time Cafe Worker

Physcographic: Struggler and Reformer

Values and attitudes:

Active in terms of exercise, likes to skate, regularly engages in activities of the south-west, specifically Cornwall, such as surfing. Actively on social media, well aware of current pop culture trends and engages with Twitter more commonly than other social media apps. Attends Exeter University and is born in Cornwall. Socially liberal view of society, leftist view politically, votes Green Party in general elections. Highly politically aware and engages with leftist literature. Plans on working and travelling simultaneously after university, to discover new cultures. Listens to indie and alternative rock bands, such as Current Joys, Surf Curse, The Smiths, etc, and dislikes commercial music such as mainstream pop music.

Audience Engagement (Audience Research)

 Popular Culture:

My Target Audience would be actively engaged in Pop Culture due the their age (16-25) making them more likely to have social media such as twitter, where Pop Culture is commonly discussed and commented on. My target audience, although knowledgeable on current events in Pop Culture, wouldn’t be necessarily “obsessed” over celebrity culture, etc, due to the idea that my audience simply wants to be entertained, and would rather not highly interact with the media. My audience would be involved in both mainstream and subgroup Pop Culture, as most teenagers and young adults align themselves with a specific group on social media, for comfort, stability and general entertainment (for example, sub-groups such as “Coquette,” “Indie” and many others.) 

Universal Music Group (UMG) Music Videos:

My Entertainment-oriented audience is highly likely to interact with UMG music videos, as Universal commonly cater to populism due to their high status of being the biggest music company in the world. Universal, being a horizontally integrated media creator attracts members of my target audience due to their high engagement with social media’s, which UMG may use to promote and distribute their music and music videos.

Upon recent years, due to young people (16-25 year olds,) and their desire for subcultures in the media (emo subcultures, indie subcultures, upon many others,) big record labels have began recruiting non mainstream artists (such as UMG recruiting Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Evanescene, etc.) to cater to a rise in middle market and mainstream audiences desire for alternative and non-pop music (e,g a rise in alternative artists such as Lana Del Rey, Mitski, etc.) This makes middle market audiences (my target demographic) more likely to branch their media horizons to areas such as indie-rock, rock, and alternative music in general.

Defining my Target Audience (Audience Research)

 Target Audience: A primarily 16-25 year old middle market audience that likes to be entertained.

Middle Class Audience: An audience with the class demographic of BC1C2 would have access to all ranges of media due to their relative wealth, which allows them to buy technology with easy access to different sources of media . A middle class audience has a high cultural capital.

Entertainment-Desiring audience: An audience which interacts with media for simple entertainment usually area relatively passive in terms of audience interaction - they don’t largely critique of celebrate the media, instead they simply watch for simple dopamine, knowledge, etc. In a Global Web Index study, it was found that 60% of audiences simply engage in media for entertainment - rather than knowledge, or cultural competency. 

16-25 Age Audience: This type of audience, of Generation Z, Digital Natives, are highly adapted to media and technology that those of old age brackets aren’t used to. This audience is somewhat active in terms of interaction to the media, as this age bracket is commonly renounced for its activistic tendencies and relatively Center-left viewpoints. Around 60% of this audience use social media - by which this younger audience can easily interact with all forms of media due to horizontal integration.

Universal Music Group (Industrial Context)

 UNVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

Universal Music Group, otherwise known as UMG, is the biggest music company in the world, and apart of the “Big Three,” (UMG, Sony, and Warner Music Group.) UMG owns 15 major Record Labels and is a powerhouse in the music industry. UMG owns artists from every single musical genre due to its widespread success as a multi-national conglomerate.

Below are 4 of UMG’s most popular record labels that have shaped the ownership distribution of the music industry.

INTERSCOPE RECORDS

Interscope Records was founded in the USA in the 1990s. It gained traction vastly due to its approach to the music industry being subverted in comparison to other labels, as it guaranteed artists and producers full creative control over the music being made.

Interscope Records’ artists come from the genre of mainstream Pop and Rap, with little alternative genres present in their cohort of artists. Some artists include Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish among many others. 

Interscope operates as both a record label and a talent management company, providing artists with a range of musical services including A&R, marketing, distribution, and artist development. Its company aim revolves around fostering creative freedom and supporting artists in realising their artistic vision (which has led to the discovery of some of the most influential acts across the mainstream genres) 

 Interscope's impact on the music industry is undeniable, as Interscope has consistently pushed the boundaries and challenged conventional norms, contributing to fluidity of mainstream music overtime, with new artists under Interscope changing definitions of popular music. With its dedication to artistic development and pushing boundaries, Interscope is one of the biggest subsidiary Record Labels under UMG.

CAPITOL MUSIC GROUP

Capitol Music Group is a leading subsidiary of Universal Music Group that has unique aims - to shape and nurture contemporary artists, while also aiding heritage artists that desire a longevity-based music career. For example, CMG owns contemporary artists or as they call them, “rising stars,” such as Troye Sivan and Ice Spice, whereas they also own heritage and legend artists such as The Beatles and the Bees Gees.  

Capitol Music Groups legacy has been constructed due to its longstanding establishment in the music industry, due to its early founding in 1942. Due to CMG being a highly established label, it easily aids artists with its widespread, global connections and partnerships, and also giving artists access to good and high quality marketing.CMG’s legacy has also been constructed due to its catering to mainstream genres, hyper focused on genres such as Pop, Rap, Rock, and Country. 

Capitol Music Group has proved itself as a legendary label, with a vast discography of artists that have shaped the landscape of the music industry.

ISLAND RECORDS

Island Records is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group that differs from other UMG labels due to its indie roots as a label. Started in 1959, Island Records is a Jamaican-born record label that was originally not apart of UMG until 1989. Due to its independent roots and its Caribbean origin, Island Records originally had a non-mainstream genre discography of global music, including genres of Reggae, Ska, and many others. Island records has and remains a global label in worldwide genres, and before 1989, a global force as an indie label. In the 1970s, Island Records was the largest independent record label in the world. Though, after joining UMG in 1989, island record expanded into mainstream alternative music, conquering all genres by partnering with many contemporary alt-pop artists, such as Amy Winehouse and florence and the machine. 

Island fostered and aided many global legends such as Bob Marley, U2, among others. Island has built up this discography of artists by having  a wide range of services for its artists, such as A&R, and high quality marketing, promotion and distribution of music. Island records’ aim is to “provide a platform for artists to express themselves

REPUBLIC RECORDS

Republic Records is an American Based subsidiary of UMG that was founded in 1995. Republic Records emerged as a powerhouse in the music industry in the 2000s due to its ethos of being a “full-service-label” that offers artists a range of services and partnerships to foster musical growth.

At the heart of Republic Records’ aim is the idea of  empowering artists to produce their full musical potential. To do this, Republic Records aims to create a space for artists to have free control of their artistic intention, allowing for collaborative  environment where artists can regularly collaborate. Republic aims to find new talent whilst also aiding growth for establish artists. RR has a discography for superstars under its label, for example Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Drake.

Contemporary Context of Music Videos and the Music Industry (Industrial Context)

 

In the music industry in contemporary society, there are three main conglomerates that take up around 70% of the market: Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. Artists under these conglomerates commonly fall into the mainstream, popular music genres, such as pop, rap, and rock music. Artists that don’t fall into the 70% commonly make alternative and non- English based music.  Artists under these large conglomerates have the financial resources to higher promotion, leading to a higher budget of music videos - influencing music videos of artists under this 70% (as they may have higher access to better and more advanced technology, access to actors, etc.)

HOW MUSIC VIDEOS PRODUCE, DISTRIBUTE, AND REVENUE.

PRODUCE:

Music videos gather the funds for the production of a music video through their Music Label - this means depending of the wealth of the Label itself, the music video will be of higher quality or lower quality depending on the label the artist is signed to. Those apart of Sony, Warner, or Universal will have better quality videos than those of independent labels. The production of music video differs depending of the Genre of the video, production may include animators if it is a cartoon, etc. The process of producing a music video involves 8 main steps: 

Conceptualisation of the video 

Storyboarding and minor planning 

Scouting for locations 

Planning shots and scenes 

Gathering equipment  

Casting of actors and crew members 

Filming the music video 

Editing and colour grading.

DISTRIBUTION:

Music videos distribute by distributors such as Symphonic Distribution,  DistroVid and Ditto, who send artists music videos and allow them to be published on streaming services such as VEVO, YouTube, and as of 2024, Spotify. The potential circulation of a music video is heavily reliant on this step in the process of a Music Video, as depending on the wealth and popularity of a distribution service, the viewership rate of the music video may be limited or open to wide audiences. Artists commonly aim to distribute music videos on YouTube due to the high interaction rates, which allows audiences to distribute music videos themselves by sharing the post to their relatives, friends, etc - increasing viewership of the music video. Though many artists also aim to distribute on TikTok due to the highly audience guided algorithm, maintaining and attracting audeinces.

REVENUE:

Artists and labels profit of music videos mainly from advertising on streaming sites, where royalties will be split between label, streaming channel, and artist (with the artist profiting the least.)  Other ways music videos profit labels, artists and streaming channels is through digital downloads, Merchandise sales directly linked from music video captions, etc. Of course, the revenue the label and artist get from music videos can also be indirect, as due to music videos promotion of the artists song, music videos may lead to an increase in streams, sales, leading to more indirect revenue.